Astronomy - General & Miscellaneous, Astronomical Star Guides & Charts, Stargazing - Amateur's Manuals
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Overview
From the foreword of the fourth edition:
"The Universe and Beyond is a celebration of the human spirit of exploration. It is a majestic voyage to the most distant realms we can imagine. Prepare yourself for a great adventure."
-- Edward G. Gibson, Astronaut, Skylab 4
The Universe and Beyond is a fact-packed, up-to-date guide to the universe written by best-selling astronomy author Terence Dickinson. This new edition includes all the most recent astronomical discoveries and events and features imaginative astronomical illustrations and dramatic photography from the Hubble Space Telescope, space probes and the largest observatories on Earth.
This fifth edition has been carefully revised and updated:
- The section on nearby stars has been significantly expanded to include new information about the planets of other stars, emphasizing the probability that, by 2020, several Earth-like planets will be discovered orbiting stars similar to our Sun.
- The controlversial decision to drop Pluto from the solar system's roster of planets is fully explained.
- Newly discovered black holes and galaxy collisions are discussed.
- There are more than 50 new photographs of planets, moons, nebulas, galaxies and galaxy clusters.
The Universe and Beyond addresses the most common queries from those fascinated by the mystery and majesty of the cosmos. Brimming with color illustrations, this book is a one-stop guide to understanding the universe.
Synopsis
A factual up-to-date guide to the universe with every major aspect of astronomy clearly and concisely described. The 4th edition includes updates and additional material throughout, new photographs and a significantly expanded cosmology section.
Astronomy
The 'beyond' subjects include cosmology, dark matter, extra-terrestrial life, UFO's, and the ultimate fate of the universe ... Lavishly illustrated with astrophotos, artworks and diagrams.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
With an enormous amount of new scientific information, coupled with more than 100 new photographs and illustrations, Terence Dickinson takes the reader on an up-to-date tour of the universe. With our expert guide, we stroll the sands of Mars, float among Saturn's rings, observe how one star is born and another dies, venture to planets with two suns, and to "realms where black holes consume nearby stars or swallow whole galaxies." The author journeys back in time to the very origin of the universe and also discusses scientific possibilities that other life forms in the universe could "share our compulsion to know."Other features included in this new, expanded edition of an astronomy classic include:
- The discovery of icy bodies near the orbit of Pluto during the 1990s.
- Recent images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and from those on mountains in Hawaii and Chile.
- New pictures from the Galileo spacecraft, and other NASA space probes.
- An expanded section on galaxies, with new illustrations of the internal structure of the Milky Way.
- Updated section on the size and age of the universe.
- Extensively updated information about Mars and Jupiter.
- New section on comets including Hale-Bopp and Haykutake.
- Expanded data tables with increased accuracy in distance determination due to the Hipparchos satellite.
About the Author:
Terence Dickinson is the author of fourteen books on astronomy, including NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, Exploring the Night Sky, Summer Stargazing, and Splendors of the Universe (with Jack Newton). More than a million copies of his books are in print in three languages. A former editor of Astronomy Magazine and staff astronomer at two major planetariums, Dickinson is currently editor of SkyNews Magazine and astronomy columnist for the Toronto Star and the Discovery Channel Canada. He teaches astronomy part-time at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ontario and his articles have appeared in many publications including Reader's Digest and Popular Mechanics.
