Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. The Sun; 2. The once and future Sun; 3. What we see: the solar disk; 4. What we don't see; 5. Eclipses; 6. Space missions; 7. Between fire and ice; 8. Space weather; Bibliography; Glossary; Index.
An authoritative and readable introduction to the Sun, our nearest star, from two experienced astronomers, for general science readers.
Leon Golub is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and has been studying the Sun and solar-type stars since the Skylab missions in 1973–4 and the Einstein Observatory in 1978. He is the head of the Solar-Stellar X-ray Group at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and has been involved in building and flying cutting-edge space instrumentation for the past thirty years. He is Chair of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society and has written many popular articles on subjects ranging from astronomy and philosophy to music criticism. Jay Pasachoff is a Professor of Astronomy at Williams College. He is a veteran of 56 solar eclipse expeditions, which have taken him all over the world to study the sun over the sunspot cycle. He received the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society. His undergraduate textbooks in astronomy have been widely used. He is already involved in planning for education and public outreach for the 2017 total solar eclipse for which totality will stretch from Oregon to South Carolina and for which the whole of the continental United States and Canada will see at least a partial eclipse.
Review of the first edition: 'In Nearest Star, two of the world's
leading solar scientists give us a fascinating and informative
account of our sun as a star … Golub and Pasachoff do not simply
present an account of scientific fact. Rather, they show us how the
process of science works … Throughout, the authors emphasize why
and how we study the sun at many different wavelengths and what has
been discovered by looking at the sun in each of these wavelength
regimes. Nearest Star is a delight to read. Golub and Pasachoff
transmit not only their obvious expertise but also a genuine
affection for the subject. Nearest Star will surely leave you with
a renewed appreciation for the beauty, complexity, and importance
of our nearest star, the Sun.' Jennifer Birriel, Astronomy
Review of the first edition: 'The subtitle of Nearest Star is The
Surprising Science of our Sun. And it is surprising: our knowledge
of this normal dwarf star that happens to be all-important to life
on Earth is very far from complete. Many puzzles remain, even if we
know far more than we did a few years ago, before data from
spacecraft became available. In any case, Leon Golub and Jay
Pasachoff are splendid guides to the subject, as both are highly
distinguished astronomers who have paid special attention to the
Sun. Nearest Star is a comprehensive survey, dealing with all
aspects of solar research. It is well written and well illustrated,
and there is a good glossary and a useful bibliography … If you are
looking for a reliable, up-to-date and very readable account of
modern solar science, with special emphasis on Earth–Sun
relationships, then this is one for you.' Sir Patrick Moore, New
Scientist
Review of the first edition: 'The book gives readable accounts of
the Sun's evolution from its earliest state to its final fate and
the spectrum of its visible light, again set in the context of past
discoveries … I was impressed by the descriptive nature of the
text, which has no mathematics or complex physics. This is a book
for amateur astronomers and scientists who want to know what are
the latest findings about the Sun and about some of the
developments that led to them.' Ken Phillips, The Times Higher
Education Supplement
Review of the first edition: 'A story with many facets and multiple
links to fundamental physics that might surprise as well as engage
the reader. The book is beautifully written and conveys the love
that the authors have for the subject. Together, [the authors] are
uniquely qualified to write a book on the Sun, and they have
produced a truly fascinating tour, complete with an outstanding set
of images. Nearest Star takes us on a multidimensional journey - in
space, from the center of the Sun to the atmosphere of the Earth,
and in time, from the Big Bang to our current arguments about
global warming … In sum, Nearest Star provides an excellent
overview of our current understanding of the Sun and its effects on
Earth.' Ramon E. Lopez, Physics Today
'… enjoyable reading throughout.' BBC Sky at Night Magazine
'… a carefully composed, very readable account … I would recommend
this book to specialist and non-specialist alike as a fine,
'non-preachy', and concise account of the current state of
knowledge of the workings of our local star, the Sun, and also of
the instruments by which that information has been obtained.' The
Observatory
'The book is very readable … [it was] quite difficult to put down
once I started it, the pages seeming to turn with alarming
frequency … a great read!' Lyn Smith, Journal of the British
Astronomical Association
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