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The Sun Shines Bright
Published by Avon Books, 1983, this First Paperback Edition has 253 pages. Isaac Asimov was considered to be one of the big three authors who brought science fiction into the American households.
Paperback
Published January 1, 1983
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About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,339 books27.7k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 22, 2020
Isaac Asimov writes a set of nonfiction articles about the moon, the sun and the stars. Very educational, without getting too far in the high weeds.
December 17, 2007
Please see my review of X Stands for Unknown ([http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98...]) for general comments on Isaac Asimov's science essays.
The Sun Shines Bright is the fifteenth compilation of Isaac Asimov's essays from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, covering the period from March 1979 through August 1980. All in all I thought this collection was below average, given the field. None of the essays really stands out as a classic, though there are several engaging ones. The pick of this particular crop are a trio of columns on the history of nuclear power, with the particular focus on uranium. In "The Useless Metal," "Neutrality!" and "The Finger of God," Dr. Asimov traces the story of the famous, then dull, then infamous element from its discovery in the 18th Century through the detonation of a uranium bomb over the city of Nagasaki. On the way he provides a concise, yet highly informative, summary of the development of nuclear physics.
Dr. Asimov also shines in "Alas, All Human," a survey of some of the shadier, but not outright unethical, moments of science. Finally, he explains, in "The Unsecret Weapon," the profound effect of the English longbow on European military history, before the development of effective artillery.
Other essays in this book include (and if you're still reading, you can stop now—I'm doing this to catalog my collection of Asimov, and not to inform or entice potential readers) columns on sunspots (and how they relate to Louis XIV), solar fusion and the famous neutrino-insufficiency paradox (which has since been solved), the puzzle of the unexpected iridium band in late-Cretaceous rocks (which has since been solved—see Chicxulub Crater), three on stars (including one of Asimov's worst essays, a twelve-page rant about a negative reviewer of one of his works disguised as a lecture on stellar coordinates), thirty years' worth of advances in astronomy (now, thirty years later, hopelessly dated), two on changes in the Moon's orbit (done better in another collection), a strangely prescient speculative piece on cloning, the usual cautionary tale on the population explosion, and a bit on the evolutionary advantages of cooperation.
The Sun Shines Bright is the fifteenth compilation of Isaac Asimov's essays from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, covering the period from March 1979 through August 1980. All in all I thought this collection was below average, given the field. None of the essays really stands out as a classic, though there are several engaging ones. The pick of this particular crop are a trio of columns on the history of nuclear power, with the particular focus on uranium. In "The Useless Metal," "Neutrality!" and "The Finger of God," Dr. Asimov traces the story of the famous, then dull, then infamous element from its discovery in the 18th Century through the detonation of a uranium bomb over the city of Nagasaki. On the way he provides a concise, yet highly informative, summary of the development of nuclear physics.
Dr. Asimov also shines in "Alas, All Human," a survey of some of the shadier, but not outright unethical, moments of science. Finally, he explains, in "The Unsecret Weapon," the profound effect of the English longbow on European military history, before the development of effective artillery.
Other essays in this book include (and if you're still reading, you can stop now—I'm doing this to catalog my collection of Asimov, and not to inform or entice potential readers) columns on sunspots (and how they relate to Louis XIV), solar fusion and the famous neutrino-insufficiency paradox (which has since been solved), the puzzle of the unexpected iridium band in late-Cretaceous rocks (which has since been solved—see Chicxulub Crater), three on stars (including one of Asimov's worst essays, a twelve-page rant about a negative reviewer of one of his works disguised as a lecture on stellar coordinates), thirty years' worth of advances in astronomy (now, thirty years later, hopelessly dated), two on changes in the Moon's orbit (done better in another collection), a strangely prescient speculative piece on cloning, the usual cautionary tale on the population explosion, and a bit on the evolutionary advantages of cooperation.
July 20, 2024
Hay capítulos curiosos y entretenidos y otros completamente zzzzzzzz
April 26, 2018
I'm not sure how much time has passed since I last read (At least 17 years) this but many of the essay's remain wonderfully memorable to me. Some were coincidentally related to some of my current reads as essays re: uranium and development of nuclear weapons went along with my recent read of The Berlin Project by Gregory Benford. Nice!!
November 5, 2020
I only read "Alas, All Human," (supposedly one of the better articles) and found it to be longwinded and dull.
Also, I know the writing is a product of it's time, but I had to laugh at "the discoverer might conceivably have been a woman" (my emphasis).
Also, I know the writing is a product of it's time, but I had to laugh at "the discoverer might conceivably have been a woman" (my emphasis).
March 21, 2018
His F&SF science fact columns from 1979 & 1980.
May 28, 2018
Asimov has a great way of explaining science to non-science people (like me) and I enjoyed his side comments and sarcasm throughout the book.
