The Stars of Heaven - Hardcover

Pickover, Clifford A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195148746 ISBN 13: 9780195148749

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

Synopsis

Do a little armchair space travel, rub elbows with alien life forms, and stretch your mind to the furthest corners of our uncharted universe. With this astonishing guide book, The Stars of Heaven, you need not be an astronomer to explore the mysteries of stars and their profound meaning for human existence.
Stars have fascinated humankind since the dawn of history and have allowed us to transcend ordinary lives in our literature, art, and religions. In fact, humans have always looked to the stars as a source of inspiration and transcendence that lifts us beyond the boundaries of ordinary intuition. In the tradition of One Two Three... Infinity, Pickover tackles a range of topics from stellar evolution to the fundamental and awe-inspiring reasons why the universe permits life to flourish. Where did we come from? What is the universe's ultimate fate? Pickover alternates sections that explain the mysteries of the cosmos with sections that dramatize mind-expanding concepts through a fictional dialog between futuristic humans and their alien peers who embark on a journey beyond the reader's wildest imagination. This highly accessible and entertaining approach turns an intimidating subject into a scientific game open to all dreamers.
Told in Clifford Pickover's inimitable blend of fascinating state-of-the-art science and whimsical science fiction, and packed with numerous diagrams and illustrations, The Stars of Heaven unfolds a world of paradox and mystery, one that will intrigue anyone who has ever pondered the night sky with wonder.

About this title

About the Author

Clifford A. Pickover is an associate editor of several journals, prolific inventor, and puzzle columnist for magazines such as Discover. Pickover is also the author of many best-selling books on popular science topics. He lives in Yorktown Heights, New York.

Reviews

The indefatigable Pickover presents an introduction to the evolution and behavior of "a veritable zoo of strange stars," from our sun, a run-of-the-mill main sequence yellow "dwarf," to supergiants larger than the orbit of Jupiter to pulsars, neutron stars, black holes, and lesser-known bizarre stellar products. In a blend of science and science fiction, he utilizes a pair of quirky space travelers to present concepts and relevant formulas. Bob, a futuristic human, is curator of an intergalactic art museum. His diamond-bodied scolex companion, Mr. Plex, can survive the harshness of space and will perform any experiment Bob asks him to. This educational device has its fun moments, but some serious readers may find it a bit much. Beyond that, there's plenty here to contemplate, since without exploding stars, there would be no "seagull cries, computer chips, trilobites, Beethovens, or the tears of a little girl." Pickover is one of popular science's most prolific and animated writers as well as a multitalented inventor, puzzlemaker, and graphic artist. David Siegfried
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Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195148746
• ISBN 13: 9780195148749
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256