Astronomy

by Simon Mitton and Jacqueline Mitton

Book Overview

"Look up on a clear, dark night and you will see the sky is full of twinkling specks of light. What are these stars and planets? How far away are they? Can we learn more about them?"
Simon and Jacqueline Mitton begin The Young Oxford Book of Astronomy by tapping into that sense of mystery and wonder that the endless night sky stirs in each of us. They set out the aims and methods of astronomy, such as how astronomers map and measure the universe...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195211693
• ISBN13: 9780195211696
• Release Date: December 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.0" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Young Oxford Book of Astronomy

This is a beautiful book full of great diagrams illustrating some difficult concepts in astronomy (for example, our place in the universe), wonderfully labeled drawings of planets, and the best of astronomical photographs. There are illustrations on every page. Little boxes of information offer more detail on some subjects ("milestones to the moon" or facts about each planets). The chapters are fairly short and easy to read. After some introductory chapters about exploring the universe and the tools that astronomers use, the book generally goes outward from the earth to the moon, the sun, the solar system, to distant stars (and their exotic varieties), then our galaxy (the Milky Way), other galaxies, quasars, and ideas about the beginning and end of the universe. The tiny star charts weren't very useful, but the glossary is nice. Although the book is aimed at a younger audience, many adults may enjoy the easy to read text and excellent illustrations.