September 1, 2024
Muy técnico
August 31, 2016
A collection of science essays written in the late '70s by Isaac Asimov. Interesting as always, covering astronomy, chemistry and social issues. A triptych of essays about radiation is particularly interesting. Recommended if you like this sort of thing.
October 8, 2022
Teniendo en cuenta que en materia de ciencias, este tipo de libros suele evidenciar sus años con el paso del tiempo, es un buen libro de ensayos con mucha reflexión acerca de nuestro lugar en el universo.
November 7, 2013
Another compilation of essays.
December 21, 2014
Pretty good essays. Isaac does a good job as always. =)
May 11, 2011
Well written, and is quite easy to understand.
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April 23, 2018Bioquímico de profesión, Isaac Asimov es mundialmente famoso por su capacidad de divulgación científica. En este libro, El Sol Brilla Luminoso, Asimov recopila una serie de artículos, publicados en diferentes revistas y actualizados por él mismo, con cuya selección trata de abarcar los temas más candentes de la ciencia actual. Desde el origen, la estructura y la evolución de las estrellas, haciendo un énfasis especial en la estrella que se halla más próxima a nosotros, el Sol, pasando por los cuerpos que orbitan a su alrededor (planetas y satélites), hasta otros temas, tales como los elementos químicos (base del mundo material y de la vida) y las técnicas de clonación, de gran actualidad y tema permanente de polémica. Sin embargo, Asimov no reflexiona sólo acerca del mundo material que nos rodea, sino que se aventura también en el campo de la reflexión sobre el propio ser humano y trata asimismo de las tareas desarrolladas por los científicos en busca de nuevos avances y conocimientos.
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June 28, 2018Todos los libros de divulgación científica de Asimov enriquecen al lector con datos, conocimiento y, a diferencia de otros autores, anécdotas. Este libro no solo no se queda atrás con todas estas cosas, sino que también abarca una gran cantidad de temas, los cuales van desde algunos muy generales, como los procesos que ocurren dentro de un sol, hasta temas más específicos, como las células o la gente.
Desde el comienzo, la introducción invita al lector a ponerse cómodo con el libro y los temas a tratar. En este caso, y como muchos otros, Asimov decide comenzar hablando un poco acerca de cómo eligió algunos de los títulos para los ensayos que contiene este libro. Mas aun, cada ensayo tiene una pequeña introducción con anécdotas que llevaron a la composición del texto en cuestión.
Como siempre, Isaac Asimov se encarga de que el lector tenga un entendimiento del tema a discutir mucho antes de que empiece a tratarlo. Esto hace que los libros sean muy fáciles de leer y entender, sino que también elevan el nivel de entendimiento del lector de manera definitiva. Con esto último quiero decir que, al finalizar un ensayo, el lector va a poder entender ciertos temas de mejor manera debido a que tiene una base bien fundada en el tema.
Lo único que este libro tiene de malo es que algunos datos han sido actualizados, pero es algo que es de esperarse con libros de ciencia “viejos”. Aun así, la información no está muy lejos de lo que hoy conocemos y, como dije, brinda una excelente base para que cualquier persona pueda entender un tema o despertar interés en él.
En definitiva, un libro bastante bueno para cualquier persona que tenga ganas de aprender sobre el sol, planetas, la luna y otros temas.
http://calabozosyrobots.blogspot.com/...
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Desde el comienzo, la introducción invita al lector a ponerse cómodo con el libro y los temas a tratar. En este caso, y como muchos otros, Asimov decide comenzar hablando un poco acerca de cómo eligió algunos de los títulos para los ensayos que contiene este libro. Mas aun, cada ensayo tiene una pequeña introducción con anécdotas que llevaron a la composición del texto en cuestión.
Como siempre, Isaac Asimov se encarga de que el lector tenga un entendimiento del tema a discutir mucho antes de que empiece a tratarlo. Esto hace que los libros sean muy fáciles de leer y entender, sino que también elevan el nivel de entendimiento del lector de manera definitiva. Con esto último quiero decir que, al finalizar un ensayo, el lector va a poder entender ciertos temas de mejor manera debido a que tiene una base bien fundada en el tema.
Lo único que este libro tiene de malo es que algunos datos han sido actualizados, pero es algo que es de esperarse con libros de ciencia “viejos”. Aun así, la información no está muy lejos de lo que hoy conocemos y, como dije, brinda una excelente base para que cualquier persona pueda entender un tema o despertar interés en él.
En definitiva, un libro bastante bueno para cualquier persona que tenga ganas de aprender sobre el sol, planetas, la luna y otros temas.
http://calabozosyrobots.blogspot.com/...
https://www.facebook.com/Calabozosyro...
https://www.instagram.com/calabozosyr...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews