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Big Ideas Simply Explained
The Astronomy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
An essential guide to milestone developments in astronomy, telling the story of our ideas about space, time, and the physics of the cosmos-from ancient times to the present day.
From planets and stars to black holes and the Big Bang, take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Featuring topics from the Copernican Revolution to the mind-boggling theories of recent science, The Astronomy Book uses flowcharts, graphics, and illustrations to help clarify hard-to-grasp concepts and explain almost 100 big astronomical ideas. Covering the biographies of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking, The Astronomy Book details their theories and discoveries in a user-friendly format to make the information accessible and easy to follow.
From planets and stars to black holes and the Big Bang, take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Featuring topics from the Copernican Revolution to the mind-boggling theories of recent science, The Astronomy Book uses flowcharts, graphics, and illustrations to help clarify hard-to-grasp concepts and explain almost 100 big astronomical ideas. Covering the biographies of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking, The Astronomy Book details their theories and discoveries in a user-friendly format to make the information accessible and easy to follow.
717 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
875 people are currently reading
5362 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,125 books2,067 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
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November 12, 2017SOMEONE PLS GET ME THIS FOR MY BRITHDAY
September 8, 2020
4.5
Leggendo Il libro dell’astronomia mi è venuta voglia di vedere.
Di vedere quello di cui si stava parlando.
Sono andata alla ricerca di galassie, di nubi, di pianeti, di satelliti, di infinita bellezza.
E mi sono sentita così piccola e così insignificante e così fortunata.
Viviamo in un universo immenso, così vasto che non riusciamo nemmeno a immaginarlo, né tantomeno a vederlo tutto.
Abbiamo la fortuna che un pianeta (un unico pianeta, su quanti?) sia abitabile, sia perfetto per noi, noi che non siamo nessuno.
E siamo così piccoli, così finiti, e lì fuori, qua fuori, è tutto immenso, immensamente grande e immensamente meraviglioso.
E noi ci viviamo.
Ma ci rendiamo conto di quanto siamo davvero fortunati?
Di esserci, di essere qui, ora, e di godere di questo spettacolo.
Sono piccola.
Sono insignificante.
Ma Dio, se sono fortunata.
Leggendo Il libro dell’astronomia mi è venuta voglia di vedere.
Di vedere quello di cui si stava parlando.
Sono andata alla ricerca di galassie, di nubi, di pianeti, di satelliti, di infinita bellezza.
E mi sono sentita così piccola e così insignificante e così fortunata.
Viviamo in un universo immenso, così vasto che non riusciamo nemmeno a immaginarlo, né tantomeno a vederlo tutto.
Abbiamo la fortuna che un pianeta (un unico pianeta, su quanti?) sia abitabile, sia perfetto per noi, noi che non siamo nessuno.
E siamo così piccoli, così finiti, e lì fuori, qua fuori, è tutto immenso, immensamente grande e immensamente meraviglioso.
E noi ci viviamo.
Ma ci rendiamo conto di quanto siamo davvero fortunati?
Di esserci, di essere qui, ora, e di godere di questo spettacolo.
Sono piccola.
Sono insignificante.
Ma Dio, se sono fortunata.
April 8, 2021
*Score: 8/10*
Part of the running series by DK which gives a view on a specific field of knowledge, this was my first attempt to read one of their works, and given my interest but lack of knowledge on the field of Astronomy, thought this would be a good choice.
Indeed, this did not disappoint. While slightly intimidating at first, I quickly found myself flying through it as I got used to their structure and style, and I have found this to be a great introduction of the field of Astronomy, as well as providing a broad and relatively in depth level of information. Its structured based on time of discoveries, reaching back as far as BC times till modern era.
Its a bit academic in nature, so there is no discussion or topics of debate, but the information is presented clearly with good mix of facts and speculations, and with really strong editing and imagery to enhance the understanding of the reader. I found myself quickly trying to read more articles online as well as watch videos to learn more, and given the book has provided me with a really solid foundation on the basics I was able to understand and relate to the information I have read (i.e. classification of stars and planets makes much more sense to me now)
Highly recommended for someone interested in the field but lacks the knowledge on the fundementals, in case you also don't mind an academic take on the topic.
Part of the running series by DK which gives a view on a specific field of knowledge, this was my first attempt to read one of their works, and given my interest but lack of knowledge on the field of Astronomy, thought this would be a good choice.
Indeed, this did not disappoint. While slightly intimidating at first, I quickly found myself flying through it as I got used to their structure and style, and I have found this to be a great introduction of the field of Astronomy, as well as providing a broad and relatively in depth level of information. Its structured based on time of discoveries, reaching back as far as BC times till modern era.
Its a bit academic in nature, so there is no discussion or topics of debate, but the information is presented clearly with good mix of facts and speculations, and with really strong editing and imagery to enhance the understanding of the reader. I found myself quickly trying to read more articles online as well as watch videos to learn more, and given the book has provided me with a really solid foundation on the basics I was able to understand and relate to the information I have read (i.e. classification of stars and planets makes much more sense to me now)
Highly recommended for someone interested in the field but lacks the knowledge on the fundementals, in case you also don't mind an academic take on the topic.
October 17, 2019
Focused on the history of astronomy. I didn't want a history lesson, I just wanted a recap of what we know about astronomy.
November 13, 2025
"Nothing is going to happen unless you work with your life's blood." - Riccardo Giacconi.
Hats off to the authors of this book. Truly, The Astronomy Book is the best Big Ideas Simply Explained book I have read so far. And this is coming from a person who had no passion for space until two months ago.
What I loved about this book:
1- The most important thing that sets this book apart from others in the same series is that, as a reader, you will be able to feel the true passion behind the words on each page. Never once have I felt like the authors are just trying to write something and pretend they know it all. No. They actually loved explaining things in a simple, detailed way, and even went as far as providing simple diagrams or graphs that summarised what was written previously.
2- This book mixes history with scientific knowledge so well. And I believe it is quite unique in its approach.
3- Beautiful space images and amazing graphics, which is to be expected in any book about astronomy.
4- As I said, I was never interested in astronomy and space at all until about two months ago. I always thought that the money and energy people are spending on space could be better spent here on Earth. I couldn't figure out why I had to memorise the sequence of planets in the solar system as a child in school. Well, I was stupid, and this book proved to me how utterly stupid I was.
What I didn’t like about this book:
1- I don't think there's any part that I didn't like about this book. However, I do wonder if the authors will release an updated edition after 2035, since the discoveries by then will hopefully be dramatically different.
May we one day find the answer to how we all came to be. Cheers, my fellow astronomy lovers.
A thousand galaxies / 5 stars.
Hats off to the authors of this book. Truly, The Astronomy Book is the best Big Ideas Simply Explained book I have read so far. And this is coming from a person who had no passion for space until two months ago.
What I loved about this book:
1- The most important thing that sets this book apart from others in the same series is that, as a reader, you will be able to feel the true passion behind the words on each page. Never once have I felt like the authors are just trying to write something and pretend they know it all. No. They actually loved explaining things in a simple, detailed way, and even went as far as providing simple diagrams or graphs that summarised what was written previously.
2- This book mixes history with scientific knowledge so well. And I believe it is quite unique in its approach.
3- Beautiful space images and amazing graphics, which is to be expected in any book about astronomy.
4- As I said, I was never interested in astronomy and space at all until about two months ago. I always thought that the money and energy people are spending on space could be better spent here on Earth. I couldn't figure out why I had to memorise the sequence of planets in the solar system as a child in school. Well, I was stupid, and this book proved to me how utterly stupid I was.
What I didn’t like about this book:
1- I don't think there's any part that I didn't like about this book. However, I do wonder if the authors will release an updated edition after 2035, since the discoveries by then will hopefully be dramatically different.
May we one day find the answer to how we all came to be. Cheers, my fellow astronomy lovers.
A thousand galaxies / 5 stars.
July 9, 2018
DK never disappoint as simple refrences
June 7, 2022
Քիչ գրքերից ա որ ժամանակագրական հաջորդականությամբ ա գրած, որը շատ կարևոր ա բացահայտումների ու ընդհանուր գիտության էվոլյուցիայի մասին ճիշտ պատկերացում կազմելու համար։ Շատ իրադարձություններ ու երևույթների ուսումնասիրություններ ու մարդկանց անուններ նոր էին, որը ցույց ա տալիս որ ավելի դետալներով են գրել։ Գիրքը գունագեղ ա, չի սովորացնում շատ տեխնիկական բաներ, այսինքն թեմայից դուրս մարդկանց համար ահավոր թեթև կկարդացվի, թեմայի մեջ մարդկանց համար քիչ կարա լինի երևույթների բացատրությունները ու շատ պարզեցված գրաֆիկաները ու նկարները։
Բայց ընդհանուր խորհուրդ եմ տալիս տանը ունենալ, թերթել երբեմն, երեխեքին նվիրել, ես սա 11 տարեկանում կարդայի հետաքրքրասիրությունս ավելի բուսթ կլիներ, շատ բան չէի սովորի բայց թրիգեր կլիներ որ հետո պրպտեմ։
Բայց ընդհանուր խորհուրդ եմ տալիս տանը ունենալ, թերթել երբեմն, երեխեքին նվիրել, ես սա 11 տարեկանում կարդայի հետաքրքրասիրությունս ավելի բուսթ կլիներ, շատ բան չէի սովորի բայց թրիգեր կլիներ որ հետո պրպտեմ։
August 10, 2019
Lots and lots I didn’t know. Of course current theories may be wrong about some (or a lot) of things, and I definitely didn’t understand everything, but still—mind blown. God is quite the creator.
October 19, 2020
What a beautiful journey I had with this book!
It made me travel through time from the initial glimpses of the wondering human as he stood gazing to the magnificent sky, to the latest technological triumphs we had with our unlimited curiosity.
It made me travel through time from the initial glimpses of the wondering human as he stood gazing to the magnificent sky, to the latest technological triumphs we had with our unlimited curiosity.
