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ziegenkind's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
acollierastro's review against another edition
1.0
I'm confused about who this was written for. Everyone one knows why we have seasons right?
lizzderr's review against another edition
4.0
I am by no means an expert on astronomy, but I've been a stargazer all my life, and I took an astronomy class in college, so I like to think I know a little bit about the subject. As a result, this book went over a number of things I already knew. On the other hand, though, it also covered a lot of things I didn't know, like the reality of the Coriolis effect. I particularly enjoyed the chapter rebutting the usual arguments used when claiming that the moon landing was an elaborate hoax. Also, I appreciated Plait's casual tone and accessible language. Good stuff, overall.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
4.0
A fun look at astronomy and pseudo-astronomy. It's sort of like Bill Nye the Science Guy (that is, the show by that name) in that it's light-hearted and often stuff you might already know, but sometimes there's truly novel facts presented in a clear and concise way. (I won't say "intuitive," since outer space is not very compatible with our savannah-primate intuitions.) As my updates demonstrate, I learned at least one new fact each section.
sewcheryl's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Learned a lot from this on the history and current status of the science of astronomy. Enjoyed the debunking of so many crazy theories being espoused; especially pseudoscience of astrology and religious nonsense. Still have a childhood wish of a telescope unfulfilled. Maybe some day.
corymojojojo's review against another edition
4.0
I came to know and love Phil Plait through his Crash Course Astronomy series on YouTube early on in my reading of sci-fi and I am a big fan for that reason. This book was great for a very different reason than all the other science books I’ve been reading lately. Instead of being about really challenging subjects to grasp like Stephen Hawking, this is just about common misconceptions that frankly everyone should clear up for themselves. Many of them I had wrong so I’m grateful to have been corrected! Most of the topics are fairly simple things (like why the seasons happen, and why the sky is blue), some most people probably already know, but even then it’s cool to learn the detailed reasons why things are the way they are. This is a great read for anybody.
teal_axolotl's review against another edition
2.0
4/5 [accurate, factual]
4/5 [accessible, easy to understand]
2/5 [engaging, well-written] - poorly edited
2/5 [relevant, informative] - some parts weren't great, most info is very basic.
4/5 [accessible, easy to understand]
2/5 [engaging, well-written] - poorly edited
2/5 [relevant, informative] - some parts weren't great, most info is very basic.
balise's review against another edition
4.0
Very good pop science. I would have appreciated a liiiittle BIT more maths/physics. Typical example - at some point he talks about orbital energy, and I ended up looking that up for myself - so, in a sense, good that it gave me the taste for it enough; in another, slightly frustrating that it wasn't just a little bit more "here's the equation" content. Still - I learnt stuff, and I want to dig more in the topic - so that's definitely a good thing :)
radina's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! Phil Plait has a charming, corny writing style which I really liked. The information within is clearly and concisely presented. Most of it was familiar to me, but I definitely learned new things - the true size of the moon will never cease to boggle me! Being from 2002, the book is a bit dated, but the info is mostly still good, and it's fun to get a blast from the past on things like "the web". So overall a very enjoyable book!