The ultimate guide to the final frontier
This alphabetical tour of the universe provides all the history, science, and up-to-the-minute facts needed to explore the skies with authority. Packed with more than 3,000 entries that cover everything from major observatories and space telescopes to biographies of astronomers throughout the ages, it showcases an extraordinary array of newfound wonders, including microquasars, brown dwarfs, and dark energy, as well as a host of individual comets, asteroids, moons, planets, stars, nebulas, and galaxies. Featuring nearly 200 illustrations and eight pages of color photographs, this comprehensive guide provides easy lookup of topics and offers more in-depth information than can be found in existing star guides or astronomy dictionaries. It's an ideal resource for the amateur astronomer or anyone with an interest in the mysteries of the cosmos.
Introduction.How to Use This Book.Exponential Notation.Units.Astronomy Entries A to Z.Star Charts.Category Index.
DAVID DARLING, Ph.D., is the author of The Complete Book of Spaceflight (Wiley); Life Everywhere; The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia; Deep Time; Equations of Eternity (a New York Times Notable Book); Soul Search; and Zen Physics. He received his doctorate in astronomy from the University of Manchester, England, and now lives with his family in rural Minnesota. More information on astronomy and spaceflight may be found at www daviddarling.info.
...a serious contender in the dictionary market...worthy of consideration by anyone looking for an A-Z of astronomy... (The Observatory, Vol 124(1181), August 2004) "...a first-rate resource for readers and students of popular astronomy and general science." (Library Journal, November 15, 2003 (starred review)) "...a comprehensive survey and...a rare treat..." (Focus, March 2004)