Schaum's Outline of Astronomy

Rating:
Summary: As easy as ABC
Review: All the explanations and solved problems in this book are too simple. I think I made a mistake buying this "tome"....

Rating:
Summary: Good supplement for Introductory Astronomy
Review: This book is an excellent text to compliment any introductory astronomy text. The review material is concise and well written, and the questions follow the same format and reasoning found in many textbooks. A good buy.

Rating:
Summary: Good supplement for Introductory Astronomy
Review: This book is an excellent text to compliment any introductory astronomy text. The review material is concise and well written, and the questions follow the same format and reasoning found in many textbooks. A good buy.

Rating:
Summary: Not a rave
Review: This book is not recommended. Over the years, I have bought many of the Schaum Outlines and found them carefully written and comprehensive - until this one. Right from the beginning it is fraught with sloppy definitions and careless work.
Example from page 31, Chapter 2 "Sky and Telescopes"
Right Ascension (RA) is analogous to longitude. The ecliptic is the plane of the solar system, or the path that the Sun follows in the sky. Because the axis of the earth is tilted, the ecliptic and the celestial equator are not in the same place, but cross at two locations, called the equinoxes.
Comment - the ecliptic and the celestial equator are planes and intersect in a line.
Qne of these locations, the vernal equinox, is used as the zero point of right ascension.
Comment - but which one? The question is important because Right Ascension is measured from the Vernal Equinox
Example from page 33, on Tides
The Earth experiences one full set of tides each day (two highs and two lows), everywhere on the planet. Tides are caused by gravity. The Sun and the Moon both contribute to tides on Earth
Comment - the reader might wonder why there are two highs per day if the phenomenon is due to the rotation of the earth under the moon. Author gives no hint.