Science Books and Films
[Review of earlier edition:] Chosen as one of the "Best Books for Junior High and Young Adult 2005" by Science Books and Films.Washington Post
[Review of earlier edition:] Astronomer Terence Dickinson presents the state of current knowledge and theory about the universe in accessible form. ... Packed with information, its photographic images augmented with explanatory graphics and artistic renderings.Astronomy
[Review of earlier edition:] The 'beyond' subjects include cosmology, dark matter, extra-terrestrial life, UFO's, and the ultimate fate of the universe ... Lavishly illustrated with astrophotos, artworks and diagrams.Sky and Telescope
[Review of earlier edition:] The latest update... continues to provide an accessible and wonderfully illustrated tour.Science Books and Films
[Review of earlier edition:] The Universe and Beyond is an excellent overview of the cosmos... Lavishly illustrated with both full-color photographs and artist's paintings, the book is comprehensive (no small feat when discussing the universe) and well organized... The explanations that help the average person comprehend the scale of the universe, combined with the wonderful illustrations, make this book a must-have for anyone interested in astronomy.American Reference Book Annual
[Review of earlier edition:] This impressive volume provides an excellent overview of the heavens for the general reader. What sets it apart from a multitude of other books of its type is a lively, informative text and dozens of stunning photographs and illustrations. It is a delight to read and a delight for the eye.E-Streams
[Review of earlier edition:] Terence Dickinson has produced another gem in Universe and Beyond, now in its fourth and expanded edition... Every page is full of visual impact both photographically and graphically. Each illustration is complemented with an in-depth caption.Science Books and Films
[Review of earlier edition:] Excellent book... exceedingly well written and filled with stunning photos and illustrations, the book is one of the best I have seen so far for use by general audiences of astronomically curious readers.Astronomy
The 'beyond' subjects include cosmology, dark matter, extra-terrestrial life, UFO's, and the ultimate fate of the universe ... Lavishly illustrated with astrophotos, artworks and diagrams.Washington Post
Astronomer Terence Dickinson presents the state of current knowledge and theory about the universe in accessible form...packed with information, its photographic images augmented with explanatory graphics and artistic renderings.Robert A. Seal
This impressive volume provides an excellent overview of the heavens for the general reader. What sets it apart from a multitude of other books of its type is a lively, informative text and dozens of stunning photographs and illustrations. It is a delight to read and a delight for the eye.—American Reference Book Annual 2000
Children's Literature
The intrigue of exploring beyond the earth will draw readers to this excellent book by astro-science expert Terence Dickinson. In language that is accessible and quite engaging, readers are given an introductory course in modern astronomy. Stunning full-color photographs and computer-enhanced images reveal the vastness of space and the beauty of the stars, planets, and galaxies that occupy it. The amount of information here is considerable and it will satisfy most student report writers and fascinate armchair scientists and explorers. We are just beginning to find out about planets circling other nearby stars, regarding which Dickinson observes that "Compared with a star, a planet is like a firefly next to a searchlight...too dim to be detected by direct telescopic viewing." He then describes how scientists have detected planets and also speculates on interstellar travel and the quest for alien signals. As the introduction says, "The Universe and Beyond is a celebration of the human spirit of exploration." It is book that deserves a place in every science and public library.Library Journal
Authors of introductory astronomy books strive to cover, in a single volume, an ancient yet dynamic discipline whose scope literally spans the universe. Dickinson (Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe) and Nicolson (Heavenly Bodies) succeed in meeting this challenge. Both provide brief overviews of the universe and organize their work in traditional fashion, progressing from study of Earth and the moon to examination of more remote objects and thence to cosmology. Each book includes data obtained as recently as 1998. Both authors examine the likelihood of finding living organisms elsewhere in the solar system and the possibility of intelligent life existing in another part of the universe. Dickinson, however, devotes considerably more space to (highly speculative) discussion of extraterrestrial life. His upbeat book, displaying an abundance of stunning photographs and space art, is by far the more appealing. Nicolson's work, on the other hand, is more inclusive and covers topics in considerably more detail. It could easily serve as a college-level text (although it lacks the exercises and review questions found in many introductory textbooks). Dickinson's book is recommended for all libraries; Nicolson's for academic and larger public collections.--Nancy Curtis, Fogler Lib., Univ. of Maine, Orono Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.From The Critics
The Universe and Beyond is an excellent overview of the cosmos from our local neighborhood, through our city and the stars, and on to the grand universe beyond. Lavishly illustrated with both fullcolor photographs and artists' paintings, the books is comprehensive (no small feat when discussing the universe) and well organized. Perhaps most valuable to the science educator are the author's examples of the scope of the solar system and the universe. The example of the solar system given on page 18, which shrinks the Sun to the size of a PingPong TM ball and then scales the planets accordingly (both in size and distance), could easily be recreated by any class of students. The Milky Way galaxy is shrunk to a size such that one could hold it in one's hand, with the Andromeda galaxy just out of reach. On page 111, a train of hopper cars carries sand, with each grain representing a star in the universe, The train passes by at the rate of one car per second. To carry all the sand grains representing all the stars in the universe would take three years at that rate. The data tables appended to the book provide a quick and easytouse source for the facts one usually wants at one's fingertips. The explanations that help the average person comprehend the scale of the universe, combined with the wonderful illustrations, make this book a musthave for anyone interested in astronomy. Highly Recommended, Grades 7College, Teaching Professional, General Audience. REVIEWER: Thomas A. Lesser (Iona College) ISBN: 1552093778Nancy Curtis
His upbeat book, displaying an abundance of stunning photographs, is by far the more appealing [in comparison to a second book] ... Dickinson's book is recommended for all libraries.—Nancy Curtis, Library Journal
American Reference Book Annual
A lively, informative text and dozens of stunning photographs and illustrations. It is a delight to read.— Robert A. Seal
E-Streams
Another gem... full of visual impact both photographically and graphically. Each illustration is complemented with an in-depth caption.— Peggy Dominy
Book Details
Published
October 1, 2010
Publisher
Firefly Books, Limited
Pages
204
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781554077489