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Reading Materials | Selected
astronomy-related book titles
Roving
Mars : Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration
of the Red Planet
Steve Squyres
NASA's two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity,
which are currently driving around Mars, have
been astoundingly successful; but as Squyres
recounts, they came close to staying earthbound.
Buffeted by budgetary and technical problems,
the rover missions received the green light
only in 2001, giving the engineers and scientists
just two years to get ready for a 2003 launch.
The resulting freneticism of prelaunch preparation
permeates Squyres' blow-by-blow narration
of his work, which concentrated on several
instruments. A geologist designated as the
lead scientist for the missions, Squyres had
to negotiate with engineers to fit his stuff
on their spacecraft--a fundamental antagonism
in the space--exploration business. In fact,
Squyres bluntly states he distrusted the lead
engineer, Peter Theisinger. The working out
of their differences, amid other examples
of mollification between engineers and scientists,
depicts the daily human drama (from Squyres'
viewpoint) of diagnosing and solving technical
problems, an angle that ought to augment the
author's base readership of space-program
fans. Couched in conversational prose, Squyres'
enthusiasm for exploring Mars shines brightly.
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Life in the Universe
Jeffrey Bennett, Seth Shostak, Bruce Jakosky
This pioneering book offers an exciting
and rigorous introduction to a wide range of
sciences, including astronomy, biology, chemistry,
geology, and cosmology. Life in the Universe
captures the reader's imagination by exploring
fundamental pan-scientific questions, such as:
"How did life begin on Earth?", "What are the
most extreme forms of life currently known?",
"How likely is life in our solar system and
beyond?", and "What are the challenges of trying
to colonize another planet?" The book motivates
readers to develop an understanding of the nature
and process of science through skillfull writing
and a wealth of features. An award-winning author
and contributor team spanning the sciences ensures
that coverage is complete, authoritative, and
accessible. Interdisciplinary coverage and a
wealth of exciting topics engage non-science
students, introduce them to a range of sciences,
and motivate them to explore the nature of science
itself. Readers interested in astronomy and
life in the universe.
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Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial
Perspective
Carl Sagan
The late Carl Sagan was one of the most popular,
influential, and successful interpreters of astronomy
to the American public. In 1973 he published "The
Cosmic Connection". He offered a daring view of
the universe and his seminal work became a classic
of popular science, inspiring a generation of
scientists and non-specialist general readers
with an enthusiasm for all aspects of science
in general, and astronomy in particular. Now Cambridge
University Press has reissued a new edition of
Sagan's influential book, enhanced with Freeman
Dyson's commentary on Sagan's vision and on the
importance of "The Cosmic Connection"; Ann Dryan's
assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as
a champion of science; and David Morrison's discussion
of the advances made over the past 30 years and
what became of Sagan's predictions. Carl Sagan's
Cosmic Connection is "must" reading for all Sagan
fans and anyone interested in how his views and
predictions have held up over the past three decades
of rapid advances in the science of astronomy
and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
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Exploring
Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity
Edwin F. Taylor, John Archibald Wheeler
A concise, direct examination of general relativity
and black holes, Exploring Black Holes
provides tools that motivate readers to become
active participants in carrying out their own
investigations about curved spacetime near earth
and black holes. The authors use calculus and
algebra to make general relativity accessible,
and use quotes from well-known personalities,
including Einstein, to offer further insight.
Five chapters introduce basic theory. The book
also includes seven projects regarding the analysis
of major applications. Discussions provide the
background needed to carry out projects. The book's
projects guide readers as they fill in steps,
compute outcomes and carry out their own investigations.
For astronomers, mathematicians and people interested
in learning about the relativity of black holes.
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Photoshop
for Astrophotographers
Jerry Lodriguss
Photoshop for Astrophotographers is a guide
to basic digital correction and advanced enhancement
techniques for astrophotos in Adobe Photoshop
image-processing software. Digital processing
allows us to bring out all of the detail and color
contained in an original exposure and turn it
into a beautiful and breathtaking image.Whether
you are a beginning amateur astrophotographer,
or a seasoned veteran, you will learn new and
exciting techniques to produce visually stunning
images! Now, with image processing software, you
can turn your computer into a digital darkroom
where you can easily improve the brightness and
contrast, color balance, and sharpness of images,
as well as crop, resize, dodge and burn, remove
dust and scratches, adjust the color saturation,
and apply filtration. The book gives detailed,
step-by-step directions describing methods for
properly adjusting, correcting and enhancing images
with Photoshop. These techniques will produce
the best results, both technically and aesthetically,
for output to the web, monitor, printing press,
desktop printer, or film recorder. Photoshop for
Astrophotographers is not a traditional paper
book. It is a digital book on CD that you will
be able to view on your computer in any internet
web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Netscape, or Opera. It will offer unique features
such as "mouse-overs" that allow before and after
comparisons of images by simply holding the mouse
cursor over the image. A powerful built-in search
engine provides automatic links to the pages containing
the search terms. Practice files are included
for use in the step-by-step tutorials, as well
as comprehensive references and links to more
information.
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And more interesting selections:
Bad
Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed,
from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax"
| Philip C. Plait
Astronomy
Hacks : Tips and Tools for Observing the Night
Sky
Robert Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Ancient
Astronomy : An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies
and Myth
Clive Ruggles
The
Universal Book of Astronomy : From the Andromeda
Galaxy to the Zone of Avoidance
| David Darling
The
Restless Universe : Understanding X-Ray Astronomy
in the Age of Chandra and Newton
| Eric M. Schlegel
Archives
of the Universe : A Treasury of Astronomy's
Historic Works of Discovery
| Marcia Bartusiak
Digital
Astrophotography: The State of the Art (Patrick
Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)
| David Ratledge
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Trifid Nebula
M20 | NGC 6514
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