Description

Book Synopsis
In Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets, Fred Watson, an award-winning astronomer, presents the most up-to-date knowledge on hot topics in astronomy and space science, providing a fascinating and entertaining account of the latest research.

Trade Review
Despite the complexity of the universe, you feel as though you’ve always been part of unraveling its mysteries as you read Fred Watson’s entertaining book. You will explore its history, spot things in the night sky you’ve never noticed before, and if you’re hoping for a wild new travel adventure, you’ll learn how to go to space without contaminating the cosmos with pesky earthly microbes. Bonus! -- Amanda Bauer, head of education and public outreach, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets is a superb romp through the historical, cultural, and scientific astronomical phenomena that surround us every day. Fred Watson is a treasure for his witty and incisive descriptions of science, fun and interesting to all. The book spans medieval astronomers to NASA deep space missions and even includes Goldilocks and The Terminator (revealed as serene and even romantic). Enjoy! -- Col. Pamela A. Melroy, USAF, Ret., former NASA astronaut
This is a great read! Twenty-one chapters, each a self-contained gem, exploring today's hot topics in astronomy and space research. It is up to date, clear, and entertaining. A great way to get up to speed with developments in astronomy such as gravitational waves and fast radio bursts. Highly recommended! -- Jocelyn Bell Burnell, University of Oxford
Full of science and wonder, this book will leave you looking upwards. -- Richard Glover, ABC Radio
Watson sifts and orders a most extensive range of material, then makes it all readily understandable... This book genuinely deserves a readership spanning all ages and many levels of prior expertise. -- Mark Thomas, Canberra Times
An up-to-the-minute, entertaining revelation for armchair explorers of deep space. * Kirkus Reviews *
Watson explains and entertains to equally strong effect. * Publishers Weekly *
Bringing as it does the sheer wonder of space to life with quirky stories, endless passion and a great deal of fun. * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *
Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets is accessible science done right, providing the solid fundamentals for understanding, never overwhelming the reader with too much jargon, and sparking the interest and awe that could send new readers off to learn more on their own. It’s terrific stuff. -- Glenn Dallas * Manhattan Book Review *
This is a book to whet the appetite of budding astronomers. The sheer range of activities and areas of research that are being pursued and described in this book are enormous. The excitement and fulfilment on offer from this branch of a life scientific comes through loud and clear. * Physics Education *

Table of Contents
Prologue: Astronomy at Large
Part I: Earth and Space
1. Restless Earth: The Way of the World
2. The Terminator: A User’s Guide to Nightfall
3. Starring Citizen Science: Research by the People
4. Catch a Falling Star: Meteors, Meteorites and Space Dust
5. Radio Silence: The Quietest Place in the World
6. The Off-Planet Economy: Doing Business in Space
7. Moonstruck: Where Did Our Satellite Come From?
Part II: Planetary Explorations
8. Telescope Troubles: Astronomers in Court
9. Space Bugs: Rules for Planetary Protection
10. Climate Change: What Happened to Mars?
11. Not Our Planet B? Colonising Mars
12. Ringing in the Changes: The Vanishing Rings of Saturn
13. Stormy Weather: Weird Worlds of the Saturnian System
14. Stalking an Invisible Planet: The Search for Planet Nine
Part III: The Universe At Large
15. Nature’s Barcode: A User’s Guide to Light
16. Reverberations: Exploding Stars and Light Echoes
17. Signals from the Unknown: The Fast Radio Burst Mystery
18. Eye of the Storm: Black Holes Inside And Out
19. Through Gravity’s Lens: The Curious Matter of Dark Matter
20. Ripples in Space: Probing the Birth of the Universe
21. Unrequited Love: Is Anyone There?
Acknowledgments
Index

Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets The

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    A Hardback by Fred Watson

    10 in stock

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      View other formats and editions of Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets The by Fred Watson

      Publisher: Columbia University Press
      Publication Date: 14/01/2020
      ISBN13: 9780231195409, 978-0231195409
      ISBN10: 0231195400
      Also in:
      Science & Nature Science: general issues

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      In Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets, Fred Watson, an award-winning astronomer, presents the most up-to-date knowledge on hot topics in astronomy and space science, providing a fascinating and entertaining account of the latest research.

