Product Description

Through the fictional persona of Merlin, a visitor from another galaxy, an astrophysicist answers the most commonly asked questions about the universe and illuminates the ideas of the most important astronomers and scientists of the past. Reprint. Tour."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111999 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-14
• Released on: 1997-07-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 316 pages

From Library Journal
This is a collection of questions and answers from Star Date , a popular astronomy magazine. The answers to questions from the general public are supplied by Tyson, who has assumed the persona of "Merlin," an alleged visitor from the Andromeda galaxy. The material is clustered in 13 chapters; the first several deal with various parts of the solar system, and the others are concerned with topics such as stars, telescopes, and galaxies. The responses are generally terse but accurate; one or two of them appear not to deal with what the reader was asking. The author makes liberal use of humor, some strained; the Merlin character is rather pointless. Although hardly an essential work, this may be a useful acquisition for some public libraries.
- Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib . , Ann Arbor
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
Merlin, a fictional visitor from the Andromeda Galaxy, Planet Omniscia, has been friends with many of the most important scientific figures of the past including Kepler, da Vinci, Magellan, Doppler, Einstein and Hubble. In this delightful tour of the galaxies, Merlin often recounts his conversations with these historical figures in his responses to popular astronomy questions asked by adults and children alike. Merlin's well-informed answers combine a unique combination of wit and poetry along with serious science explained in refreshingly clear, reader-friendly language.

Dear Merlin: Can a person cross our galaxy in a spaceship during one human lifespan?

Merlin: In 1905, Merlin's good friend Albert Einstein introduced the "Special Theory of Relativity," which predicts that time will tick slower and slower the faster you travel. Were you to embark on such an adventure you could conceivably age as little as you wish, depending of course, on your exact speed. The problem arises when you return to Earth, which will have moved several hundred thousand years into the future and everyone will have forgotten about you.

A skywatcher's book for lovers of the universe by one of its greatest lights.

From the Inside Flap
Merlin, a fictional visitor from the Andromeda Galaxy, Planet Omniscia, has been friends with many of the most important scientific figures of the past including Kepler, da Vinci, Magellan, Doppler, Einstein and Hubble. In this delightful tour of the galaxies, Merlin often recounts his conversations with these historical figures in his responses to popular astronomy questions asked by adults and children alike. Merlin's well-informed answers combine a unique combination of wit and poetry along with serious science explained in refreshingly clear, reader-friendly language.



Dear Merlin: Can a person cross our galaxy in a spaceship during one human lifespan?



Merlin: In 1905, Merlin's good friend Albert Einstein introduced the "Special Theory of Relativity," which predicts that time will tick slower and slower the faster you travel. Were you to embark on such an adventure you could conceivably age as little as you wish, depending of course, on your exact speed. The problem arises when you return to Earth, which will have moved several hundred thousand years into the future and everyone will have forgotten about you.



A skywatcher's book for lovers of the universe by one of its greatest lights.

Customer Reviews

An excellent starting point for laymen/amateur astronomers
Professor Tyson has written a lucid, well-thought, and sensitive introduction the field of astronomy and astrophysics. He has presented the reader with intelligent questions and readable, highly understandable answers. Even questions one would not think of asking, but are nonetheless interesting are presented, and are given the same consideration as old hat questions such as how far is the sun from the earth, or how far away is the nearest star. I for one would like to hear more from Merlin, and hope that his next book comes out in the very near future.

awesome!
i bought this book for my six year old son who loves astronomy. merlin, a wizard whose birthday coincides with that of the solar system, answers thought provoking questions about earth, the solar system, the universe, stars, etc. merlin's answers are written in tyson's usual writing style, down to earth and easy to understand. he even makes difficult concepts understandable. merlin is asked questions such as "what would happen if the earth stopped rotating?" and " why is the south pole colder that the north pole?" he gives theories as to why three of the nine planets rotate retrograde. i read a few questions to my son each night before he goes to bed and i continue reading it even after he's already asleep; it's hard to put down. i just love it and highly recommend it to anyone interested in astronomy, young or old.

Another Excellent Book from Dr. Tyson
If you have a kid who's interested in astronomy, this is a terrific buy. It's in a question/answer format, with Merlin answering the questions. Each question/answer is on its own page, and there is no order dependency. This means you can open the book to any page at all and just start reading. It's fun and informative.

As to Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson - what can I say that hasn't already been said. When it comes to astronomy, Dr. Tyson writes the best stuff I've seen for non-scientists, puts in a language we can understand, and adds enough humor to make for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.