The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy (Young Oxford Books) - Hardcover

Mitton, Simon; Mitton, Jacqueline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195211693 ISBN 13: 9780195211696

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1995

Synopsis

"Look up on a clear, dark night and you will see the sky is full of twinkling specks of light. What are these stars and planets? How far away are they? Can we learn more about them?"
Simon and Jacqueline Mitton begin The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy by tapping into that sense of mystery and wonder that the endless night sky stirs in each of us. They set out the aims and methods of astronomy, such as how astronomers map and measure the universe. Then they turn to our own solar system, detailing vital statistics in "Fact Files" for each planet, and highlighting important discoveries or remarkable characteristics. Finally, they move to the stars and the great wheeling galaxies of the vast universe. They tell us the life cycle of a star, describe a nova explosion in electrifying detail, and offer a time line that describes what was happening on earth when the light we see today first set out from a galaxy far, far away.
This story of astronomy unfolds alongside hundreds of magnificent color illustrations--the latest photographs from the world's largest telescopes, the most exciting images from space probes, and many fascinating explanatory diagrams and artists' visualizations. The index and glossary are excellent research tools, and a section devoted to star charts will delight any budding astronomers.
The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy is a great book for a curious child, but adults will find it useful and fascinating as well. It's an essential guide to the greatest show on Earth--the starry, starry sky.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Authors:
Simon and Jacqueline Mitton studied physics at Oxford University, and received doctorates in astronomy and astrophysics at Cambridge University. They have worked together and singly to write many books about astronomy. In recognition of their contribution to the public's understanding of the field, Asteroid 4077 was named Mitton in their honor.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9?At first glance this book looks to be an up-to-date, visually exciting summary of astronomy. However, in an effort to appeal to both young amateur astronomers and readers interested in learning about the universe, it fails to satisfy either. The authors begin with a description of the instruments used for viewing the universe and then describe it from a star-gazer's perspective?beginning with the planets and moving out through the solar system and galaxies. This arrangement is confusing since scientific concepts are introduced before they are properly explained. Aggravating this problem is the authors' tendency to avoid mathematical concepts. Although much of the math associated with astronomy is beyond the grade level for which this book is intended, some explanation of the basic concepts is necessary. Also, although astronomers are far from agreeing on theories of the age, evolution, size, shape, etc. of the universe, the Mittons build each discussion around one theory presented as fact, and it is only in the last chapter that they mention that other theories exist. The illustrations, mostly photos, are clear and appealing, but are often spread across the double page. On several occasions the tight binding obscures important parts of them. Some captions seem to contradict the text, and both photos and diagrams are often poorly labeled and explained. Star charts at the end are too small to be very helpful to beginning astronomers. Many better books are available on this topic.?Wendy D. Caldiero, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0195211693
• ISBN 13: 9780195211696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160