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50 Astronomy Ideas You Really Need to Know

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From our own solar system to the edges of the universe, 50 Astronomy Ideas You Really Need to Know is your introduction to the most important concepts, discoveries and mysteries in astronomy. How did the universe begin? Where did the Moon come from? What happens in the heart of a black hole? Why are gravitational waves so significant? And is there life elsewhere in the cosmos?In fifty fascinating essays covering the central ideas of astronomy and cosmology, accompanied by diagrams, definitions of essential terms and timelines of key discoveries, this book examines the nature and variety of our universe - the life cycle of stars, the formation of planets, the structure of galaxies and the puzzles of dark matter and the multiverse. Expansive and illuminating, 50 Astronomy Ideas You Really Need to Know is the complete guide to the birth, life and possible death of the cosmos.

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 7, 2016

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About the author

Giles Sparrow

226 books29 followers

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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Peter Fox.
453 reviews11 followers
May 12, 2025
50 Ideas you really need to know about Astronomy

This should be a good book. 4 pages on each concept, lots of diagrams, boxes explaining facets and a short one line conclusion at the end. However, it never really seemed to make any of it feel interesting or come to life in any way. I found it to be very dry and most of the content instantly forgettable. I'm not sure if this book is more suited to someone with a background in astronomy or if it is just tepid writing, but nothing really seemed to go in and even after having read one of the ideas, I felt no better off for it.
Profile Image for Thiago Almeida.
23 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2018
Fascinante! Os nomes dados pra eventos, matérias estelares são muito legais: repetidores de raios gama moles, magnetars, teorema da calvície, MACHOS e WIMPS. Os astrônomos são divertidos.
Profile Image for Chris Seltzer.
618 reviews4 followers
July 23, 2023
This isn't a bad introduction to astronomy but it skips a lot of the astrophysics foundations.

It also has relatively poor coverage of both astrobiology and cosmology, leaning toward the pop culture hyperbolic.

I would assume that a general audience would be much more interested in the practical topics related to astronomy like telescopes, observatories, skywatching, space exploration, and astronomy's impact on culture.

The book also completely lacks a historical perspective of the discipline so it's hard for a reader to get a sense of where these ideas come from and where the discipline is headed.

Another notable absence is coverage of the interstellar medium and nebulae.
Profile Image for Lucas Correa.
3 reviews
August 23, 2021
uma ótima introdução a temas mais profundos e complexos da astronomia, sempre com uma pitada de história, já que ambas andam juntas em um mesmo espaço-tempo. Não espere que este livro seja um compêndio cheio de detalhes e minúcias, e mais como um guia para novos temas e como uma catapulta para um novo universo.

muito boa a leitura, amei :-)
Profile Image for Jorge Schumacher.
Author 1 book32 followers
May 29, 2020
O livro explica de forma clara e simples conceitos como migração planetária, planetas-anões, luas oceânicas, exoplanetas, multiverso, supernovas, gigantes vermelhas, estrelas pulsantes, zona de goldilocks, quasares e galáxias ativas, entre vários outros.
Profile Image for Jabeen.
22 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2019
A consice collection of important information one need to know if interested in astronomy.
Profile Image for R Thomson.
Author 1 book13 followers
August 17, 2019
Doesn't assume any previous knowledge on the part of the reader, which is great for the beginner to Astronomy. Excellent descriptions and very well laid out.
1 review
March 3, 2021
Excelente obra, explica diversos conceitos de forma detalhada.
Profile Image for Douglas Cavanellas.
26 reviews
March 2, 2021
Gostei muito deste livro. Para os entusiastas da área é um prato cheio. Científico no ponto certo, sem deixar a leitura maçante. Contém muita informação interessante, e a forma como foi construído, deixa tudo mais interessante, pois os capítulos são curtos.
Recomendo para todos que tem interesse em astrologia.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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