Cosmology

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	Cosmology, Physics, & History	Reviews / Prices
	Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun (Book + CD-ROM) If you've always wanted to get your hands on a reprint of Newton's "Naturalis Principia Mathematica" - the groundbreaking work that made celestial mechanics a science - read "Feynman's Lost Lecture" instead. When physicist Richard Feynman examined Newton's explanation of the motion of planets around the Sun, he found the reasoning unclear: Nobel Prize winner Feynman couldn't follow Newton's geometric proofs - a method of scientific discourse long surpassed by mathematical equations. The ever-curious Dr. Feynman sought to create a modern version of Newton's proof, with cues from Newton's classic work, diagrams supplied by a mysterious "Mr. Fano," and his own geometric reasoning. The result was presented in lecture form to an undergraduate introductory physics class at Caltech, in 1964. The lecture was audio taped and is on the CD-ROM included with the book. »Extended Review & audio clip»

	On Tycho's Island: Tycho Brahe and his Assistants, 1570-1601 This book is "gold" for the late Renaissance science history buff. It is the story of how 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe got support from King Frederick II to build and run an astronomical science center called Uraniborg, on the Danish island of Hven. Brahe's use of government support to bring together a large team of specialists makes him a forerunner of the Big Science movement of the 20th Century. His breakthrough method of teamwork science is an essential lesson in the birth of modern science This beautifully illustrated book covers Brahe's life, the observatory and measuring instruments (this was pre-telescope) he designed, and such topics as his aspirations in surveying and garden design. The book includes insights into life on the island and the context of the research to the world of the 16th century. Over 100 short biographies of Brahe's technical specialists and others helps to form a complete picture of how Uraniborg shaped the Scientific Revolution.
	Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos Author Dr. Alan Hirshfeld gave a well-received lecture on this book at the North East Astronomical Forum in May 2002. Hirshfeld explained that parallax is the subtle shift in stellar positions as the Earth moves from one side of its orbit to the other. Through simple geometry, the distance to these stars can be calculated. While Galileo worked out the methodology of determining distance from parallax, it wasn't until two centuries later that precise calculations could be made to measure this effect. This is because the effect is so small: many early measurements detected other phenomena - the motion of binary stars for one. Hirshfeld's account of how each generation of astronomers tried to measure the phenomena results in fascinating biographies. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories is that of Joseph von Fraunhofer. Fraunhofer was an orphan in Bavaria, apprenticed to an evil glasscutter -- under slave-like conditions. One day the factory collapsed on him; it took hours to dig him out. This tragic incident was a fortuitous event: the future king of Bavaria witnessed the rescue and promised to give him an education. Fraunhofer took the offer and rose to become an optical craftsman and mathematician. He built a famous 9.5" refractor in 1820's and invented the clock driven equatorial mount. The race for parallax culminates in the first part of the 1800's, when independent researchers published distance measurements of three stars within months of each other. The realization that stars were such enormous distances away changed our perception of the Universe forever.
	The Illustrated Longitude The east-west coordinate of Longitude (and its compliment Latitude) is now routinely determined, instantly and to a high degree of accuracy, though the Global Positioning System. The ease at which we acquire this coordinate would astonish a person from earlier centuries. Of most important to sailors, inaccurate positions could lead to loss of life at sea. By the 18th century, a prize was offered to the first person that developed a method of accurately reckoning longitude. This lavishly illustrated book is the story of the man that first solved the problem, through the development of accurate chronometers. But he wasn't the only one competing for the prize: politics and rivalry run throughout this race. Reviewers agree that this is a thrilling story of engineering achievement.
	Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love This is a biography like no other. It was not commonly known that the famous renaissance scientist Galileo had three children -- until this book was published. Through 124 surviving letters penned by the eldest daughter, the author paints a picture of the achievements, persecution, and personal life of the great scientist. Ironically, for someone that was placed under house arrest by the church, Galileo had put two daughters in a convent and they became nuns. Though she never left the convent, the letters of Sister Maria Celeste (a name in tribute to Galileo's fascination with the heavens) reveal a close, supportive relation between father and daughter. Despite the church's actions against her father, she stayed with the church until her early death while acknowledging her father's religious faith, and giving support for his beliefs.
	Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy Physicist Kip Thorne's bestseller on black hole theory is differentiated from similar titles in that it digs into the people, history, and politics of scientists on both sides of the "Iron Curtain." Reading the book you find that Thorne is an "insider", not just a "science popularizer." He gives us interesting anecdotes from his conversations with such physics greats as Hawking and Zel'dovich. Though at times one feels the text is bogged down in his attempt to give attribution to every person that contributed to an idea the author is trying to get across. But that's a small quibble for a book that does a great job explaining the physics behind the race to build the hydrogen bomb, the development of black hole theory, and time travel. The book is surprising on where it takes you: the chapter on worm-holes and time machines reveals that the serious physics theories on these topics was spawned by Carl Sagan's request for help on his sci-fi book "Contact." I'm constantly taking this book off the shelf to use as a quick reference on physicists and concepts because of the rich reference sections in the back: including People Index, Characters (short bio paragraph on prominent people in the book), Chronology (physics highlights by year from the Newton to Hawking eras), Glossary (physics terms), and Notes (endnotes for those that want more details).

	Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity This book bridges the gap between popular books on relativity and college textbooks. Using the study of black holes as the motivation (co-author John Archibald Wheeler invented the term "black hole" and is a mentor in the field of relativity and quantum physics as applied to black holes), algebra and a smattering of elementary calculus lead the reader to answers questions about Einstein's theory of General Relativity. Problems are solved step-by-step and the book is self-contained -- no extraneous sources are required. Finally, a book that really lets you get "under the cover" of General Relativity and black holes.

	The Universe in a Nutshell Stephen Hawking -- world-renown genius and best-selling physicist -- is just out with his latest book. He offers an "arm chair" tour of the cosmos, time travel paradoxes, alternate universes, and more in "The Universe in a Nutshell" (November, 2001) -- a work squarely aimed at the non-physicist. With a writing style one reviewer found comparable to the legendary science popularizer Isaac Asimov, this book uses the same explanatory methods as Hawking's acclaimed "The Illustrated Brief History of Time": copious illustrations assist the reader in understanding the relativity and quantum theory foundations of the topics covered. The beauty of the work is that Hawking covers the basics in the first two chapters, and then the reader is free to read each self-contained chapter in any order. A "must-have" for your cosmology bookshelf.

	The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition This is an illustrated, large-format, expanded edition of Hawking's worldwide bestseller on the functioning of the Universe. Updated with the latest scientific theories, new chapters and 240 color illustrations make this a major improvement on the original text. This book is a classic by the classic scientist of post-Einstein physics.

	A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes Written by the modern master of black-hole theory and theoretical physics. This pioneering best-seller explains space-time and the forces of nature, where the Universe came from and where it is going. This is a revised version of the 9-million copy seller from a decade ago with new chapters on wormholes and time-travel.

	The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory The bizarre mystery of "string theory" revealed by a leading theorist. This book is lauded by critics as being the first string theory book with lucid text for the layman. One critic says that the author does for strings what Hawkings did for black-holes. Discusses scientists struggles to come to grips with this theory of everything and what it portends for the future of the Universe.

	Magnificent Universe Takes you on an introductory tour of space the from the Solar System, to the stars, the galaxy, and then the Universe. From sunspots to supernovas the text is illustrated with 100+ stunning color photos from the Hubble Space Telescope, planetary spacecraft, and the best ground-based telescopes.

	E = mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation A recent (Oct. 2000) 224-page book that takes a historical tour of each of the five characters in this equation. From Faraday to Fermi to the heart of the stars, this book will allow you to understand just what "E=mc²," from Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity, means without having to plow through a lot of math and physics.

	Coming of Age in the Milky Way American Institute of Physics Prize winner and one of the best books by the New York Times Book Review -- this book has garnered great reviews. This history of cosmology explores centuries of cosmological beliefs and the political and religious impact of challenging the status quo. With a scope ranging from ancient Egypt to modern day physics and eye-opening "dirt" on those "grand-old-men of science."

	June 8, 2004--Venus in Transit The planet Venus will transit the sun on June 8, 2004. Not that big a deal? Well think again. This current book (March 2000) chronicles the history of the five Venus transits known to humans -- the last in 1882. Not just a good non-technical account, this tome reveals the human tragedies stemming from attempts to observe this rare event. Edmund Halley's calculations to determine the Sun-Earth distance, based on timing the transit, spurred the first cooperative world-wide scientific event: the 1761 transit. A great read in preparation for the 2004 event.

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