Neil Comins’ Discovering the Universe confronts the challenges of the one-term astronomy course by heightening student curiosities about the cosmos, by using the context of astronomy to teach the process of science, and by highlighting common misconceptions and showing students how to think their way past them.
Discovering the Universe, Fifth Edition is one of the briefest texts available for an introductory astronomy course, while providing the wide range of factual topics that are the hallmark of the text and are consistent with most course needs. By flipping through the book, readers will find it as rich in celestial images and figures as other textbooks for the same audience. It is a balanced approach to content, depth, and breath, with effective teaching resources. It is also up-to-date, reflecting how our knowledge about the universe is expanding at a phenomenal rate.
Astronomy is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines. With the participation of undergraduate students, Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. 20 illustrations.
An astronomer and author explores ten examples of what Earth would be like if conditions in the universe were slightly altered, in a fascinating journey into scientific scenarios.
Combining a student-centred approach with the reliability of a familiar and proven text, Discovering The Universe invites students to follow their curiosity and ask questions about astronomy. Vivid writing and images, conceptual and mathematical support, and a focus on common mistakes and misunderstandings have made the book a longtime classroom bestseller.
If you have ever wondered about space travel, now you have the opportunity to understand it more fully than ever before. Traveling into space and even emigrating to nearby worlds may soon become part of the human experience. Scientists, engineers, and investors are working hard to make space tourism and colonization a reality. As astronauts can attest, extraterrestrial travel is incomparably thrilling. To make the most of the experience requires serious physical and mental adaptations in virtually every aspect of life, from eating to intimacy. Everyone who goes into space sees Earth and life on it from a profoundly different perspective than they had before liftoff. Astronomer and former NASA/ASEE scientist Neil F. Comins has written the go-to book for anyone interested in space exploration. He describes the wonders that travelers will encounter—weightlessness, unparalleled views of Earth and the cosmos, and the opportunity to walk on another world—as well as the dangers: radiation, projectiles, unbreathable atmospheres, and potential equipment failures. He also provides insights into specific trips to destinations including suborbital flights, space stations, the Moon, asteroids, comets, and Mars—the top candidate for colonization. Although many challenges are technical, Comins outlines them in clear language for all readers. He synthesizes key issues and cutting-edge research in astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and sociology to create a complete manual for the ultimate voyage.
What if?" questions stimulate people to think in new ways, to refresh old ideas, and to make new discoveries. In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under alternative astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring. This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars. Appealing to adult and young adult alike, this book is a fascinating journey through physics and astronomy, and follows on the author's previous bestseller, What if the Moon Didn't Exist?, with completely new scenarios backed by the latest astronomical research.
One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Astronomy, in particular, is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines. With the participation of thousands of undergraduate students, Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. Heavenly Errors provides access to all of them and explores many, including: Black holes suck in everything around them. The Sun shines by burning gas. Comets have tails trailing behind them. The Moon alone causes tides. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is the hottest planet. In the course of correcting these errors, he explains that some occur through the prevalence of pseudosciences such as astrology and UFO-logy and some enter the public conscience through the "bad astronomy" of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science-fiction movies.. Perhaps most important, Professor Comins presents the reader with the methods for identifying and replacing incorrect ideas—tools with which to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves... and to think more like scientists.
If you have ever wondered about space travel, now you have the opportunity to understand it more fully than ever before. Traveling into space and even emigrating to nearby worlds may soon become part of the human experience. Scientists, engineers, and investors are working hard to make space tourism and colonization a reality. As astronauts can attest, extraterrestrial travel is incomparably thrilling. To make the most of the experience requires serious physical and mental adaptations in virtually every aspect of life, from eating to intimacy. Everyone who goes into space sees Earth and life on it from a profoundly different perspective than they had before liftoff. Astronomer and former NASA/ASEE scientist Neil F. Comins has written the go-to book for anyone interested in space exploration. He describes the wonders that travelers will encounter—weightlessness, unparalleled views of Earth and the cosmos, and the opportunity to walk on another world—as well as the dangers: radiation, projectiles, unbreathable atmospheres, and potential equipment failures. He also provides insights into specific trips to destinations including suborbital flights, space stations, the Moon, asteroids, comets, and Mars—the top candidate for colonization. Although many challenges are technical, Comins outlines them in clear language for all readers. He synthesizes key issues and cutting-edge research in astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and sociology to create a complete manual for the ultimate voyage.
Discovering the Universe, Fifth Edition is one of the briefest texts available for an introductory astronomy course, while providing the wide range of factual topics that are the hallmark of the text and are consistent with most course needs. By flipping through the book, readers will find it as rich in celestial images and figures as other textbooks for the same audience. It is a balanced approach to content, depth, and breath, with effective teaching resources. It is also up-to-date, reflecting how our knowledge about the universe is expanding at a phenomenal rate.
Discovering the Universe is the bestselling brief text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme, "the process of scientific discovery," the Ninth Edition furthers the book’s legacy for presenting concepts clearly and accurately while providing all the pedagogical tools to make the learning process memorable.
Discovering the Universe: From the Stars to the Planets engages students with an inquiry-based exploration of the universe and the scientific process. Developed with a “big picture” approach, the text first explains how the stars, the galaxies, and the entire universe formed, and then discusses planets and other components of our solar system. Students follow this natural conceptual progression within a proven learning method designed to address misconceptions and build a deep understanding of science and the world around us.
Combining a student-centered approach with the reliability of a familiar and proven text, Discovering The Universe invites students to follow their curiosity and ask questions about astronomy, through features including What If? questions that explore alternative solar systems and universes and Meet the Discoverer interviews with working scientists throughout the text.
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