Product Description

Look to the stars.

Although Astronomy has been around for more than 5,500 years, astronomers say that we’ve learned more than 90% of what we know about the universe in just the last 50—and much of that in the last decade! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Astronomy, Fourth Edition, continues to be the most comprehensive introduction to the topic, covering all the latest advances and discoveries, including:
• The demotion of Pluto and promotion of Ceres as planetary objects
• Breakthrough evidence of recent water flow on Mars
• New developments in asteroid-tracking programs
• New information on the nature and shape of our universe
• Mind-bending theories concerning multiple universes
• Information on the latest telescopes

As a bonus, this book includes a fascinating CDROM with more than 200 of the most spectacular images from NASA, star maps, and other tools for backyard astronomers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #308154 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781592577194
• BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

About the Author
Christopher DePree, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Agnes Scott College, where he teaches physics and astronomy. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is the Director of Bradley Observatory.
Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is the author of more than 20 books, including three Complete Idiot’s Guides®.

Customer Reviews

Keeping up is hard to do
Keeping up in astronomy as a general reader is not a trivial task. As the editorial matter for this excellent summary indicates, "astronomers say that we've learned more than 90% of what we know about the universe in just the last 50 [years] -- and much of that in the last decade!"

Here's my solution:

Subscribe to Astronomy; the magazine has recently improved its wonderful website, which is filled with tons of information based on your own location on the surface of the earth.

Subscribe to NASA's free "Astronomy Picture of the Day" for a constant flow of fascinating pictures, news and features.

Buy Astronomy For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy when they are released. The last "Dummies" was in 2005; the newest "Idiot's" was just released. Both do a perfectly competent job of reviewing new developments and the editors are excellent, well trained and heavily published astronomers.

Christopher DePree maintains an outstanding website with lots of astronomical information. Alan Axelrod doesn't seem to have a personal website, but his books are always excellent.

Buy the "Idiot's" now, then wait for a year or two, and buy the newest "Dummies". This plan of action will keep you up to date in this fast moving field.


Robert C. Ross 2008

PS: On April 23, 2008, "The New York Times" carried an interesting ten question quiz designed to let you know how up to date you are in the field of astronomy. The questions were written by Christopher De Pree, and there are three additional extra credit questions sure to evoke heavy debate.

On May 13, the "Times" also ran a fascinating story on the Microsoft WorldWide Telescope project and the Google Sky project. Both sound like resources well worth exploring further. B.

Great for the beginner or a returning hobbyist
I am just returning to my first hobby, astronomy. This is an excellent, up-to-date guide. It is clear and concise. The CD-ROM is a nice extra, but the book is the reason to buy.

I especially enjoyed the info on cosmology and the fate of the universe.

The Idiot's Guide to Astronomy
This was a great reference book for me, as I've been teaching astronomy to elementary homeschool students, but never actually taken a course in astronomy. I had the library book, but needed my own copy that I can underline. I didn't like some snide references to "those who believe in creationism" (not an exact quote), but the information was clearly presented in a way I could understand, so I can overlook such jibes.