December 28, 2019
A nice introduction to the basic concepts of astronomy.
April 1, 2020
A basic introduction to astronomy, without much technicality. Very good to people that likes the subject.
June 22, 2025
Labai techninė knyga, bet puikiai tiks tiems, kas nori vienoje vietoje rasti informacijos apie svarbiausius astronomijos atradimus ir tyrimus (su iliustracijomis). Ar aš praplėčiau savo akiratį? Taip. Ar aš viską atsiminsiu? Ne.
dnf
September 11, 2020If you learn best from college textbooks, this one has you covered. Not for me, though.
January 14, 2022
I must read for every astronomy lover . This is basically a gist of the development in the field of astronomy from ancient times to till date .
I treat to all the astrophiles.
I treat to all the astrophiles.
June 25, 2022
Recommend
March 24, 2020
** Books 27 - 2020 **
This books to accomplish Tsundoku Books Challenge 2020
3,7 of 5 stars!
my knowledge about astronomy is just about the name of planets and also Galileo Galilei as the founder of telescope. But it turns out this books gives me so many new scientist name and knowledge like when is the planet founded. what is nebula is. what is the black and white holes. I am also doesn't know before that Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein that having contributed into the astrophysics before i thought their invention is not related with astronomy before
one of my concern is there is such a little inspiring women indeed who participated in Astronomy (only three to four women in this books) i am a little bit sad about that but hey we have Marie Curie as the founder about the radiation. am i right?
Thankyou Big Bad Wolf Jakarta 2020!
#StayAtHome #SelfQuarantine
This books to accomplish Tsundoku Books Challenge 2020
3,7 of 5 stars!
my knowledge about astronomy is just about the name of planets and also Galileo Galilei as the founder of telescope. But it turns out this books gives me so many new scientist name and knowledge like when is the planet founded. what is nebula is. what is the black and white holes. I am also doesn't know before that Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein that having contributed into the astrophysics before i thought their invention is not related with astronomy before
one of my concern is there is such a little inspiring women indeed who participated in Astronomy (only three to four women in this books) i am a little bit sad about that but hey we have Marie Curie as the founder about the radiation. am i right?
Thankyou Big Bad Wolf Jakarta 2020!
#StayAtHome #SelfQuarantine
August 26, 2019
Meraviglioso. É un libro quasi scolastico ma se siete davvero interessati a la materia sará un piacere "studiarlo".
December 11, 2019
Ach, was soll ich sagen - es war einfach toll! Ja, es werden wichtige Theorien einfach erklärt aber die Illustrationen dazu sind der Hammer. ♥️
October 8, 2024
Great book. A lot of information that is easy to read and understand.
I really liked the timeline added in the beginning of every topic. You can see and be reminded of how ideas and discoveries progressed over time to get to what we know now on that subject.
I really liked the timeline added in the beginning of every topic. You can see and be reminded of how ideas and discoveries progressed over time to get to what we know now on that subject.
July 11, 2021
Huhu sách hay nha ^^ nhiều thứ mình hoàn toàn không hề biết tới. Sách là bề dày lịch sử của vũ trụ và con người đã khám phá gì vũ trụ rồi. Tuyệt vời <3
Mở mang 🤩. So ra những gì mình được biết (chắc chỉ tính khi đi học chính quy + lâu lâu mới coi báo hay facebook) thì chắc không bằng 3 trang quá huhu. Kiến thức hạn hẹp 🙏🏻.
Gần đây mua quá trời sách kiểu khoa học, sau này mong con mình mê khoa học chút đọc cho đỡ phí sách. Lạy trời. ☺️
Mở mang 🤩. So ra những gì mình được biết (chắc chỉ tính khi đi học chính quy + lâu lâu mới coi báo hay facebook) thì chắc không bằng 3 trang quá huhu. Kiến thức hạn hẹp 🙏🏻.
Gần đây mua quá trời sách kiểu khoa học, sau này mong con mình mê khoa học chút đọc cho đỡ phí sách. Lạy trời. ☺️
December 4, 2019
In the interests of full disclosure, I read this book as part of a project for work. And I would never have chosen to read a book on this subject, thinking it would be too scientific and mathematical and generally not remotely appealing.
Well, how wrong could I have been? This is a rare 5 star book as far as I am concerned. There was a lot of history in it, and how things progressed while we were learning about the stars and space, which discoveries came when and what they meant. And people the world over have been fascinated by the stars, so this is quite a substantial book!
I was delighted to see so many women featured in the book. It looks like there have been women involved in astronomy for hundreds of years, and it feels like quite an egalitarian interest. Another thing that struck me as a pleasant surprise was the sense of humour that a lot of astronomers have. Some of the names of features in the sky include: MACHOs (I won't tell you what the initials stand for) and WIMPs! I can just imagine nerds the world over tittering over things like that. I certainly did!
So I would recommend. There is a lot of content in the book, but the way it is written means that you can read it a page or two at a time. There are so many little sub-chapters, there is no need to rush through it. You can take your time as you read it - or do like I did, and read the whole thing in a few days. I could see me going back to this one as well.
