276°
Posted 20 hours ago

Starbook: a magical tale of love and regeneration

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

Throughout the book, concepts are well explained, using metaphors and analogies to create an accessible writing style. The author’s day job as an observational astronomer comes through, and there are nice anecdotes about trips to telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, and a few from his base at the University of Cambridge, an institution steeped in astronomical history. This book follows the first of those missions, which took place over four months in 2013 and which studied, among other things, the role that food resources would play on a long-term mission. Straight from the pen of a scientist working with commercial spaceflight comes a memoir of getting into the air. Kellie Gerardi has worked with NASA, tested technology that would be sent to the International Space Station, and helped develop programmes for future space exploration. This is highly recommended for anyone who has ever been fascinated by the glow of a volcano, or wondered if there is life ‘out there’.

Fire and Ice: the Volcanoes of the Solar System is a masterful geology lesson disguised in the excitement of fire, ice and alien worlds. Bizony shows us Mars as it truly is: windswept, dry and inhospitable, yet still harbouring clues of a wetter, life-nurturing past. And though the search for life remains a central tenet of this book, NASA Missions to Mars also has the feel of an unrequited love story. For as Chaikin lyrically waxes in his intro, as a youngster he fell in love with the world next door. As did we all. While life on Earth may be challenging, this book goes a long way to inspiring the next generation and showing them just how big and wonderful the world of astronomy can be. The guides explain everything from aperture, power and optical design to mounts and filters, each illustrated with handy photographs ensuring the reader knows the difference between a Newtonian and Maksutov telescope or an altazimuth and Go-To mount. Marchant guides readers on a tour through the history of humanity’s relationship with the heavens and the costs of our separation from its influence. From the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux to witness the winter solstice at an ancient tomb at Newgrange, to a visit with Medieval monks grappling with the nature of time, and native Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars, it’s a re-examination of the potential of the universe we inhabit, its wonder, and its effect on our health.But the biggest praise I can give is to repeat the words of my two-year-old, who at the book’s close simply looked up at me and said: “Again!”

Like other Sagan works, this one is a fun and engaging read, but a great deal of ambition lurks beneath the fluid prose, as this quote from the book reveals: "If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. I loved the slight tangents the author makes as though she is speaking out loud; these touches make the book feel very personable. My favourite might be how she explains a topological defect in the same way as deciding which bread plate is yours at a fancy dinner.The epilogue is another highlight, where various cosmologists contemplate the end of the Universe. It’s intriguing to read that while this subject is ‘sad’, it really is all about the journey. The popular science genre is in desperate need of new voices that aren’t the typical standard we are unwittingly used to, and as a starting point I cannot recommend this book enough.I have never researched anything more terrifying that servicemen and women have been involved in – and I’ve researched a lot. Anyone who earned the Arctic Star medal has my absolute respect. This invaluable guide will appeal to anyone no matter their experience, the equipment they have (or not) or where they live. Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s debut book is two things: a journey into the world of cosmology and particle physics, and a refreshingly eye-opening insight into the too-often exclusionary arena that is science.

For such a familiar concept, time is actually a rather complex topic. There are subtleties, such as how exactly Figures, photographic plates and footnotes all serve to support the text throughout the book, and a very helpful glossary is provided at the end. As a concise introduction, Planets manages to cover an impressive amount and will undoubtedly leave the reader keen to learn more. As a narrative poem it tells the story of a squirrel who looks up at the stars from his home in London’s Greenwich Park. Down from the heavens comes Cygnus the swan, who gives the squirrel and the reader a lesson in stellar science. Navigating your way through the vast history of our Universe has been made easier thanks to this book’s more digestible format. Absent are the complex equations and jargon words, and in their place, an easy to read and very engaging gateway into the Universe’s evolution, which is broken up into sections that flow seamlessly into each other.It is rare to read something that so closely mixes science fiction with reality, but Space 2069 does just that. From the pen of former BBC science correspondent David Whitehouse, this book affords us an intelligent portrait of where we may be in the next half-century: from an Antarctica-like set-up of international Moon bases to outposts on the Red Planet. The book’s main characters – Frank, Joseph and Stephen – join the Royal Navy in the Second World War – starting out on a fictional flower-class corvette on the first and second Arctic Convoys, which I called HMS Forget-me-Not. Their fictional ship is based on real sailor’s experiences on the Arctic convoys sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The author also shows practical changes that we can make to our own lives, as individuals, that will improve the planet as a whole. Whether you’re a budding cosmologist or simply someone with a deep fascination for the Universe and how it came to be, this book is a great introduction to the subject.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment