Universe – Book Review

Guest Author - Barbara Melville

Universe (8th edition) is by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kauffman III, and was published by W.H. Freeman and Company in 2007. The ISBN’s are as follows: ISBN-10: 0716795647, and ISBN-13: 978-0716795643. A CD-ROM accompanies this book.

I own several excellent astronomy textbooks, and this is undoubtedly my favourite. It is a mandatory text for several college-level astronomy courses, though it may also benefit high school students. While I’m sure it is useful supplement to class learning, it stands alone as a good book for anyone wanting to learn about (or revise) astronomy.

It is split into four sections:

1. Introducing Astronomy, which includes: the language used in science, ancient astronomy, gravitation, the nature of light, and viewing equipment.
2. Planets and Moons, which includes: Solar System planets, satellites, the Kuiper belt and other solar system objects.
3. Stars and Stellar Evolution, which includes: the nature of stars; the births and deaths of stars; neutron stars and black holes.
4. Galaxies and Cosmology, which includes: the Milky Way, other galaxies, quasars, the early universe and the search for extraterrestrial life.

That is the short version of what the book contains, and doesn’t really do it justice. Eight appendices follow these sections, covering information on planets; the nearest and brightest stars; astronomical quantities; physical constants and useful math. There’s also an index, a glossary and star charts for the Northern Hemisphere. And let’s not forget the accompanying CD, which includes Starry Night Enthusiast, an excellent piece of planetarium software.

Astronomy can be a tricky subject, especially to those who struggle with (or have no interest) in math. Although this book contains math, it doesn’t overload the reader (you can skip it and still get the gist, or you can refer to appendix 8). The language is straightforward but still tightly written. If you were to open this book somewhere in the middle, I’d imagine you’d find a lot of information on just one page (and there are 800).

That does seem like an intimidating number, but it’s actually a small space for so much information to be tackled. The detail is excellent. For example, chapter 5 The Nature of Light doesn’t just define light years and then promptly move on. It goes into depth, covering areas such as the particle and wave aspects, and the link between atomic structure and light emitted by objects.

All of the chapters are thorough, and include:

• A list of learning goals
• “Caution” boxes where misconceptions are noted
• Images to complement the text
• Web links for more information
• A summary of the chapter’s key ideas
• Review and advanced questions (answers are at the back of the book)

It can be worked through from start to finish, used as a reference or a bit of both. It would also be a good refresher to someone who studied astronomy a while ago, as astronomy is a changing field. (With that in mind, remember that all astronomy books struggle to be current, so it’s good to double-check with recent sources.) It’s probably worth following the website that accompanies the book.

The only downside about this book is that it seems pricey (though cost will vary depending on the seller). However, it’s worth it, in my opinion. I could add the cost of several of my other textbooks together. Not only would the price be higher, but I’d have less information. If you’d still prefer to start with something a bit cheaper, Astronomy for Dummies is a good choice for beginners.