Well, how wrong could I have been? This is a rare 5 star book as far as I am concerned. There was a lot of history in it, and how things progressed while we were learning about the stars and space, which discoveries came when and what they meant. And people the world over have been fascinated by the stars, so this is quite a substantial book!
I was delighted to see so many women featured in the book. It looks like there have been women involved in astronomy for hundreds of years, and it feels like quite an egalitarian interest. Another thing that struck me as a pleasant surprise was the sense of humour that a lot of astronomers have. Some of the names of features in the sky include: MACHOs (I won't tell you what the initials stand for) and WIMPs! I can just imagine nerds the world over tittering over things like that. I certainly did!
So I would recommend. There is a lot of content in the book, but the way it is written means that you can read it a page or two at a time. There are so many little sub-chapters, there is no need to rush through it. You can take your time as you read it - or do like I did, and read the whole thing in a few days. I could see me going back to this one as well.
December 8, 2020
Letztens habe ich meine Bücherregale durchgesehen und dabei sechs Bücher wieder entdeckt, die mich eine ganze Zeit lang sehr begeistert haben. Sie haben mich nicht nur begeistert, sondern auch smarter gemacht.
Ich hatte beim Lesen richtige “Aha-Erlebnisse” und möchte nun diese sechs Bücher mit euch teilen.
Neugier ist der Beginn allen Lernens.
– Boris Jäger
Der DK Verlag hat eine ganze Reihe unter der Kategorie “Big Ideas” an Büchern rund um das Thema Wissen. Egal zu welchem Themengebiet, hier findet man bestimmt ein Buch, welches den Wissensdurst stillen möchte.
Ich habe ja letztes Jahr herausgefunden, dass ich ein sogenannter Scanner-Typ bin und somit mich für sehr vieles interessiere und auch schnell viel neues lernen möchte. Dafür sind diese Bücher ideal!
Die sechs Themengebiete, die mich also aktuell am meisten interessieren sind: Psychologie, Philosophie, Wissenschaft, Astronomie, Geschichte und wie könnte es anders sein; Literatur.
Knowledge is the most valuable skill you can sell.
– Barack Obama
Wissenschaft ist nur etwas für Wenige? Ganz sicher nicht! Die menschliche Geschichte ist eine Geschichte des Forschens. Wir haben schon immer versucht, auf alles eine Antwort zu finden. „Das Wissenschaftsbuch“ liefert einen ergreifenden Überblick über die Geschichte und die Entwicklung der Naturwissenschaften.
Von ihren Anfängen 600 v. Chr. über die Erweiterung unseres Horizonts von 1700 bis 1800 bis hin zu vertieften neuen Erkenntnissen der letzten 50 Jahre werden die wichtigsten Theorien der Physik, Chemie, Biologie und Geowissenschaft anschaulich vorgestellt. Dabei wird auf spannungsreiche Art und Weise auf Experimente und Beobachtungen eingegangen. Sie führten schließlich zu gewaltigen neuen Erkenntnissen!
In diesem innovativen Astronomie-Buch werden astronomische Theorien, die Geschichte der Raumfahrt und über 100 zentrale Ideen der Astronomie galaktisch-gut erklärt. Schritt-für-Schritt-Diagramme, witzige Illustrationen und tolle Fotografien visualisieren komplexe Sachverhalte anschaulich und verständlich. Außerdem machen Sie Bekanntschaft mit den berühmtesten Wissenschaftlern des Universums! Einsteins Relativitätstheorie durchschauen, die Geheimnisse schwarzer Löcher ergründen, den Urknall verstehen und die Biografie von Stephen Hawking kennen lernen: Jeder, der die Wissenschaft hinter Sternen, Planeten oder dem Sonnensystem begreifen will, braucht dieses ausgezeichnete Astronomie-Buch. Es blickt in den Himmel und lädt dazu ein, den Weltraum genau zu betrachten und gedanklich auf der Milchstraße spazieren zu gehen.
Dieses umfassende Nachschlagewerk präsentiert die größten Meisterwerke, Romanhelden und Schriftsteller der Literaturgeschichte – von Fitzgeralds großen Gatsby über Goethes Faust bis zu Shelleys Frankenstein.
Welche Bedeutung hat der weiße Wal in Moby-Dick? Wie funktioniert die Erzähltechnik des Bewusstseinsstroms? Und was haben Lolita und Uhrwerk Orange gemeinsam? Begeben Sie sich mit diesem Buch auf eine faszinierende Entdeckungstour durch über 100 Bücher aus aller Welt, die das literarische Leben nachhaltig geprägt haben.
Beeindruckende Abbildungen, inspirierende Autoren-Zitate und detaillierte Handlungszusammenfassungen machen Literatur greifbar. Interessante Kurzbiografien der bedeutendsten Schriftsteller und Schriftstellerinnen sowie anschauliche Erklärungen der gesellschaftlichen Hintergründe helfen außerdem dabei, die Bedeutung einzelner Literaturstücke zu vertiefen.
Warum hat die Demokratie ihren Ursprung im alten Griechenland? Wie eroberten die Spanier Süd- und Mittelamerika? Was brachte die Berliner Mauer zu Fall? In diesem Buch finden Sie die Antworten auf diese und viele weitere spannende Fragen der Weltgeschichte. Erwecken Sie die bedeutendsten historischen Augenblicke zum Leben und entdecken Sie die Faszination Geschichte hautnah!
Ob die Ermordung Julius Cäsars, Luthers Thesen von 1517 oder die Erfindung des Internets – auf diesen Seiten finden Sie die wichtigsten geschichtlichen Fakten versammelt auf den Punkt gebracht und ansprechend visualisiert durch zahlreiche Fotos, Diagramme und Piktogramme. Hier werden keinen trockenen Daten oder Jahreszahlen aufgezählt, sondern Sie erfahren auch die Hintergründe und treibenden Ideen hinter einzelnen prägenden Ereignissen der Vergangenheit.
Was ist Gerechtigkeit? Wie wissen wir, was wir wissen? Was macht ein sinnvolles Leben aus? Mit Fragen wie diesen haben sich viele Philosophen auseinandergesetzt und Ideen formuliert, die unsere Welt beeinflusst und verändert haben. Das Philosophie-Buch führt durch über 2000 Jahre philosophisches Denken und erklärt über 100 große Ideen berühmter Denker – von Platon über Heidegger bis Derrida. Chronologisch geordnete Portraits liefern Informationen zum Leben der einzelnen Philosophen und ihren Hauptwerken. Außerdem wird jede Kernthese durch übersichtliche Querverweise in einen historischen Zusammenhang gestellt. So werden beispielsweise ihre Vordenker und Schüler ersichtlich. Bekannte und unbekannte Zitate wie “Der Zweck rechtfertigt die Mittel” oder “Die Welt war nicht immer da” kombiniert mit einer unkonventionellen Gestaltung der Seiten machen Lust auf ein oft als abstrakt und komplex eingeschätztes Thema.
Was macht unsere Persönlichkeit aus, wie treffen wir Entscheidungen und wie prägt unsere Kindheit unser Verhalten? Mit diesen Fragestellungen beschäftigt sich dieses Psychologie-Buch: Über 100 wichtige psychologische Theorien und Konzepte werden hier anschaulich, innovativ und verständlich mit Illustrationen, Diagrammen und Fotografien erklärt sowie die Biografien bedeutsamer Psychologen in Porträts vorgestellt.
Die “Big Ideas” Reihe ist sehr übersichtlich aufgebaut. Man findet gleich zu Beginn ein Inhaltsverzeichnis und kann sich so auch nur mit dem Thema beschäftigen, dass einen gerade brennend interessiert.
Die Infos werden meiner Meinung nach klar und strukturiert vermittelt und man lernt auf jeder Seite viel Neues dazu. Ich hätte mir ja solche Bücher zu meiner Schulzeit gewünscht.
Welche Themengebiete interessieren euch besonders? Und bildet ihr euch darin selbst fort?
Für mich persönlich ist dies sehr wichtig, denn nur weil man die Schule oder das Studium beendet hat, heisst das nicht, dass man nicht weiter Dinge lernen kann. Alles was man mehr weiss oder vertieft, wird einen auf irgendeine Weise bestimmt weiter bringen.
RAN AN DIE BÜCHER,
Ich hatte beim Lesen richtige “Aha-Erlebnisse” und möchte nun diese sechs Bücher mit euch teilen.
Neugier ist der Beginn allen Lernens.
– Boris Jäger
Der DK Verlag hat eine ganze Reihe unter der Kategorie “Big Ideas” an Büchern rund um das Thema Wissen. Egal zu welchem Themengebiet, hier findet man bestimmt ein Buch, welches den Wissensdurst stillen möchte.
Ich habe ja letztes Jahr herausgefunden, dass ich ein sogenannter Scanner-Typ bin und somit mich für sehr vieles interessiere und auch schnell viel neues lernen möchte. Dafür sind diese Bücher ideal!
Die sechs Themengebiete, die mich also aktuell am meisten interessieren sind: Psychologie, Philosophie, Wissenschaft, Astronomie, Geschichte und wie könnte es anders sein; Literatur.
Knowledge is the most valuable skill you can sell.
– Barack Obama
Wissenschaft ist nur etwas für Wenige? Ganz sicher nicht! Die menschliche Geschichte ist eine Geschichte des Forschens. Wir haben schon immer versucht, auf alles eine Antwort zu finden. „Das Wissenschaftsbuch“ liefert einen ergreifenden Überblick über die Geschichte und die Entwicklung der Naturwissenschaften.
Von ihren Anfängen 600 v. Chr. über die Erweiterung unseres Horizonts von 1700 bis 1800 bis hin zu vertieften neuen Erkenntnissen der letzten 50 Jahre werden die wichtigsten Theorien der Physik, Chemie, Biologie und Geowissenschaft anschaulich vorgestellt. Dabei wird auf spannungsreiche Art und Weise auf Experimente und Beobachtungen eingegangen. Sie führten schließlich zu gewaltigen neuen Erkenntnissen!
In diesem innovativen Astronomie-Buch werden astronomische Theorien, die Geschichte der Raumfahrt und über 100 zentrale Ideen der Astronomie galaktisch-gut erklärt. Schritt-für-Schritt-Diagramme, witzige Illustrationen und tolle Fotografien visualisieren komplexe Sachverhalte anschaulich und verständlich. Außerdem machen Sie Bekanntschaft mit den berühmtesten Wissenschaftlern des Universums! Einsteins Relativitätstheorie durchschauen, die Geheimnisse schwarzer Löcher ergründen, den Urknall verstehen und die Biografie von Stephen Hawking kennen lernen: Jeder, der die Wissenschaft hinter Sternen, Planeten oder dem Sonnensystem begreifen will, braucht dieses ausgezeichnete Astronomie-Buch. Es blickt in den Himmel und lädt dazu ein, den Weltraum genau zu betrachten und gedanklich auf der Milchstraße spazieren zu gehen.
Dieses umfassende Nachschlagewerk präsentiert die größten Meisterwerke, Romanhelden und Schriftsteller der Literaturgeschichte – von Fitzgeralds großen Gatsby über Goethes Faust bis zu Shelleys Frankenstein.
Welche Bedeutung hat der weiße Wal in Moby-Dick? Wie funktioniert die Erzähltechnik des Bewusstseinsstroms? Und was haben Lolita und Uhrwerk Orange gemeinsam? Begeben Sie sich mit diesem Buch auf eine faszinierende Entdeckungstour durch über 100 Bücher aus aller Welt, die das literarische Leben nachhaltig geprägt haben.
Beeindruckende Abbildungen, inspirierende Autoren-Zitate und detaillierte Handlungszusammenfassungen machen Literatur greifbar. Interessante Kurzbiografien der bedeutendsten Schriftsteller und Schriftstellerinnen sowie anschauliche Erklärungen der gesellschaftlichen Hintergründe helfen außerdem dabei, die Bedeutung einzelner Literaturstücke zu vertiefen.
Warum hat die Demokratie ihren Ursprung im alten Griechenland? Wie eroberten die Spanier Süd- und Mittelamerika? Was brachte die Berliner Mauer zu Fall? In diesem Buch finden Sie die Antworten auf diese und viele weitere spannende Fragen der Weltgeschichte. Erwecken Sie die bedeutendsten historischen Augenblicke zum Leben und entdecken Sie die Faszination Geschichte hautnah!
Ob die Ermordung Julius Cäsars, Luthers Thesen von 1517 oder die Erfindung des Internets – auf diesen Seiten finden Sie die wichtigsten geschichtlichen Fakten versammelt auf den Punkt gebracht und ansprechend visualisiert durch zahlreiche Fotos, Diagramme und Piktogramme. Hier werden keinen trockenen Daten oder Jahreszahlen aufgezählt, sondern Sie erfahren auch die Hintergründe und treibenden Ideen hinter einzelnen prägenden Ereignissen der Vergangenheit.
Was ist Gerechtigkeit? Wie wissen wir, was wir wissen? Was macht ein sinnvolles Leben aus? Mit Fragen wie diesen haben sich viele Philosophen auseinandergesetzt und Ideen formuliert, die unsere Welt beeinflusst und verändert haben. Das Philosophie-Buch führt durch über 2000 Jahre philosophisches Denken und erklärt über 100 große Ideen berühmter Denker – von Platon über Heidegger bis Derrida. Chronologisch geordnete Portraits liefern Informationen zum Leben der einzelnen Philosophen und ihren Hauptwerken. Außerdem wird jede Kernthese durch übersichtliche Querverweise in einen historischen Zusammenhang gestellt. So werden beispielsweise ihre Vordenker und Schüler ersichtlich. Bekannte und unbekannte Zitate wie “Der Zweck rechtfertigt die Mittel” oder “Die Welt war nicht immer da” kombiniert mit einer unkonventionellen Gestaltung der Seiten machen Lust auf ein oft als abstrakt und komplex eingeschätztes Thema.
Was macht unsere Persönlichkeit aus, wie treffen wir Entscheidungen und wie prägt unsere Kindheit unser Verhalten? Mit diesen Fragestellungen beschäftigt sich dieses Psychologie-Buch: Über 100 wichtige psychologische Theorien und Konzepte werden hier anschaulich, innovativ und verständlich mit Illustrationen, Diagrammen und Fotografien erklärt sowie die Biografien bedeutsamer Psychologen in Porträts vorgestellt.
Die “Big Ideas” Reihe ist sehr übersichtlich aufgebaut. Man findet gleich zu Beginn ein Inhaltsverzeichnis und kann sich so auch nur mit dem Thema beschäftigen, dass einen gerade brennend interessiert.
Die Infos werden meiner Meinung nach klar und strukturiert vermittelt und man lernt auf jeder Seite viel Neues dazu. Ich hätte mir ja solche Bücher zu meiner Schulzeit gewünscht.
Welche Themengebiete interessieren euch besonders? Und bildet ihr euch darin selbst fort?
Für mich persönlich ist dies sehr wichtig, denn nur weil man die Schule oder das Studium beendet hat, heisst das nicht, dass man nicht weiter Dinge lernen kann. Alles was man mehr weiss oder vertieft, wird einen auf irgendeine Weise bestimmt weiter bringen.
RAN AN DIE BÜCHER,
October 2, 2017
This is an easy to understand book, for adults and teens alike. It provides historical and modern context to astronomy, as well as a plain language overview of the science of the universe. This includes everything from explanations of time and space, to the creation of the universe, to modern research on Mars. Beautiful, bright photos and illustrations, as well as bright text pullouts, make this an organized, clear, and enjoyable read.
May 28, 2022
A nice journey through the great moment of astronomy but at the same time the explanation of each phenomena in a very clear and simple manner as well as the beography of some scientists who contributed in the development of this discipline . Very recommended for non specialists who want to get an insight into this fascinating world of planets and stars
June 23, 2023
Primera vez que me aventuro a un libro divulgativo sobre astronomía. No podía haber elegido mejor. Las explicaciones han sido lo más sencillas que pueden ser para tratarse de astronomía. Además, el toque de añadir imágenes, biografía e incluso un apartado con el glosario de la terminología hace el libro más ameno y entretenido. Me ha encantado la lectura.
April 29, 2020
Potrebbero cambiare il nome in "astrophysics for dummies", il testo è chiaro, la immagini aiutano e spiegano la struttura anche del più complicato strumento/sonda/teorema/teoria. Se si è appassionati di astrofisica e si vuole conoscere di più, è un buon punto da cui iniziare.
September 22, 2022
An extremely interesting book on astronomy very clearly written and explained for a general audience.
June 18, 2025
Astronomy and space science felt pretty much solved when I first began reading this. We know almost everything in our solar system, we can observe to the edge of the observable universe, and we understand the physics of space, I thought.
This book taught me the limits our knowledge and how much more there is to still learn - we don't know every object in our solar system, is there a "planet-X" out there? We still don't know about how other solar systems work or what they look like. We need to develop new tools to detect gravitational waves, dark energy, and dark matter. We still can't observe the very edge of the observable universe, as we're still missing some 560,000 years; there is still so much to learn about the start of the universe, and maybe one day we can develop tools to learn what is beyond the observable universe.
With new terminology, key insights, and how many of astronomers came to these conclusions throughout the centuries I have a new appreciation of modern astronomy. During the mid 19th to 20th century, woman astronomers played an increasingly instrumental roles.
This was my first BIG IDEAS SIMPLY EXPLAINED (BISE) book in about 6 years after reading a bunch of them. What they always do well at is explaining the evolution of the subject matter from a less sophisticated state to a more technical, sophisticated subject matter. I really wish school taught more like this, blending history, integrating awe, seeing the questions people had to ask, the new tools they had to invent to explain phenomenon.
I do have two major complaints from this book: 1) they didn't explain astrology, and 2) early in the book, they used key terms, but didn't explain what they meant.
1) From the very start, they explained how astrology and astronomy were synonymous, they both meant the same thing, and studying one meant studying the other at the same time. Yet, the book takes no space to educate us about the subject matter. One would think it would be important to learn the constellations, and about horoscopes, since they dominated the psychology of astronomy.
2) Terms like (stellar) parallax and armillary was used willy nilly without explaination or direction to where they would later be explained in the book. This was the only time where their philosophy of "cutting through the jargon" didn't hold up.
Otherwise, this was an overall entertaining and informative book. Even though it didn't persuade me to be in awe of our solar system, it made me eventually feel awe with what is beyond it and discovering more about what is beyond.
This book taught me the limits our knowledge and how much more there is to still learn - we don't know every object in our solar system, is there a "planet-X" out there? We still don't know about how other solar systems work or what they look like. We need to develop new tools to detect gravitational waves, dark energy, and dark matter. We still can't observe the very edge of the observable universe, as we're still missing some 560,000 years; there is still so much to learn about the start of the universe, and maybe one day we can develop tools to learn what is beyond the observable universe.
With new terminology, key insights, and how many of astronomers came to these conclusions throughout the centuries I have a new appreciation of modern astronomy. During the mid 19th to 20th century, woman astronomers played an increasingly instrumental roles.
This was my first BIG IDEAS SIMPLY EXPLAINED (BISE) book in about 6 years after reading a bunch of them. What they always do well at is explaining the evolution of the subject matter from a less sophisticated state to a more technical, sophisticated subject matter. I really wish school taught more like this, blending history, integrating awe, seeing the questions people had to ask, the new tools they had to invent to explain phenomenon.
I do have two major complaints from this book: 1) they didn't explain astrology, and 2) early in the book, they used key terms, but didn't explain what they meant.
1) From the very start, they explained how astrology and astronomy were synonymous, they both meant the same thing, and studying one meant studying the other at the same time. Yet, the book takes no space to educate us about the subject matter. One would think it would be important to learn the constellations, and about horoscopes, since they dominated the psychology of astronomy.
2) Terms like (stellar) parallax and armillary was used willy nilly without explaination or direction to where they would later be explained in the book. This was the only time where their philosophy of "cutting through the jargon" didn't hold up.
Otherwise, this was an overall entertaining and informative book. Even though it didn't persuade me to be in awe of our solar system, it made me eventually feel awe with what is beyond it and discovering more about what is beyond.
May 1, 2023
The human mind is probably not designed to grasp the concept of infinity. This is probably not a defect in our hardwiring, though, as we are finite beings, bound to senesce, and relatively quickly. Still, multiple fields—from the metaphysic to the scientific—require us to at least try to grasp the outline of the infinite.
Astronomy—the science which is an outgrowth of the spiritual field astrology—is one such realm in which the human mind attempts to grapple with infinity. The task, while daunting, can be entertaining, even enlightening. Anyone who’s ever been to the planetarium (or just gotten stoned and stared up at the stars) knows as much.
The Astronomy Book does a praiseworthy job of giving the layperson a bedrock understanding of the key concepts, tools, and individuals in the field of astronomy. This also includes a rough capitulation of the pseudoscience of astrology, which was mainly used to predict events favorable or perhaps dangerous to rulers in ancient times.
What one does with the basic knowledge in the book is up to them, but provided the reader is inquisitive and young enough, it could change their life. It’s important also to remember that many breakthroughs in the field have been achieved not by professionals in their observatories, but by amateurs in their backyards. In point of fact, the father of radio astronomy, Grote Reber, constructed the first purpose-built radio telescope in his backyard in Wheaton, Illinois.
You’re going to need more than this book to give you a granular picture that will allow you to build anything, obviously, but the inspiration’s here. So “keep watching the skis!” as the Squeaky Voiced Teen once said.
Astronomy—the science which is an outgrowth of the spiritual field astrology—is one such realm in which the human mind attempts to grapple with infinity. The task, while daunting, can be entertaining, even enlightening. Anyone who’s ever been to the planetarium (or just gotten stoned and stared up at the stars) knows as much.
The Astronomy Book does a praiseworthy job of giving the layperson a bedrock understanding of the key concepts, tools, and individuals in the field of astronomy. This also includes a rough capitulation of the pseudoscience of astrology, which was mainly used to predict events favorable or perhaps dangerous to rulers in ancient times.
What one does with the basic knowledge in the book is up to them, but provided the reader is inquisitive and young enough, it could change their life. It’s important also to remember that many breakthroughs in the field have been achieved not by professionals in their observatories, but by amateurs in their backyards. In point of fact, the father of radio astronomy, Grote Reber, constructed the first purpose-built radio telescope in his backyard in Wheaton, Illinois.
You’re going to need more than this book to give you a granular picture that will allow you to build anything, obviously, but the inspiration’s here. So “keep watching the skis!” as the Squeaky Voiced Teen once said.
October 9, 2023
Este libro ha sido un viaje por la Historia de la Astronomía, prácticamente desde sus primeros pasos hasta la actualidad (que por la edición del libro, se quedó un poco corto, porque me aparece que abarca hasta 2018).
Sin embargo, para mí ha sido una descepción, porque prácticamente toda la información viene en forma de línea de tiempo, deteniéndose en explicar algunos temas, pero en su mayoría todo recapitulado como una historia lineal ¿cuál es el problema? que yo esperaba que tuviera secciones en donde desarrollara mejor otros temas, como una descripción más profunda de conceptos o una infografía de los planetas. No obstante, si amplía su información en varios temas y algunas veces los narra, haciéndolos muy interesantes.
Un problema, es que a veces se vuelve muy técnico, yo se que hablar de astronomía algunas veces no es tan sencillo, pero se le olvida que muchos de los lectores somos primerizos en la disciplina y por momentos la información es algo compleja, sin embargo, no estan difícil como para ser incomprensible.
En fin, yo lo recomiendo para quienes tienen el interés de introducirse en el mundo de la Astronomía, es un buen gancho, sin embargo creo que se queda corto en algunos temas y pudo desarrollarse no solo de manera cronológica.
Sin embargo, para mí ha sido una descepción, porque prácticamente toda la información viene en forma de línea de tiempo, deteniéndose en explicar algunos temas, pero en su mayoría todo recapitulado como una historia lineal ¿cuál es el problema? que yo esperaba que tuviera secciones en donde desarrollara mejor otros temas, como una descripción más profunda de conceptos o una infografía de los planetas. No obstante, si amplía su información en varios temas y algunas veces los narra, haciéndolos muy interesantes.
Un problema, es que a veces se vuelve muy técnico, yo se que hablar de astronomía algunas veces no es tan sencillo, pero se le olvida que muchos de los lectores somos primerizos en la disciplina y por momentos la información es algo compleja, sin embargo, no estan difícil como para ser incomprensible.
En fin, yo lo recomiendo para quienes tienen el interés de introducirse en el mundo de la Astronomía, es un buen gancho, sin embargo creo que se queda corto en algunos temas y pudo desarrollarse no solo de manera cronológica.
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