Astronomy Books

This book tells you all about all the things that astronauts do in space. The astronauts work in space. sometimes they even get some time to play. I liked this book because I want to be an astronaut some day.

I was writing a report on Tunguska for my ninth grade semester science project, and was low on information. After visiting Gallant's web site, I found he had wrote this book and ordered it. The amount of information in it was incredible! There are accounts that have never been published before, diagrams and photos, a full description of the expeditions to the area; all this added to the report, strengthening every section. I would recommend this to anyone interested in astronomy.

As a fifth grade teacher, I found this book to be an excellent source of space history. When combined with other materials, students get an excellent background of space exploration and information about the moon.

Though some of his ideas or "philosophys" are extreemly out of date, it is a marvel to read the book that first experessed the "crazy" ideas that are now common knowledge for a 3rd Grader. I feel that anyone intent on studying philosophy, astronomy, mathamatics, or is just very intrested in the greatest works of all time should deffinitly read this book. Although sometimes hard to understand (Nicolaus is not the greatest writer) because of it's crypticness, it is a "must read."

An important part of modern astronomy is the understanding of galaxies. And with so many (estimated at 40 billion) it is helpful to classify galaxies into types that can then be studied. In 1926 Hubble developed a classification system that has seen wide acceptance. In 1959 de Vaucouleurs published an extension to the Hubble system that gives greater emphasis to specific details not covered in the original Hubble system, some of which give more accurate recognition to details that have a bearing on the way galaxies evolve. This has become the most used Hubble derivative.

Although numerous catalogs have been published that describe the de Vaucouleurs system, no photo extensive atlas has been available to illustrate the de Vaucouleurs system until now.

This book has some 500 photographs of galaxies taken in blue light and modified to give a consistent brightness level. In addition it is an up to date reference on our understanding of the physical processes that underlie galaxy morphology.

The three authors all studied under or worked with de Vaucouleurs and have used his classification system for many years.

Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe: The Discoveries Of The Very Large Array Telescope by Karen Taschek is an informative and easy-to-follow study of the Very Large Array (VLA) as constructed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in in San Augustin, New Mexico. Ably authored, and historically concise, Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe presents the story of Karl Jasky and his discoveries, and continues on to share a wealth of fun and interesting finds attributed to the VLA's research. Beautifully illustrated throughout and a welcome addition to school and community library Astronomy reference collections, Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe is very highly recommended as a complete, active, thorough, and exclusive coverage of the fascinating world of the discoveries made with the technology of modern astronomical sciences for readers of all ages who are interested in the science of astronomy.

John M. Logsdon's "The Decision to Go to the Moon: Project Apollo and the National Interest" is THE classic study of the process whereby U.S. President John F. Kennedy reached the decision to support an effort to land Americans on the Moon by the end of the 1960s. First published at the time the Apollo program was in the midst of landing six missions on the Moon in 1970, the book has now been out of print for many years. I certainly wish that it were readily available again, but Dr. Logsdon does not want it to appear again without revision since he understands that many additional documentary sources and perspectives should inform it. I cannot disagree with that assessment, as I point out in the discussion below. As it is, Dr. Logsdon is at work on a new study of the space policy of the Kennedy administration that promises to be a seminal contribution to the subject. I wish him the best with that work and look forward to its appearance.

Even though now more than 30 years old, "The Decision to Go to the Moon" may still be read with great profit, and no serious student of the history of U.S. spaceflight can ignore it. In this work Logsdon argues that Kennedy's decision in favor of Project Apollo stemmed from a series of politically inopportune incidents that included the aborted Bay of Pigs invasion and Yuri Gagarin's historic first flight into space in April 1961. In responding to what seemed to be unending humiliations in the new space frontier, Kennedy sought to formulate an ambitious but realistic response to the Soviet challenge. On May 25, 1961, after extensive consultations with his advisors, Kennedy announced the goal of sending Americans to the Moon before the end of the decade. By synthesizing the disparate threads of the events of 1961 using primary documentation, Logsdon laid the groundwork for understanding a critical event in U.S. space policy, and thus built the foundation for a new interpretive space policy history. The author touts the decision-making to press Project Apollo as the public policy process at its best. It allowed consensus building and consensus maintaining, and finally accomplishment of the goal.