      Trade Review
      Despite the complexity of the universe, you feel as though you’ve always been part of unraveling its mysteries as you read Fred Watson’s entertaining book. You will explore its history, spot things in the night sky you’ve never noticed before, and if you’re hoping for a wild new travel adventure, you’ll learn how to go to space without contaminating the cosmos with pesky earthly microbes. Bonus! -- Amanda Bauer, head of education and public outreach, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
      Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets is a superb romp through the historical, cultural, and scientific astronomical phenomena that surround us every day. Fred Watson is a treasure for his witty and incisive descriptions of science, fun and interesting to all. The book spans medieval astronomers to NASA deep space missions and even includes Goldilocks and The Terminator (revealed as serene and even romantic). Enjoy! -- Col. Pamela A. Melroy, USAF, Ret., former NASA astronaut
      This is a great read! Twenty-one chapters, each a self-contained gem, exploring today's hot topics in astronomy and space research. It is up to date, clear, and entertaining. A great way to get up to speed with developments in astronomy such as gravitational waves and fast radio bursts. Highly recommended! -- Jocelyn Bell Burnell, University of Oxford
      Full of science and wonder, this book will leave you looking upwards. -- Richard Glover, ABC Radio
      Watson sifts and orders a most extensive range of material, then makes it all readily understandable... This book genuinely deserves a readership spanning all ages and many levels of prior expertise. -- Mark Thomas, Canberra Times
      An up-to-the-minute, entertaining revelation for armchair explorers of deep space. * Kirkus Reviews *
      Watson explains and entertains to equally strong effect. * Publishers Weekly *
      Bringing as it does the sheer wonder of space to life with quirky stories, endless passion and a great deal of fun. * BBC Sky at Night Magazine *
      Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets is accessible science done right, providing the solid fundamentals for understanding, never overwhelming the reader with too much jargon, and sparking the interest and awe that could send new readers off to learn more on their own. It’s terrific stuff. -- Glenn Dallas * Manhattan Book Review *
      This is a book to whet the appetite of budding astronomers. The sheer range of activities and areas of research that are being pursued and described in this book are enormous. The excitement and fulfilment on offer from this branch of a life scientific comes through loud and clear. * Physics Education *

      Table of Contents
      Prologue: Astronomy at Large
      Part I: Earth and Space
      1. Restless Earth: The Way of the World
      2. The Terminator: A User’s Guide to Nightfall
      3. Starring Citizen Science: Research by the People
      4. Catch a Falling Star: Meteors, Meteorites and Space Dust
      5. Radio Silence: The Quietest Place in the World
      6. The Off-Planet Economy: Doing Business in Space
      7. Moonstruck: Where Did Our Satellite Come From?
      Part II: Planetary Explorations
      8. Telescope Troubles: Astronomers in Court
      9. Space Bugs: Rules for Planetary Protection
      10. Climate Change: What Happened to Mars?
      11. Not Our Planet B? Colonising Mars
      12. Ringing in the Changes: The Vanishing Rings of Saturn
      13. Stormy Weather: Weird Worlds of the Saturnian System
      14. Stalking an Invisible Planet: The Search for Planet Nine
      Part III: The Universe At Large
      15. Nature’s Barcode: A User’s Guide to Light
      16. Reverberations: Exploding Stars and Light Echoes
      17. Signals from the Unknown: The Fast Radio Burst Mystery
      18. Eye of the Storm: Black Holes Inside And Out
      19. Through Gravity’s Lens: The Curious Matter of Dark Matter
      20. Ripples in Space: Probing the Birth of the Universe
      21. Unrequited Love: Is Anyone There?
      Acknowledgments
      Index

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