Star-Craving Mad
Tales from a Travelling Astronomer
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Fred Watson knows all about the madness that drives people to understand the Universe and unlock its secrets.
Now you can join Australia's best-known astronomer on a unique tour to unravel the mysteries of space and time. Take in primitive observatories in ancient Peru and the world's largest atom-smasher in modern-day Switzerland. See Pluto demoted from planetary status. Go behind headlines to find the truth about the Transit of Venus and the Higgs Boson. Meet some of science's most colourful characters.
In this light-hearted, informative and engaging book, Fred travels to some of those far-flung destinations as he weaves the epic story of humankind's growing understanding of the Universe. It's a grand adventure and the Professor is a witty, funny and knowledgeable companion. Come along on a journey that is sure to take you out of this world...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Watson, Australia's most popular astronomer, offers a lighthearted excursion into the history of mankind's understanding of the universe. The subtitle refers to the astronomy tours he leads, which also inform the book's structure, and the book is a combination of travelogue incorporating time spent aboard an astronomy cruise and popular science, as it explores several continents, eras, and scientists of historic note. Colloquial riffs on cell phone coverage, bad acronyms in science organizations, and commercial space flight's "well-heeled joy-riders hooning into space," keep the tone light. While the conversational, anecdotal voice conveys Watson's personality, the scientific material suffers, as it is only broadly summarized; the result is somewhat shallow. Limited to introductions to the most famous breakthroughs in astronomy and physics, Watson offers little to readers already familiar with the development of telescopes, Newtonian physics, relativity, Copernicanism, or quantum mechanics.