Logsdon argues in this important book that Kennedy made a single, rational, pragmatic choice to undertake the U.S. sprint to the Moon as a means of competing with the Soviet Union. It was war by other means, and a way to enhance U.S. international prestige during the height of the Cold War. The president and his advisors, therefore, undertook an exceptionally deliberate, reasonable, judicious, and logical process to define the problem, analyze the situation, develop a response, and achieve a consensus for action. The timeline progressed from point to point with no cul-de-sacs and few detours from problem definition to sensible decision. It was all so neat and tidy!

This rational choice argument begins with the assertion that JFK's space policy was a relic of the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, and that it revolved around the question of international prestige. In this view, Apollo was a clear result of competition between the world's two superpowers to win the "minds of men" to a specific economic and political system. In essence, the Apollo program was nothing less than the "moral equivalent of war." It sought to weaken the Soviet Union while enhancing the United States.

There is much to recommend Logsdon's interpretation and its study as a model of outstanding policy formulation is appropriate. A year after the Apollo decision, Kennedy himself sounded this approach when he noted that he perceived only three ways that the United States could effectively compete with the Soviet Union: militarily, economically, and technologically. He eliminated the first option because no one desired nuclear war. The second option was unattractive because it would take a long time for a clear economic winner to emerge. Apollo was a logical option because the winner would be readily apparent to the entire world within a few years, and since the payoff on the decision came nearly a decade later the United States would have sufficient time to overcome any obstacles that might impede efforts. The main strength of the rational choice model, however, is its emphasis on Kennedy's Apollo decision as a politically pragmatic one that solved a number of significant problems for his administration. The American effort to land on the Moon, therefore, served as an enormously effective response to a Cold War crisis with the Soviet Union.

At the same time, the most significant problem with this interpretation is its unwavering belief that individuals--and especially groups of individuals, even competing ones--logically assess situations and respond with totally reasonable consensus actions. Since virtually nothing in human existence is done solely on a rational basis this is a very difficult conclusion to accept. Charles E. Lindblom ("The Science of `Muddling Through'," Public Administration Review 19 (1959): 79-88) wrote 45 years ago that the "science of `muddling through'" is perhaps as useful an alternative approach to the study of decision-making as any, recognizing that "policy is not made once and for all; it is made and re-made endlessly." There may have been more "muddling through" in the Apollo decision of 1961 than suggested in "The Decision to Go to the Moon."

Perhaps so, but John Logsdon's book is still a powerful and seminal study of a defining moment in the history of the Space Age. Every student of the subject should read it. I eagerly await his new study of Kennedy's space policy, which I am certain will be just as powerful and seminal.

Make sure you are getting Edition 2 and not 1. The ads don't seem to be distinguishing them. Ed 2 is superior of course, and was published in 2001, Ed 1 was published 1993 to 1996.

You also have to decide if you want more deep sky objects or more stars. The Millennium Star Atlas would be a better choice if you want to more closely match the star field you see to help identify the objects. Uranometria has far more objects but a good portion of those may be extraneous and may actually get in the way of what you are seeking. Millennium has plenty of DSOs actually and more stars to help identify the objects you are looking for.

Ed 2 includes two progressive finder atlases to help zero in on where you want to go, because it is easy to get lost when looking at just a 2-page spread.

Ably compiled, deftly organized and knowledgeably written by David Pingree (the founder and chair of the American Committee for South Asian Manuscripts), A Descriptive Catalogue Of The Sanskrit Astronomical Manuscripts Preserved At The Maharaja Man Singh II Museum In Jaipur, India is a thoroughly researched and detailed technical reference concerning the astronomical manuscripts that reflect celestial activities from 1700 to 1743. Some 275 different manuscripts are described and summarized with sample verses in their original language -- Romanized. An excellent resource, A Descriptive Catalogue is specifically intended for antiquarian manuscript library reference collections and for consultation by experts in the field of the History of Astronomy.

Since I work for a privately held observatory engaged in the construction of a new telescope and facility, this book is extremely useful. I have found its treatment of all the subjects related to large telescopes very helpful and just the right level of depth for my situation.