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Rating: 
Summary: Fun and enjoyable book on physics
Review: It's amazing that I'm the first person to review this great book. This isn't exclusively an astronomy book; it actually covers almost all of classical and modern physics. There are chapters on everything in our universe from the very small to the very large--from quantum mechanics to classical physics, to the solar system to galactic evolution, the Big Bang, and cosmology. If you've wondered about what quarks really do, or the union that produced the electroweak theory, or the theory of the strong nuclear force, what such particles as W and Z bosons, Higgs bosons, gluons, and so on, really do, the cosmological theories of 11-dimensional string physics and membrane or M-theory, this book is a great place to start. To mention just two of the fascinating things I learned, results from the CERN accelerator in Geneva support the idea that nuclear particles absorb Higgs bosons in order to acquire mass, and that the asymmetry in the distribution between positively charged and negatively charged matter in our universe is thought to provide a direction to time itself.The chapters are beautifully illustrated and the text is very clear and readable, and the subjects are presented at a level that would be useful for secondary up through the first year of college. Many special features and sections accompany the text, such as sidebars illustrating important concepts or capsule biographies of famous physicists and scientists and their contributions, such as those of Murray Gell-Mann and Richard Feynman, and dozens of others. As if that weren't enough, there is a sizeable section on observational astronomy with star maps, a chapter on planetary astronomy, and even one on space exploration detailing every important manned and unmanned mission into space. Finally, there is a glossary of technical terms, tables of useful astonomical information and physical data, and more. This is a great book to just browse or to read for the wealth of information on just about every topic in modern physics and astronomy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview explanations of the universe
Review: The 384 pages of this book are very well laid out. It is divided into chapters followed by a reference section. The chapters are 1) history of astronomy (pgs 28-51), 2) laws of physics (pgs 54-91), 3) in search of quantum reality (pgs 94-117), 4) the universe: past, present, & future (pgs 120-148), 5) contents of the cosmos (pgs 152-191), 6) our solar system (pgs 194-232), 7) watching the night sky (pgs 236-299), 8) space exploration (pgs 302-335) and a reference sections (336-383) which includes a glossary, an index and multiple tables with facts and figures. Each of the chapters is divided into 20 or so articles. Each article is laid out on two facing pages with an introduction and clearly defined subheadings. The articles include supporting diagrams and explanations of personalities, milestones, theories, definitions, practical applications, and extra-science concepts (eg, philosophical, social, historical). The entire book is well illustrated. The writing is clear and aimed at the intelligent layman. The layout of this encyclopedia allows the user to turn to any two-page article and find a self-contained explanation of a particular topic. The articles are logically sequenced, so that the entire encyclopedia could be read sequentially like a textbook. Within each article are page references to related topics. It is obvious that many intelligent people put much thought and effort into this book. It is of a quality that you would expect to find in a public library, but the price makes affordable for keep in your home. I first discovered this book in our public library and looked it up in Amazon to buy a copy for myself. I had expected the price to be in the $50-$90 range and was pleasantly surprised to find it much lower. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the nature and structure of the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview explanations of the universe
Review: The 384 pages of this book are very well laid out. It is divided into chapters followed by a reference section. The chapters are 1) history of astronomy (pgs 28-51), 2) laws of physics (pgs 54-91), 3) in search of quantum reality (pgs 94-117), 4) the universe: past, present, & future (pgs 120-148), 5) contents of the cosmos (pgs 152-191), 6) our solar system (pgs 194-232), 7) watching the night sky (pgs 236-299), 8) space exploration (pgs 302-335) and a reference sections (336-383) which includes a glossary, an index and multiple tables with facts and figures. Each of the chapters is divided into 20 or so articles. Each article is laid out on two facing pages with an introduction and clearly defined subheadings. The articles include supporting diagrams and explanations of personalities, milestones, theories, definitions, practical applications, and extra-science concepts (eg, philosophical, social, historical). The entire book is well illustrated. The writing is clear and aimed at the intelligent layman. The layout of this encyclopedia allows the user to turn to any two-page article and find a self-contained explanation of a particular topic. The articles are logically sequenced, so that the entire encyclopedia could be read sequentially like a textbook. Within each article are page references to related topics. It is obvious that many intelligent people put much thought and effort into this book. It is of a quality that you would expect to find in a public library, but the price makes affordable for keep in your home. I first discovered this book in our public library and looked it up in Amazon to buy a copy for myself. I had expected the price to be in the $50-$90 range and was pleasantly surprised to find it much lower. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the nature and structure of the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome and Awe inspiring
Review: This book is not intimidating but it is still very worthwhile, and if you are interested in this subject it would make a wonderful addition to your own library, and for this price it is hard to make a case against owning it.
The short biographies about the legends in astronomy are interesting and many of the pictures are exquisite. The other reviewers have done an excellent job of describing the contents and layout.
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