Natural History of Universe - Hardcover

Ronan, Colin A.

4.38

16 ratings by Goodreads

9780385253277: Natural History of Universe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385253273 ISBN 13: 9780385253277

Publisher: Bantam Books of Canada Ltd, 1991

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Space, the final frontier, is the last and most mysterious realm to challenge the human spirit. One's imagination follows the space probes reaching ever further into the depths of the cosmos, while the mind boggles at the revolutionary concepts conceived by mathematicians and scientists, to fit together the ceaseless flood of new information. Using straightforward language, graphics and up-to-date space imagery, this book tells the story of the universe; its birth, its life and its possible future. It provides extensive coverage of astronomical topics - planets and moons, galaxies and stars, pulsars and quasars, brown stars and black holes, worlds long past and those yet to come. The author's other books include "The Practical Astronomer" and "The Skywatcher's Handbook".

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From Library Journal:

Ronan, a recent president of the British Astronomical Association, has produced a beautiful coffee-table work. Dividing it into three sections, Ronan focuses on the past, present, and future of the universe, although about half of his text is devoted to the structure of the universe today under the division, "The Grand Design." Unlike most astronomy books, this section starts with the largest types of astronomical phenomenon such as superclusters of galaxies down to our own celestial neighborhood, the Milky Way galaxy. While the book is profusely illustrated with photos and drawings, some pages are hard to read because the illustrations either cover the text or words are printed on top of the illustrations. With star charts, an excellent illustrated glossary, two pages of biographical material, and an index, this work is recommended for larger astronomy collections. An Astronomy Book Club main selection.
-Robert Ellis Potter, Dunedin P.L., Fla.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Ronan ( The Practical Astronomer ) here renders the comic-arcane concepts of subatomic physics ("strange attractor" particles) and astrophysics (cosmic superstrings and the grand unified theory) visible to the mind's eye. In this dynamic, highly formatted treatment, the graphics--drawings and photographs, often computer enhanced--illustrate brief sections of text that read like a script in search of a TV series. The required "grand tour" of the solar system is strengthened by data from Soviet and other recent planetary probes and by well-conceived combinations of deep-space photography and diagrams. A short detour into biological topics, while admirable, jars the chronology and scale of the book, in which the physical history of the universe, from Bang to Bounce, is dominant. This presentation nonetheless effectively harnesses imagination in the service of science. Astronomy Book Club selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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