The Sun Kings: The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began

by Stuart Clark

In September of 1859, the entire Earth was engulfed in a gigantic cloud of seething gas, and a blood-red aurora erupted across the planet from the poles to the tropics. Around the world, telegraph systems crashed, machines burst into flames, and electric shocks rendered operators unconscious. Compasses and other sensitive instruments reeled as if struck by a massive magnetic fist. For the first time, people began to suspect that the Earth was not isolated from the rest of the universe. However, nobody knew what could have released such strange forces upon the Earth--nobody, that is, except the amateur English astronomer Richard Carrington.


In this riveting account, Stuart Clark tells for the first time the full story behind Carrington's observations of a mysterious explosion on the surface of the Sun and how his brilliant insight--that the Sun's magnetism directly influences the Earth--helped to usher in the modern era of astronomy. Clark vividly brings to life the scientists who roundly rejected the significance of Carrington's discovery of solar flares, as well as those who took up his struggle to prove the notion that the Earth could be touched by influences from space. Clark also reveals new details about the sordid scandal that destroyed Carrington's reputation and led him from the highest echelons of science to the very lowest reaches of love, villainy, and revenge.



The Sun Kings transports us back to Victorian England, into the very heart of the great nineteenth-century scientific controversy about the Sun's hidden influence over our planet.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Astronomy, History Of Science, Stem, Physics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2007

About the author

Journalist, award-winning author and broadcaster, Stuart Clark is a brilliant storyteller. Fiction or non-fiction, his work is written with conviction and with passion. In recent years, he has devoted his career to presenting the complex and dynamic world of astronomy to the general public.

His latest work is the pioneering trilogy The Sky's Dark Labyrinth. In the way that CJ Sansom's hugely successful Shardlake series marries crime writing with popular history, so The Sky's Dark Labyrinth trilogy blends gripping, original historical fiction with popular science.

Stuart holds a first-class honours degree and a phd in astrophysics. A Visiting Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire, he is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a former Vice Chair of the Association of British Science Writers. But it was his first work of narrative nonfiction, The Sun Kings, that established him as a popular science writer par excellence. Without fail the reviews, ranging from Nature to Bookslut.com, remarked on his exceptional storytelling ability and sheer verve of his writing. It was shortlisted by the Royal Society for their 2008 general science book prize, it won Italy's 2009 Montselice Prize for best scientific translation, and the Association of American Publishers 2007 Professional and Scholarly Publishing Award for Excellence in the Cosmology and Astronomy category.

Stuart is a regular contributor to national and international radio and television programmes and dvd productions. He frequently lectures throughout the UK and, increasingly, throughout the world.

Reviews

[Ints · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parasts cilvēks varētu nesaprast kā Saules astronomija vispār ir iespējama. Astronomam ir teleskops, ar teleskopu mēs pētām debesis, tomēr jau no bērna kājas visi saprot vienu pamatpatiesību. Ar teleskopu uz Sauli cilvēks var skatīties tikai divas reizes – ar vienu aci un pēc tam ar otru aci. Kur lai cilvēki ņem tik daudz speciālistus? Tas viss bija joks, patiesībā cilvēki jau diezgan sen izgudroja dažādus viltīgus veidus kā skatīties saulē nemaitājot redzi. Te noderēja gan attēla projicēšana, gan fotoplašu izmantošana.

Sākumā nevienam nebija ne jausmas, kas tā saule īsti tāda ir. Pamata pieņēmums bija, ka Saule ir tāda plati planēta kā zeme tikai ar karstiem mākoņiem. Saules plankumi savukārt bija tās kalni, kas šad tad pavīdēja starp mākoņiem. Ar laiku gan uzkrājās fakti, kas lika šos apgalvojumus pārskatīt.

Grāmata ir centrēta ap Saules plankumiem, 1859. gada Saules uzliesmojumu un R.Karringtona dzīvi. Puika jau no bērna kājas bija aizrauts ar Sauli, un ar laiku kļuva par vienu no ievērojamākajiem speciālistiem, lai gan viņa idejas ilgi netika pieņemtas. Piemēram, apgalvojumu, ka Saules cikls nosaka labības cenu, izteica jau Heršels vecākais, tas pats, kas atklāja planētu Urāns. Tomēr neviens viņu par pilnu neņēma, jo kā gan tik tāls un mazs objekts var tieši ietekmēt labības cenu. Nākamais izsmiešanas vērtais apgalvojums bija – Saules plankumi izraisa ziemeļblāzmas. Šis apgalvojums ilgi tika uzskatīts par muļķībām un statistiskos datus, kas par to liecināja, par nepareizu interpretāciju.

Kopumā grāmata ir par astronomijas attīstību Lielbritānijā un nedaudz arī Vācijā, diezgan labs biogrāfisks materiāls un daudz interesantu faktu. Es nemaz nezināju, ka 1859. gadā ir bijuši tādi Saules uzliesmojumi, kas, ja tie notiktu šodien, visticamāk atstātu visu planētu bez elektrības, mobilajiem sakariem un satelītiem. Jau tajos laikos šī aktivitāte izsita no ierindas visus telegrāfus un ziemeļblāzmas varēja novērot pat Kubā. Izrādās, ka jau tad bija izveidots globāls tīkls, kas vāca datus par Zemes magnētiskajām svārstībām. Un laiku pa laikam saulei gadās iesnausties, kad tās aktivitāte pazūd pat uz gadsimtu. Piemēram, no 1645. līdz 1715. gadam.

Bet kādēļ R.Karringtons bija ar traģisku dzīves stāstu? Puisim jaunībā tētis deva naudu pašam savas observatorijas iekārtošanai. Tā nu viņš varēja realizēt savus dzīves sapņus līdz tēva nāvei, kad viņam bija jāpārņem bizness – brūzis. Darbs, šķiet viņam diez ko nepatika. Viņš visu laiku mēģināja atrast labi atalgotu darbu astronomijā, diemžēl viņu nekur neņēma pretī. Tad brūža bizness tika pārdots un vīrs atkal varēja nodarboties ar savu hobiju, jo naudas viņam bija pietiekami. Viņš pat apprecējās, un te sākās personiskā traģēdija. Jaunā sieva savu piedzīvotāju uzdeva par savu brāli, un, vienkārši sakot, salaida ar abiem. Kamēr vienudien „brālim” neaizbrauca jumts un šis mēģināja Karringtona kundzi nonāvēt. Ievainojis šo vārīgā vietā viņš meties bēgt un, pirms viņu noķēruši vietējā ciema iedzīvotāji, pat paspējis uzrakstīt sevi apsūdzošu vēstuli. Tā tiesā tika vērsts pret viņu un spriedums bija notiesājošs – divdesmit gadu ieslodzījuma, viņš gan nomira jau pirmajā gadā. Karringtona sieva izdzīvoja, tomēr, lai remdētu sāpes, viņa sāka niekoties ar Chloral hydrate. Tas vienu dienu noveda pie pārdozēšanas un nāves. Ciemata ļaudis tajā vainoja R.Karringtonu. Arī pats Karringtons neilgi pēc sievas nāves uzlika sev rokas, kā aiziešanas veidu izmantojot šo pašu Chloral hydrate. Un sakāt vēl, ka seriālos viss ir izdomāts.

Labi un saistoši uzrakstīta grāmata, pastāsta mums Saules izpētes vēsturi no sākuma līdz mūsdienām. Tagad jau katrs, kas paskatās saules vēja protonu blīvumu zemes virzienā, var aplēst ziemeļblāzmas rašanās iespēju. Un galu galā mums taču ir vesela kaudze ar observatorijām kosmosā. Grāmatai lieku 10 no 10 ballēm. Autoram tiešām ir talants stāstu pastāstīt interesanti.

[Stephen Case · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't get to read a lot of popularizations in the course of my research on nineteenth-century astronomy, so when this one came across my desk I was on the one hand excited about a change of pace ("captivating, fast-paced" says Dava Sobel on the cover) and on the other figuring I'd be skimming much of it and rolling my eyes a lot. I tend to do this with books that have long and overly-dramatic subtitles like "The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington and the Tale of How Modern Astronomy Began."

I was half right. I did indeed do a lot of skimming, but I also did much less eye-rolling than I anticipated. Clark weaves a compelling tale, even if you don't consider an understanding of the dynamic Earth-Sun relationship (think SOHO and Spaceweather.com) to be the beginning of modern astronomy. (I don't.) The book is a bit less than the subtitle makes it out to be, as I'm still not quite sure what Carrington's "unexpected tragedy" was or how it relates to the scientific quest to understand the nature of the Sun's interaction with the Earth, but it was a quite enjoyable romp through the world of Victorian astronomy.

Because it's such an interesting place, Victorian astronomy, you almost can't help to tell a compelling story if you go into it with some good historical grounding and a flair for writing narrative. Clark treats one aspect of what was happening during this period: the development of solar astronomy. At the beginning of the 1800s, no one had any idea what the structure of the Sun was or how it generated its energy. One prevailing theory was that it was composed of a solid (and possibly inhabited!) globe surrounded by a luminous atmosphere. Sunspots were rifts in this solar atmosphere. Clarke recounts how a series of dedicated astronomers-- both professional and amateur-- deduced a link between sunspots, the solar cycle, and effects on the Earth such as magnetic disturbances and auroral activity. Carrington is simply one of a cast that includes many important astronomers from this period, though his drive and complex personal life, as well as his final demise (and this is likely the tragedy referred to in the subtitle, though seemingly unrelated to solar physics) make him an especially compelling figure.

Even if you're not interested in the ins and outs of the interaction between the Sun and the Earth's magnetic field or the advances in spectroscopy and photography that made the discoveries documented in this book possible, it's the historical characters like Carrington who make studies in Victorian science so readable. Carrington was one of many amateur astronomers during this period who made their fortune in the family business (in Carrington's case a brewery) and then used this wealth to build elaborate personal observatories where they could pursue astronomy as a hobby. Carrington devoted himself to solar astronomy and became a recognized scientific authority on the subject. Besides him though, the pages are filled with others nearly equally interesting: Airy, the Astronomer Royal and the story's villain, storming about at Greenwich pursuing mathematical accuracy and largely dismissive of the new physical astronomy; de la Rue laboring in Spain to photograph the Sun's atmosphere for the first time during a solar eclipse; Maunder taking up Carrington's work after Carrington's death and marrying the young mathematician hired to aid his calculations. Interesting characters pursuing interesting work. Maybe exaggerated or characatured just a bit, but they all come in and out of the story so quickly and in such succession that Clark can't be blamed much for emphasizing their most interesting features.

It was an exciting time in astronomy, and Clark captures this. I'll keep it on the shelf, because it would be ideal book report material for an undergraduate astronomy course. A historian will find Clark's lack of careful documentation maddening and his rhetoric at times excessive or overblown, but a student with a passing interest in the history of astronomy might find it a door to a truly remarkable period in history.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clark explores the history of modern astronomy and its study of the sun, building his tale around Richard Carrington, whose name has been applied to the event he documented, a solar flare sending its plasma directly at the Earth. Carrington happened to be lucky, documenting a sun spot just when it erupted, and thus making the intuitive leap to understand the relationship between the flare and the magnetic storm that disrupted worldwide communications and set fire to telegraph offices over the next couple days.

Clark does a great job telling us about the lives of these early astronomers, who often struggled for financial and institutional support. Science in this era was often a gentleman’s hobby, something only the wealthy could do because it literally did not pay. He tells dramatic stories of astronomers who traveled around the world to observe solar eclipses, of the arguments over the nature of the sun and its surface, and the means by which the field narrowed its ideas and honed in on the truth.

The Sun Kings is a great piece of science writing, well worth reading. Alas, it is somewhat like The Great Influenza, which also explained the disastrous effect its subject had on the world. Both books note, almost as an horrific afterthought, that if these events were to happen again, we would find ourselves in a world of hurt. In the case of a Carrington event, we would likely see massive infrastructure failures, with electric surges knocking out information systems and power grids and causing trillions in damages.

So now I have four things to worry about how nature might kill us like mosquitoes on its ass: the Yellowstone Supervolcano, another Great Influenza, world-killing asteroids, and now Carrington events. (I’m not including, of course, the various ways our species might commit suicide through war, environmental degradation, or technological apocalypse.)

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sun Kings tells the story of how solar observations in the nineteenth century contributed to the rise of modern astrophysics. Among other things, it discusses the advent of astrophotography and spectroscopy and how astronomers began to notice commonalities between the sun and other stars. I found it readable with just enough about the personal lives of the people involved to put the discoveries in context.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of modern solar astronomy, the book begins with William Herschel, who first questioned the possibility of terrestrial effects of sunspot activity. The book is most dramatic with heroes such as George Hale and Greenwich Observatory's Walter Maunder as well as villains such as Lord Kelvin. Among the pioneering solar observers the book includes Richard Carrington, known as much for his disappointments in his pursuit of a scientific career as for his discoveries. Carrington recorded the first solar flare in 1859, the year of the “perfect” solar storm that was responsible for aurorae as far south as the tropics. The author ends with a summary of recent satellite-based solar astronomy and speculates about the sun’s contribution to global warming as well as the possibility of a 400 (or even 8000) year peak in sunspot activity in the upcoming high of the solar cycle.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science, the saying goes, advances one funeral at a time. The point is that young men and women usually make great discoveries, then become more rigid as they age, and thus less receptive to new ideas. It’s only after they pass on that these new ideas are given a fair hearing, and science progresses again
Sometimes, though, a scientist has a great idea, but he is scoffed at by both young and old alike. After he dies, his idea dies with him—for a time—until it is revived in the future, usually after its rightness can no longer be ignored.
Richard Carrington—and a circle of other solar scientists born before and after him—had the right idea, but they were laughed at. They suspected that the sun was not only exerting gravitational force on the Earth and providing sunlight for sustenance. They thought the sun’s magnetic activity was greatly related to that of our planet, and had the power to destroy us.
In order to prove their theory they wanted to match solar astronomical records against the prices of wheat, year-by-year. The eminences gris of the academy and the holders of the philanthropic purse wouldn’t hear of it, though. Carrington’s ideas were buried for decades, until more became known about particles, elements, and the intriguing idea that the Earth itself is a giant cloud chamber.
It’s tempting to castigate the scientific establishment for their rigidity, but it’s important to remember how wildly speculative Carrington’s ideas appeared at the time. He was suggesting these ideas before electrons were discovered in cathodes and helium was observed in space. Hydrogen had been a known quantity since the eccentric Henry Cavendish proved its existence, but that was hardly enough info to understand the power of fusion.
The idea that the Earth was wholly dependent on the sun’s blessings probably struck many a contemporary scientist as primitive, animist, more fit for a propitiating cult than an astronomer.
Time has not only been kind to Carrington’s theory, however, but has proven its dire relevance. Great solar activity—in conjunction with cosmic rays coming from even further afield��could potentially upend all of human civilization, or possibly end it. Carrington observed and documented one such period of anomalously active radiation, but in his day the main result was problems with the telegraph and wonderful aurorae visible to sailors. Fascinating and terrifying, but hardly enough to warrant a massive outlay of time, money, and effort to understand the sun’s every capricious spout of fire.
These days were the same thing to happen it would bring all of the apocalyptic horrors promised in Y2K and more. To cite just one example, cosmic radiation from a magnetar releases more energy in a tenth of a second than the sun releases in one-hundred thousand years. The nearest one of these is much too far for it to be immediately troublesome, but physicists working on such black swan bank-shots say it’s not impossible we get hit. Hard. Like every electronical appliance on Earth (and in geocentric orbit) ceases to function hard.
And that’s when the lights go out and the cannibals and catamites come for the Man and the Boy walking down Cormac McCarthy’s Road.
This is all fascinating and even alarming stuff, and author Stuart Clark is an engaging writer. But too much of the book fails to live up to its subtitle regarding “The Unexpected Tragedy of Richard Carrington.” In this book, he exists mostly as a shadow—a stopgap figure between other intellectuals—rather than as the main cynosure of the author’s keen eye.
In a way, it’s understandable. Not a single existing extant photo of the man exists, and because he was shunted aside (if not quite shunned) getting good info about him may prove tricky. Like a lot of geniuses, he lacked political acumen and a finely-tuned social radar. He pissed people off and probably came off as arrogant even when not intending to, just by dint of his revolutionary work’s inherent iconoclasm. No matter how nicely you tell a well-established man or woman they’re wrong (especially a man) they’re apt not to take it well. Especially if you point out their fly is unzipped when other people are watching.
In a way, Richard Carrington is a sort of a proto Hugh Everett the Third. But rather than stepping on the toes of Niels Bohr, he had the misfortune to miff Lord Kelvin & co.
And while the book deals at some length with Carrington’s beleaguered professional life, it gives short shrift to the compelling albeit bathetic details of his personal life. He fell in love with a woman who claimed she was caring for a sick brother, who revealed, only after eloping with Carrington, that the brother was in fact her lover. When she refused to continue sharing conjugal rights with two men, her lover showed up on her doorstep (while Carrington was away) and murdered her, before turning the knife to his own breast.
Far be it from me to want all the lurid details—or to see science sacrificed in service of a crass true crime yarn—but dammit there’s only a handful of pages on the subject! What did Carrington think about during this time? Did he not provide any correspondence during these darkest hours of despond? Not even a few journal entries jotted down with a feather quill in ink?
Perhaps, in time, more about the man will come to light. Regardless, as we learn more about cosmic rays—especially their potential part in the global warming catastrophe—it may very well be that Carrington’s diligence in the face of mockery and indifference saves the world. That no doubt sounds like hyperbole at first blush, but once you get a true glimpse at what the sun’s up to, it might seem a rank understatement.
A nice try by a talented writer. With photos and sketches, some done by Carrington, who had more than a modicum of talent as a draughtsman.

[Lisa Pollison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book about a Victorian Astronomer, Richard carrington, who is largely forgotten unless you work in Astronomy or worry about Solar Mass Emssions ending the world through a huge blackout! Carrington was 1 of 2 people who mapped the sunpots that later resulted in the great solar storm of 1859. "Stuart Clark tells for the first time the full story behind Carrington's observations of a mysterious explosion on the surface of the Sun and how his brilliant insight--that the Sun's magnetism directly influences the Earth--helped to usher in the modern era of astronomy." quotes from Amazon. It's more interesting than it sounds. Backbiting and pettiness was rampant in the sciences even in Carrington's time .

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! Not exactly a simple read, but increased my respect for astronomers of history and today. Also neat to see how study of one area of science can lead to findings and conclusions in other areas. New studies will help determine whether global warming is driven by today's solar magnetic activity or more by today's pollution.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn about the sun's impact on our Earth along with the early astronomers. The story begins with the Carrington event, a massive coronal mass ejection that hit Earth head on. It caused blood red auroras even in the tropics and distrupted telegraph lines. Imagine this happening today ... I highly recommend this book.

[David Hambling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting core material but meanders far too much around it. Would’ve been interesting to have more about house on sports actually work, and what a Carrington event would actually mean.

And final section, speculation on how sun spots might affect earths climate, has been proven to be completely inaccurate

[Christopher Mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply researched. And enjoyable.

What better way to learn about how dynamic our sun and solar system are, than through the colorful history of those who unpacked the mysteries of both? Stuart Clark has done a magnificent job of making this history and the science it elucidated accessible and fun to read about.

[Amerynth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the overall story of the man who discovered the sunspots and their influence on the Earth was interesting, I found the writing to be a little dry. Good for someone who has an interest in astronomy... but not for a general reader.

[Doug Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all too rare that a science-based book is hard to put down. This one is not only well-researched, Stuart Clark knows how to turn research into writing. Good read.

[J Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the sun and how the earth reacts to the sun.

[Matteo Trevisani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno dei più bei saggi sulla storia della scienza che abbia mai letto.

[Martin Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was entertaining, informative, and inspirational. Who would have thought that reading about astronomers and other scientists would be so much fun?

[Rangarathnam Gopu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvelous recounting of the discoveries of nineteenth century astronomy in Europe.

Most of us know about the discoveries in astronomy of 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Herschel, Halley etc....but astronomy continued in the 19th century with several new facts discovered because people began to understand electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism, solar flares, disruption of telegraphy, etc only in the 19th century. Also by the nineteenth century, travel had become more extensive and less risky, and more parts of the sky were were mapped than ever before.

[Ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

A consistently entertaining deep-dive into the 19th century explorations on solar activity and its effect on Earth. It has a great balance between the human and the technical; something I always appreciate from books like these. It is likely impossible to walk away from this without feeling inspired by the work ethic and passion of this lot.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enchanting story of how the astronomy tackled the impact of the Sun on Earth. Extremely well-written and engaging.

[Emily]

DNF: everyone who said this book was engaging lied

[Angie Reisetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm an astronomy buff, but not necessarily a history-of-astronomy buff, and I admit that I wasn't sure that the beginning of solar astronomy really warranted a whole book -- weren't there more exciting topics in astronomy to spend my time on? But I loved this book. There were so many pieces to this story that I had been unaware of. First of all, I appreciate the incongruity of the fact that solar science was led by observatories in England -- not the natural location for such things, it seems. But more importantly, this is the story of the connection between our lives here on earth and an astronomical body far far away. Yes, we knew the sun gave us light and therefore life. But connecting specific events in the solar atmosphere to, say, crop prices here on Earth... that was truly revolutionary. All of a sudden outer space seemed not so far away -- the book brings the magic of that realization home. Something I take for granted was once unthinkable, and this book recreates the discovery for me.

This is in an intriguing story and it's truly well-written. I read it through in a couple sittings as though it were a novel. It's so closely modeled on Dava Sobel's writing that I sometimes forgot which book I was reading and heard her voice in my head (not that I know her voice -- I've just read her stuff), but that's not such a bad thing since she's a great science writer.

[Mary Mcqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history of science books. The more recent the book the less extraneous info is wasted. Clark recounts clearly the technical limits of the times, letting the reader feel the pain of the limits of discovery, and personal details which interfered with progress. The study of sunspots, the discovery of patterns in their occurrence, and the difficulty proving any correlation between sun cycles and other meteorological and economic phenomena start this book. The reader exults with the discoveries and mourns the slowness of dispersal of information in the past.
The final chapters, leaping into the satellite age, blew my mind describing recent discoveries. Not having kept up with other science reading, many of these took me by surprise. I hesitate to leave any spoilers here, but they were wonderful.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, very interesting, and very readable. While the book is primarily historical in nature, I liked that he brought it up to date on the latest science, and explained what the current thinking is at the end. It was interesting too to read it after recently reading The Age of Wonder, which covers a similar period and talks about a lot of the same people. This is a much more focused book than The Age of Wonder since it concerns itself only with astronomy, and primarily with solar astronomy, but it is also very good.

[Jef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern astronomy (in England) started with the observation of a solar flare in the great solar storm of September 1 1859. It was five times the strength of the Halloween storm of 2003. I note with some trepidation that the last few years have been cooler but the warming trend is continuing. If this cooling trend is related to the solar minimum then the next few years are going to be sweltering if the solar maximum pans out.

[Peter Lanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid read. Clark uses the life of Richard Carrington to frame a wider exploration of solar astronomy in the 19th century. Someone who has taken a college astronomy intro course will not find much new scientific information about solar physics. However, the historical discussions of solar observations by Carrington and others as well as the politics of British astronomy were quite interesting.

[Holiday · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sun is even more powerful than I thought, controlling things about our earth that we haven't even dreamt of yet. This is a fascinating look at the science and the scientists who have focused on the sun.

[Ruth Seeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: Dr. Stuart Clark is a client. You know, another one of those clients of mine who can write. :)

[Kathryn Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting...I learned lots about the sun I did not know..

[John pierard · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely book.

[Shahidah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Makes me wanna drop everything in my life and study astrophysics <3