Hindsight and Popular Astronomy

Hindsight and Popular Astronomy
Author: Alan B. Whiting
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2011
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9814307912

Named a Top Ten Book of 2011 by Physics World, UK.There are many books that endeavor to bridge the gap between scientists and laymen, yet too many overemphasize the presentation of scientific findings as hard facts and end up alienating readers from the critical thinking processes involved in science.Whiting attempts to break away from the norm in this revolutionary review of popular astronomy books written from 1833 to 1944. He examines these important works by acknowledged authorities in the field to see how they have stood the test of time. Where the luminaries have failed, he looks for clues that the layman reader could have used to raise doubts about what was being said. The aim of this highly accessible book is to develop tools for the non-scientist to evaluate the strange and marvelous results that astronomers report, in place of the highly-developed scientific and mathematical techniques available to the scientists themselves. A must-read for all science and astronomy enthusiasts.

Popular Astronomy

Popular Astronomy
Author: Camille Flammarion
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 721
Release: 2014-02-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108067840

Camille Flammarion's highly illustrated introduction to astronomy had sold over 100,000 French copies before this English translation appeared in 1894.

The Stargazer's Sister

The Stargazer's Sister
Author: Carrie Brown
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2016-12-13
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0804172137

Caroline, known as “Lina” to her family, has always lived in the shadow of her older brother William Herschel’s accomplishments. And yet when William invites Lina to join him in England to assist in his musical and astronomical pursuits—not to mention to run his bachelor household—she accepts, finding a new sense of purpose. William may be an obsessive genius, but Lina adores him, and aids him with the same fervency as a beloved wife. When William decides to marry, however, Lina’s world collapses. As she attempts to rebuild a future, we witness the dawning of an early feminist consciousness—a woman struggling to find her own place among the stars.

Bad Astronomy

Bad Astronomy
Author: Philip C. Plait
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2002-10-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780471422075

Advance praise for Philip Plait s Bad Astronomy "Bad Astronomy is just plain good! Philip Plait clears up everymisconception on astronomy and space you never knew you sufferedfrom." --Stephen Maran, Author of Astronomy for Dummies and editorof The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia "Thank the cosmos for the bundle of star stuff named Philip Plait,who is the world s leading consumer advocate for quality science inspace and on Earth. This important contribution to science willrest firmly on my reference library shelf, ready for easy accessthe next time an astrologer calls." --Dr. Michael Shermer,Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for ScientificAmerican, and author of The Borderlands of Science "Philip Plait has given us a readable, erudite, informative,useful, and entertaining book. Bad Astronomy is Good Science. Verygood science..." --James "The Amazing" Randi, President, JamesRandi Educational Foundation, and author of An Encyclopedia ofClaims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural "Bad Astronomy is a fun read. Plait is wonderfully witty andeducational as he debunks the myths, legends, and 'conspiraciesthat abound in our society. 'The Truth Is Out There' and it's inthis book. I loved it!" --Mike Mullane, Space Shuttle astronaut andauthor of Do Your Ears Pop in Space?

Deep-Sky Wonders

Deep-Sky Wonders
Author: Walter Scott Houston
Publisher: Sky Publishing Corporation
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2007-05-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781931559232

From 1946 to 1994, Sky & Telescope magazine featured a column called Deep-Sky Wonders, in which amateur astronomer Walter Scott "Scotty" Houston captured the wonder and delight of exploring the farthest reaches of the deep sky. In this book, Sky & Telescope contributing editor Stephen James O'Meara presents a month-by-month selection of Scotty's columns along with insightful observations and warm recollections of his time with Scotty. More than a field guide, Deep Sky Wonders is the work of a man who was a major influence on the development of amateur astronomy for nearly half a century.