| The
Bluffer's Guide to the Cosmos |
| By
Daniel Hudon |
| |
| Extracts
from the book |
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| Size
doesn't matter |
| When
it comes to the size of the cosmos, just remember that it's not
size but how you bluff it that matters. True bluffers won't bother
about the size of the Solar System. It's too small. Things are always
colliding with each other. |
| |
| Size
does matter |
| While
Galileo got by with a lens the size of a mandarin orange, today's
astronomers scour the heavens using mirrors that range from the
size of an average swimming pool to a new class of telescopes destined
to exceed tennis court size - one of which is sited in Chile and
aptly named the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Cosmologists are happiest
when stating the obvious. Another one in prospect is of football-field
proportions, and known as the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL
for short). |
| |
| Measure
for measure |
| The
Hubble trouble that sabotaged the $1.5 billion space telescope project
was an error of 1.3 mm (0.05 inches), and it required a space mission
to fix it. More recently, instructions using imperial instead of
metric measurement sent a Mars probe into oblivion. |
| |
|
Condensed milk |
|
All the stars seen in the night sky are in Earth's home galaxy,
which got its name, Via Lactea, from the Romans who, lacking imagination,
simply borrowed the name from a Greek myth involving the breast
of a goddess spurting milk across the sky. |
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| Reviews |
|
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| The
latest in the wonderful 'Bluffer's Guide" series takes us on
a whirlwind tour of the Universe... even the most expert astronomer
will enjoy digging out these nuggets to convey at an astro convention,
or to enliven dinner party talk. Buy, and enjoy! |
|
BBC Sky at Night
|
| |
|
The
English language continually evolves. Just see Ambrose Bierce's
definition of dictionary. New concepts call for new words that
often evolve from a new dictum. Astronomy has made its fair share
of contributions to this cause. But, Daniel Hudon's book "The
Bluffer's Guide to the Cosmos" belies such augmentations.
Within, the language is as common and everyday as what you used
around the gas pump or barber shop. Yet, the science and information
is as exact and appropriate as needed to communicate an idea.
To
read the full review click on hte link below.
|
|
|
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| The
means to apparent instant erudition without having to know or study
anything. |
|
The
Daily Mail
|
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| An
astonishing amount of information anyone may profit from. |
|
The
Daily Telegraph
|
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| An
amazing amount of solid fact disguised as frivolous observation. |
|
The
Sunday Telegraph
|
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| Table
of Contents |
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|
Introduction
The big picture
Understanding the cosmos
The Big Bang
It's all relative
A millisecond history of the cosmos
Universal issues
Contents of the cosmos
The interstellar medium
Stars and Suns
Gamma ray bursts
Cosmic dungeons: black holes
Quasars
Gravitational lenses
Galaxies
- The Milky Way
Closer to home
Constellations
A few famous stars
The Solar System
The age of the Solar System
The reason for sun glasses
The planets
- Finding the planets
- Planet distances
Mercury: going to extremes
Venus: love is hell
Earth: life is good
The moon
Mars: anybody home?
Jupiter: by Jove
Saturn: a 24-carat ring
Uranus: yours to discover
Neptune: the new last planet
Dwarf planets
- Pluto
- Eris
Way out there
- Asteroids
- Meteors and meteorites
- Comets
Loose ends
Evidence for the Big Bang
Cosmic accounting
- Dark matter
- Mysterious dark energy
Is anybody there?
The fate of the universe
Glossary
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Fortune
Telling
