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Merlin #2
Just Visiting This Planet, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin from Omniscia
From Neil deGrasse Tyson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, comes a spirited journey to the planets and stars, revealing the answers to many mysteries of our galaxy and beyond.
In this companion volume to Merlin's Tour of the Universe, we visit again with Merlin, a timeless space traveler from Planet Omniscia, who answers a collection of imaginative questions about the cosmos from curious stargazers. Whether waxing poetic about Earth and its environs, the Sun and its stellar siblings, the world of light, physical laws, or galaxies near and far, Merlin's remarks are engaging, humorous, and clear as a starry night sky.
Merlin tackles such conundrums as:
• If aliens exploded Earth's moon, what effect would it have on us?
• Are black holes gathering matter in preparation for another Big Bang in another time and dimension?
• Why does the Moon look bigger on the horizon?
Lively and entertaining, Just Visiting This Planet is an indispensable guidebook to the universe.
In this companion volume to Merlin's Tour of the Universe, we visit again with Merlin, a timeless space traveler from Planet Omniscia, who answers a collection of imaginative questions about the cosmos from curious stargazers. Whether waxing poetic about Earth and its environs, the Sun and its stellar siblings, the world of light, physical laws, or galaxies near and far, Merlin's remarks are engaging, humorous, and clear as a starry night sky.
Merlin tackles such conundrums as:
• If aliens exploded Earth's moon, what effect would it have on us?
• Are black holes gathering matter in preparation for another Big Bang in another time and dimension?
• Why does the Moon look bigger on the horizon?
Lively and entertaining, Just Visiting This Planet is an indispensable guidebook to the universe.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 1998
44 people are currently reading
4803 people want to read
About the author
Neil deGrasse Tyson
91 books285k followersNeil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia.
In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.
In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.
In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. And among Tyson’s fifteen books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered in September 2004.
Two of Tyson’s other books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.
In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.
For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.
During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a cadre of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular Podcast, for three years it enjoyed a limited-run Television Series on the National Geographic Channel. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy.
Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists, with the naming of Indirani Tysoni, a native species of leaping frog in India. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine in 2000.
More recently, Tyson published Astrophysics for People In A Hurry in 2017, which was a domestic and international bestseller. This adorably readable book is an introduction to all that you’ve read and heard about that’s making news in the universe—consummated, in one plac
In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.
In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.
In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. And among Tyson’s fifteen books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered in September 2004.
Two of Tyson’s other books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.
In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.
For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.
During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a cadre of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular Podcast, for three years it enjoyed a limited-run Television Series on the National Geographic Channel. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy.
Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists, with the naming of Indirani Tysoni, a native species of leaping frog in India. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine in 2000.
More recently, Tyson published Astrophysics for People In A Hurry in 2017, which was a domestic and international bestseller. This adorably readable book is an introduction to all that you’ve read and heard about that’s making news in the universe—consummated, in one plac
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 3, 2016
I enjoyed this book. That's right, it's a science book and I enjoyed reading it. I think anyone with a curious mind would enjoy reading Tyson's explanations of natural phenomena. I learned more than I thought possible about astrophysics. By the end of the book my understanding of gravity, speed of light, time, and energy were greatly expanded; but, at the same time, I experienced muddled thoughts and confusion. I didn't have a discouraged feeling, I was just reminded of how much I haven't learned, haven't asked, and would like to know.
The book is arranged into questions and answers. The questions are posited by a diverse population (as in differing backgrounds of understanding); and the answers to these questions are provided by Merlin, an extra-terrestrial from Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy. Some of the questions, I can relate (might have asked Merlin those same questions); but some of the questions were about phenomena of which I have no background understanding---so some of the answers I didn't really understand.
Merlin, as described in book, is as old as the earth and has come to the earth to observe and learn about the scientific understandings of earthlings. He is most intrigued by the questions humans ask and also by the scientific minds that have discovered so much about physics of earth.
Whether a reader has much science background or little, he or she will be intrigued by the concise way Merlin answers questions; and like me, the reader will likely be impressed with the speed at which they leap through the book.
I am duly surprised that I read a science book, written by an astrophysicist, within a span of two days. I'd have read the book in one sitting if I had not been interrupted. I have little scientific background, but it felt like this book was written with me in mind. It expanded my understanding of my planet in relation to the universe and spurred a lot of questions that this book didn't answer. After reading this book, I'm more curious about phenomena that make life possible, the Big Bang theory, recent scientific discoveries, and possibility of existence of life in other galaxies. Merlin explained very difficult concepts in a fun, and lighthearted way. I ended the book with this question: how in the world could such difficult science be explained with such clear, brief, and concise explanations?
The book is arranged into questions and answers. The questions are posited by a diverse population (as in differing backgrounds of understanding); and the answers to these questions are provided by Merlin, an extra-terrestrial from Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy. Some of the questions, I can relate (might have asked Merlin those same questions); but some of the questions were about phenomena of which I have no background understanding---so some of the answers I didn't really understand.
Merlin, as described in book, is as old as the earth and has come to the earth to observe and learn about the scientific understandings of earthlings. He is most intrigued by the questions humans ask and also by the scientific minds that have discovered so much about physics of earth.
Whether a reader has much science background or little, he or she will be intrigued by the concise way Merlin answers questions; and like me, the reader will likely be impressed with the speed at which they leap through the book.
I am duly surprised that I read a science book, written by an astrophysicist, within a span of two days. I'd have read the book in one sitting if I had not been interrupted. I have little scientific background, but it felt like this book was written with me in mind. It expanded my understanding of my planet in relation to the universe and spurred a lot of questions that this book didn't answer. After reading this book, I'm more curious about phenomena that make life possible, the Big Bang theory, recent scientific discoveries, and possibility of existence of life in other galaxies. Merlin explained very difficult concepts in a fun, and lighthearted way. I ended the book with this question: how in the world could such difficult science be explained with such clear, brief, and concise explanations?
May 13, 2016
This book opened my eye to space and all of its wonders. Merlin is a great character to answers these questions that people with lingering questions. Merlin is a alien that knows much about space, time and everything in those lines. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the universe. (also Merlin talks in third person, so if you're not a big fan of third person maybe look for another space question book)
February 2, 2015
As a fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson, I was excited to read this book, however it is essentially a "Cosmic Queries" episode of his podcast in written form. He's also answering as an alien named Merlin. I was hoping for something more in-depth.
May 6, 2018
This was a really good book. Like the question and answer format. Lot of good easy to digest info. The sarcasm of Merlin was humourous if not scathing. Sometimes it was justified due to the question being asked, others I felt if maybe Merlin should have had his morning coffee before answering.
July 10, 2021
De Grasse Tyson is just fun!
January 2, 2023
This is a good nonfiction book about the universe for younger folks.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews