For the first time NASA has allowed 900 of its 'master' negatives and transparencies to be taken offsite for electronic scanning so as to produce the sharpest images of space that we have ever seen. From this selection of 'master' photographs Michael Light has distilled a single composite journey beginning with the launch, followed by a walk in space, and orbit of the Moon, a lunar landing and exploration and a return to Earth with an orbit and splash-down. Five enormous gatefold panoramas show the extraordinary lunar landscape.These photographs reveal not only the hardware of lunar exploration in exquisite details but also the profound aesthetics of space in what could be described as the ultimate landscape photography. The reader is encouraged to view these pictures as more than a spectacle. You start to experience them with a sense of the accompanying disorientation and excitement that the astronauts themselves would have felt. The Moon's surface and its extraordinary light are presented with awesome clarity.Full Moon was originally published in 1999 to mark the 30th anniversary of the first landing on the Moon. It was a milestone publication for the millennium, greeted with acclaim worldwide and published in eight countries. This new compact edition preserves all the superb quality of reproduction which was so evident in the original and makes this extraordinary work available to a still wider readership.

    His first was that nothing can travel faster than light-the ultimate speed limit. This simple fact leads to the unavoidable conclusion that space and time must be linked together forever as Spacetime. With his second monumental insight, Einstein showed how Spacetime is warped and stretched by the gravity of all objects in the Universe and even punctured by black holes. But such possible twisting of Spacetime allowed a magic not even Einstein could have imagined: time-travel.Theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili finally lays science fiction to rest as he opens up Einstein's Universe. Leading us gently and light-heartedly through the dizzying world of our space and time, he even gives us the recipe for a time machine, capable of taking us Back to the Future, to Alice's Wonderland, or on a trip with the Terminator.

    The instantly recognizable Sagan, a fixture on television and a bestselling author, offered the layperson entry into the mysteries of the cosmos and of science in general. To much of the scientific community, however, he was a pariah, a brazen publicity seeker who cared more about his image and his fortune than the advancement of science. Poundstone reveals the seldom-discussed aspects of Sagan's life, the legitimate and important work of his early scientific career, the almost obsessive capacity to take on endless projects, and the multiple marriages and fractured personal life, in what The New Yorker called an "evenhanded guide" to a great man's career.

    In The Five Ages of the Universe, Adams and Laughlin demonstrate that we can now understand the complete life story of the cosmos from beginning to end. Adams and Laughlin have been hailed as the creators of the definitive long-term projection of the evolution of the universe. Their achievement is awesome in its scale and profound in its scientific breadth. But The Five Ages of the Universe is more than a handbook of the physical processes that guided our past and will shape our future; it is a truly epic story. Without leaving earth, here is a fantastic voyage to the physics of eternity. It is the only biography of the universe you will ever need.

    Every flower you pick contains atoms blasted into space by stellar explosions that blazed brighter than a billion suns. Thus begins The Magic Furnace, an eloquent, extraordinary account of how scientists unraveled the mystery of atoms, and helped to explain the dawn of life itself. The historic search for atoms and their stellar origins is truly one of the greatest detective stories of science. In effect, it offers two epics intertwined: the birth of atoms in the Big Bang and the evolution of stars and how they work. Neither could be told without the other, for the stars contain the key to unlocking the secret of atoms, and the atoms the solution to the secret of the stars. Marcus Chown leads readers through the major theories and experiments that propelled the search for atomic understanding, with engaging characterizations of the major atomic thinkers-from Democritus in ancient Greece to Binning and Rohrer in twentieth-century New York. He clarifies the science, explaining with enthusiasm the sequence of breakthroughs that proved the existence of atoms as the alphabet of nature and the discovery of subatomic particles and atomic energy potential. From there, he engagingly chronicles the leaps of insight that eventually revealed the elements, the universe, our world, and ourselves to be a product of two ultimate furnaces: the explosion of the Big Bang and the interior of stars such as supernovae and red giants. Chown successfully makes these massive concepts accessible for students, professionals, and science enthusiasts. His story sheds light on all of us, for in essence, we are all stardust.

    From the current-day prospect of lunar bases and Mars settlements to the outer reaches of other galaxies, Zubrin delivers the most important and forward-looking work on space and the true possibilities of human exploration since Carl Sagan's Cosmos.Sagan himself said of Zubrin's humans-to-Mars plan, "Bob Zubrin really, nearly alone, changed our thinking on this issue." With Entering Space, he takes us further, into the prospect of human expansion to the outer planets of our own solar system--and beyond.

    Using straightforward language, One Universe explores the physical principles that govern the workings of our own world so that we can appreciate how they operate in the cosmos around us. Bands of color in a sunlit crystal and the spectrum of starlight in giant telescopes, the arc of a hard-hit baseball and the orbit of the moon, traffic patterns on a freeway and the spiral arms in a galaxy full of stars--they're all tied together in grand and simple ways.We can understand the vast cosmos in which we live by exploring three basic concepts: motion, matter, and energy. With these as a starting point, One Universe shows how the physical principles that operate in our kitchens and backyards are actually down-to-Earth versions of cosmic processes. The book then takes us to the limits of our knowledge, asking the ultimate questions about the origins and existence of life as we know it and where the universe came from--and where it is going.Glorious photographs--many seen for the first time in these pages--and original illustrations expand and enrich our understanding. Evocative and clearly written, One Universe explains complex ideas in ways that every reader can grasp and enjoy. This book captures the grandeur of the heavens while making us feel at home in the cosmos. Above all, it helps us realize that galaxies, stars, planets, and we ourselves all belong to One Universe.

    This unique insight into the three Apollo missions (15, 16 and 17) answers all these questions and much more. Using the actual transcripts of what the astronauts said to each other whilst carrying out their duties, and numerous photographs taken at each step of the exploration, this book provides a graphic illustration of what can arguably be described as Mankinds greatest feat of exploration.

    We have visited every planet except Pluto, discovered dozens of new moons in orbit around other planets, and put to rest myths and fantasies that have been accepted for centuries. This magnificent book chronicles our planetary travels, explains the creation and evolution of each planet, and tells how our understanding of the solar system has developed from the first stargazers in ancient times to Galileo to the present.In an engaging narrative that draws on interviews with U.S. and Soviet scientists and astronauts, state-of-the-art computer graphics, and space race archives, David McNab and James Younger reveal the wonders of the planets. With the help of striking pictures from the Apollo, Voyager, Pioneer, and Viking space missions, the authors describe planetary marvels: volcanoes three times the size of Mount Everest, worlds with seas of methane, rivers of lava longer than the Nile, clouds of sulfuric acid, and frosts of pure shining metal. They also investigate the possibilities of life elsewhere in the solar system, present a new perspective on the Sun and on Earth’s atmosphere, and speculate about the evolution of the solar system over the next five billion years—to what may be its death.The book, which is a companion volume to a highly regarded, eight-part Arts and Entertainment television series, invites us on an amazing adventure, one that will stretch the imagination to its limit.

    And then there are the bodies we can't even see. Learning about the universe helps us understand our own planet. Children will find out about stars, planets, comets, meteors, and more. The authors provide answers that help children understand the scale, movements, and complicated relationships of objects in our universe and beyond.

    Science of the Past reveals the large debt owed by modern scientists to the healers, mathematicians, stargazers, explorers, and thinkers of the ancient world.

    Chronicling lunar exploration from the first attempts by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to explore our own moon to the triumphant conquest of the outer planets, Moon Hunters is an adventure story full of drama, danger, and suspense. While taking the reader on a spellbinding journey to the eerie landscapes of the moons themselves, Moon Hunters offers a riveting account of the scientists and spacecraft responsible for unlocking the secrets of the cosmos -- and perhaps of life itself.

    Perceptive text from award-winning science writer James Trefil. A foreword by David H. Levy, discoverer of 21 comets. Put them all together and you get "Other Worlds: Images of the Cosmos from Earth and Space."Bonnie Gordon, editor of "Astronomy" magazine, calls this "a gorgeously produced book about our solar system, the larger universe, and our place in both....Few writers give you as much insight as Trefil. Few will make you feel you understand the story of planetary evolution or how scientists discovered the distances to neighboring stars."Paul H. Knappenberger, president of Chicago's Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, agrees, calling Trefil "a superb guide" with "a splendid overview of astronomy." Join in this armchair journey through the universe, which sparkles with the best images available from all sources, including ground-based observatories, landers, flybys, and other missions, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope."Other Worlds," says Knappenberger, "is a masterful balance of beautiful, full-color photographs and clearly written, insightful information about the cosmos....Jim Trefil takes the reader on a mind-expanding adventure that begins with our own star, the sun, then moves outward through the planets and moons of our solar system. He leads us past the stars and gas clouds of our Milky Way galaxy and beyond to the myriad other distant galaxies that populate the expanding universe. Along the way we encounter such exotic objects as black holes and quasars, and witness galactic cannibalism."Trefil explains in a clear and easily readable manner our evolving understanding of the complex nature of the cosmos, and how scientists have gone about exploring the universe....Everyone who is curious about space and our place within the grand scheme of things will want to have this book."Highly acclaimed science writer James Trefil is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University and is on the Science Advisory Board for National Public Radio. He has written numerous books on science for the general public, including "The Moment of Creation, The Dark Side of the Universe, From Atoms to Quarks," and "Are We Alone?" Winner of the AAAS-Westinghouse Award for science writing, Trefil also contributes to "Smithsonian, Science," and "USA Today."

    "David Malin is the Ansel Adams of the sky."--"Sky & Telescope." 100 photos, 50 in color.

    A field guide to the night sky, explaining through text and maps how to locate and identify stars, planets, meteors, comets, and constellations.

    No other book approaches its range of photographs, produced with uncompromising quality on a majestic scale. With more than one hundred full-color portraits, "Magnificent Universe" allows you to experience for yourself the beauty of the planets, moons, comets, constellations, stellar nurseries, red giants, WP, spiral galaxies, and quasars -- all the way to the edge of space and time.Harvard-trained astronomer Ken Croswell stunned readers around the world with his previous book, "Planet Quest, " which Sir John Maddox called "a thrilling account of the discovery of planets in the solar system and elsewhere that stands out for its human interest and its accuracy." Now, after years of meticulous research, Dr. Croswell has brought together outstanding photographs from leading observatories around the world as well as from an armada of interplanetary spacecraft. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope have been digitally reprocessed to create a degree of definition never seen before. With these superb photographs, he guides us through lucidly organized chapters on the planets, the stars, the galaxies, and the universe. Unique color-coded tables on the planets, moons, brightest stars, nearest stars, and Local Group galaxies appear in a useful reference section, along with a glossary and suggestions for further reading."Magnificent Universe" catapults you through the vistas of space that future generations will explore. It is a landmark in the scientific visualization of the cosmos -- one that will surely inspire artists, philosophers, and adventures of the next century.

    As we leave the secure confines of the Earth and journey into space, we find a plethora of strange and unexpected phenomena. Little can we anticipate from the quiet, star-studded sky the violent events in the cosmos. Stars explode. Powerful radio sources eject matter in jets. The ever-changing Universe grows more beautiful and more complex the deeper into it we go. Professor Narlikar skillfully steers us through a cosmic journey of discovery, starting from the Earth and Solar System and stepping out to the farthest reaches of the Universe. Using simple analogies, humorous anecdotes, and a wealth of illustrations, he conveys the thrill of observing strange and surprising features of the Universe. The seven wonders represent a range of mysterious phenomena, a class of spectacular events, or remarkable cosmic objects that have challenged human curiosity and defied explanation. They concern the giants and dwarfs of the stellar world, the catastrophic explosion of massive stars, pulsars--the ultimate timekeepers of the cosmos, the strange effects of gravity, illusions of space, and the majestic expansion of the Universe as a whole. With lucid prose, the author weaves together a host of exciting recent discoveries in astronomy and shows us how these motivate astronomers to unravel the wonders of tomorrow.

    But how did these places get their names? Who named Copernicus crater? Where did all those names on lunar maps come from, and what stimulated their selection? Ewen Whitaker traces the origins and evolution of the present-day systems for naming lunar features such as craters, mountains, valleys and dark spots. The connections between the prehistoric and historic names, and today's gazetteer are clearly described. Beautiful lunar maps spanning four centuries of progress wonderfully illustrate the unfolding of our ability to map the Moon. Rare, early photographs add to the sense of history. Comprehensive appendices and the bibliography make this delightful book a work of lasting reference and scholarship.

    The text begins by describing methods to measure distances on Earth, then gradually climbs the "distance ladder" to enable us to estimate the distance to the farthest objects, ending with a discussion of particle horizons within an expanding and inflationary universe. Aimed at first-year astronomy and astrophysics undergraduates, the book emphasises general physical principles rather than mathematical detail, and is enhanced and complemented by many worked examples, questions and problem-solving exercises at the end of each chapter.

    It has been revolutionized in the past few years by the advent of large, sensitive, infrared arrays, and the success of several infrared satellites. This handbook provides a clear, concise and accessible reference on all aspects of infrared astronomy. Throughout, the emphasis is on fundamental concepts, practical considerations and useful data. Starting with a review of the basic infrared emission mechanisms, we are shown how the earth's atmosphere affects and limits observations from ground-based telescopes. The important systematics of photometric accuracy are treated in detail. Spectroscopy--both stellar and otherwise--is explained, and illustrated with useful examples. An important chapter is devoted to dust, which plays such a central role. Finally, the technical background to infrared instrumentation is covered to help the reader develop a proper understanding of the capabilities and limitations of infrared observations. This volume provides both an essential introduction for graduate students making infrared observations or reducing infrared data for the first time, and a convenient reference for more experienced researchers.

    The author has contributed essential ideas to the full understanding of planetary rings via the stability analysis of dynamical systems. The combination of a high-quality description, the set of interesting illustrations, as well as the fascinating and natural presentation will make this book of considerable interest to astronomers, physicists, and mathematicians as well as students. There is no competing text for this book so far.

    Fascinating, engaging, and visually vibrant, this text will help you answer two fundamental questions: What are we? And how do we know?

    This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date account of the origins of the astral sciences in the Ancient Near East. Every type of Sumerian or Akkadian text dealing with descriptive or mathematical astronomy, including many individual tablets are thoroughly dealt with. All aspects, such as the history of discovery, reconstruction, and interpretation come to the fore, accompanied by a full bibliography. At that the reader will find descriptions of astronomical contents, an explanation of their scientific meaning and the place a given genre or tablet has in the development of astronomy both within the Mesopotamian culture and outside of it. Because celestial omens are intimately related to astronomy in Mesopotamian science, these are also discussed extensively. The material is arranged both chronologically and thematically, so as to help make "Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia" a reference work on the subject in its truest sense.