Night Sky in Minutes

in Minutes

by Giles Sparrow

What happens when a star dies? How many asteroids are in our solar system? Can galaxies collide? What is dark energy? Astronomy in Minutes answers all these questions and more as it condenses 200 key concepts into easily digestible essays.
From Trojan asteroids to stellar black holes, and from superclusters to cosmic microwave background, this book will take you on an essential tour around the universe. Beginning with the specks and constellations that we see in the night sky, and then zooming in on the objects and matter" beyond the naked eye, Astronomy in Minutes draws on established theories and recent research.
Each essay is accompanied by an image or a clear diagram to help unravel complex ideas. Beginning with the constellations and finishing with the latest cosmological theories, this is the perfect reference guide to this fascinating subject.
Contents include: The celestial sphere, Piscis Austrinus, the Earth-Moon system, Io and Ganymede, Kuiper Belt Objects, Measuring stellar properties, Nuclear fusion, Red and orange dwarfs, Open star clusters, Planetary nebulae, Supernova remnants, Cosmic expansion, Quasars and blazars, Nature of spacetime, Nucleosynthesis and the Anthropic Principle.

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction, Space

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2015

Reviews

[Neil Smith]

It was fun reading all about the latest discoveries since the turn of the century. Most astronomy books at the local library were published before Pluto was declassified as a planet, so this book was filled with fascinating information. It’s fun, easy, educational and teaches the essentials that any astronomy hobbyist needs to know. I would recommend reading it outside at night by red torchlight (use red cellophane) in conjunction with the Skyview Playstore app, next to your loved one while drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

[Blue]

Well, because of the title, I thought that this would be beginner friendly but not at all. It's too heavy for a beginner, and to be honest, because of that reason, the first 250-300 pages were so boring for me. The last pages were interesting, though. But I already lost my faith in this book by the time it started to get interesting.

[Ranko Hong]

As a person who is very interested in astronomy since young, this book was like a simple introduction to it. Though I had some difficulties understanding some ideas, each part was well organized. There were diagrams to help me understand more as well. One thing that I was a bit sad about is that the pictures didn't have colors. One reason I'm interested in astronomy is because of the colors the universe makes, so it was sad that the pictures were in black and white. Other than that, I liked this book. Because there were some parts I struggled to understand, I might try to read this again later.

[Whitney Willis]

This is a great book to learn the basics of astronomy and the universe. I learned a lot about how stars are formed, different types of galaxies, the Big Bang and other theories that really opened my mind.

[Em's Adventures]

Okay, a bit too heavy for a first timer interested in astronomy.

[nate]

49/120 [2026]
3/5

what omniscient reader's viewpoint hyperfixation does to a man.

benim için dakikalar değil de aylar içinde astronomi oldu daha çok-

giriş seviyesi için ağır bir kitap olduğunu düşünüyorum. 400 sayfa olmasına rağmen cep boyu basıldığı için aslında 200 sayfa diye düşünebiliriz, hatta onların çoğu da resim, tablo vs. buna rağmen bitirmem aylar sürdü çünkü her satırı bilgi dolu ve dediğim gibi giriş seviyesinden biraz daha karışık. ancak çok fazla bilimkurgu içeriği tüketen biri olarak gördüğüm her gezegen, galaksi, yıldız, takımyıldız isminde geri dönebileceğim bir kaynak.

(ayrıca aşırı fazla teknik kelime içeren zor bir metin olmasına rağmen ufak tefek yazım hataları dışında çevirisini çok güzel buldum, türkçe versiyonunu hazırlayan herkesin ellerine sağlık.)

[Burak Ö]

Evrendeki yerimizden başlayarak Güneş sistemimiz, Kuiper kuşağımız, galaksimiz diyerek evreni tanıtacak kısa bilgiler içermektedir.

Plüton'un Güneş sistemindeki 9. gezegen oluşu ve 2006 yılında Ceres ve Eris gibi ''cüce gezegen'' statüsüne indirgenmesi.

Birçok insanın tarih boyunca anlamlar yüklediği takımyıldızların mesafeleri ve yapıları.

Yıldızların doğum ve ölümleri ile birlikte karadelikler gibi bir çok temel kozmolojik ve astronomik asgari bilgileri içermektedir.

[Moira]

Bien fait et simple à comprendre, Astronomie Minute donne un bon aperçu au lecteur de l'astronomie pour débutant. Cependant le format du livre n'est pas pratique, il est très petit.