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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book, 3 Nov 1998
By A Customer
This is a wonderful book! Berman has an amazing ability to condense the science down to a memorable analogy or description and really make you feel a sense of wonder about the sky! I was getting burned out on amateur astronomy until I read this book several years ago - "Secrets of the Night Sky" reminded me about the sense of awe I used to feel just going out and looking at the sky.In addition, this book can be a big help for someone trying to introduce astronomy to others (i.e. at a public star party.) Rather than dry facts and figures, why not explain the origin of Betelgeuse's name, or how it is the largest physical object you can see?? Or describe to people what the favorite color of the universe is?? A wonderful book! If you love astronomy or just need a cloudy-night book, "Secrets of the Night Sky" won't disappoint you!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bob Berman conveys his love of the heavens with a punch!, 7 Aug 1999
By A Customer
I have a contender for my favorite book on astronomy, Secrets of the Night Sky, by Bob Berman, who is a Discover Magazine contributor and director of the Overlook Observatory in Woodstock, New York. The book is an excellent introduction to astronomy, but will entertain those who have been in it for years. He has a casual style which at first was a bit irritating, but I realized that anyone who writes about the universe has a right to such a style. The book is comprised of a series of 26 essays on topics from black holes to the Pleiades. The first essay defines several terms used in astronomy and gives a scale of distances in the universe. Four appendices give tips on purchasing and using a telescope, selecting binoculars, and a list of the twenty most impressive telescope targets (many of which I have never seen...thanks Bob!). There are eight pages of beautiful astrophotos and space artist works. My review might overly quote the text of the book, but these excerpts are worth reading.I've seen Betelgeuse many times but never thought of it this way, as Berman says: "Simply put, Betelgeuse is the largest single thing most of us will ever see. Yes a galaxy is larger, but that is a collection of stars. Moreover, not a single galaxy is bright enough to appear in the light-polluted skies over much of the world."On the Orion Nebula: "A strange languor greets anyone whose telescope is pointed its way; the nebula seems frozen and inert. This apparent lethargy stems from our own bias, for its life unfolds on a scale that makes earthly activities seem like the nervous flitting of gnats. Laying dazzling blue eggs like an immense celestial robin, the nebula alters its shape over the span of aeons, as if to hide its intentions from the transient eyes of human generations."I liked this line: "Our own galaxy is a member of an assembly that we call, with an epic lack of imagination, the Local Group."On Jupiter: "It's worth buying a telescope for this giant world alone. Try it out. If you're not satisfied with the view, return the instrument. Galileo had to deny what he saw for fear of death. The refund policy at your store is probably less intimidating."Berman writes from the standpoint that I really enjoy: that observations can be made which support profound concepts in astronomy. He is first and formost an observer, with naked eye, binocular or telescope. What can I say except perhaps the ultimate compliment: Bob Berman is saying in his book what I would say if I had the time and the talent.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book on the fundementals of astronomy., 14 Oct 1998
By A Customer
This book was great for me, who wanted a book to explain many different occurences in space and other basic knowledge of the universe. This is necessary for those of you who are just starting the amazing hobby of astronomy.The author also puts in some humor to make this book interesting and worth while.
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by Charles Lamb
