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The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers by Emily Levesque
seashelleyo's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting, informative, and full of funny anecdotes.
miguelf's review against another edition
4.0
Two recent books by astronomers discuss their field. Of the two, “The Last Stargazers” delivers a abundance of information on the latest in discoveries on the topic, how an astronomer approaches their job day in and day out, and some of the minutiae that someone in their position would experience, such as how to deal with the abundant tarantulas in the Chilean observatories. It’s consistently fun and insightful. “The Smallest Lights in the Universe” has some of this type of info, but unfortunately the bulk of the work is devoted to the author’s personal life experience which may as well have ejected the science altogether as it is often uneven and gets bogged down when it comes to the personal travails and tribulations.
kellycoburn37's review against another edition
4.0
I’m genuinely surprised by how much I liked this. As someone who knows nothing about astronomy (and honestly had not desire to), I feel like this book did a great job of humanizing it. I really liked listening to (I read this via audiobook) the stories that the author had to tell. I thought the writing style was very approachable for someone reading this from the outside of the astronomy community.
Would I have ever picked this book up without it being a book club pick?? Absolutely not. Do I regret reading it? Absolutely not.
Would I have ever picked this book up without it being a book club pick?? Absolutely not. Do I regret reading it? Absolutely not.
heatherbirchall's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful cover, but the wrong title I think. There are plenty of people still gazing up at the stars. What the author is really talking about isn't the science of star gazing (there's a little bit about her own research on red supergiants, and I liked the descriptions of radio v optical telescopes), but the day to day lives of astronomers - traveling to telescopes in the middle of nowhere (with no wi-fi to cause interference with the telescopes), working at night in the freezing cold, and the danger of dangling off optical telescopes. As telescopes have become more advanced - providing digital images within seconds - the conditions for astronomers has become much cozier, which the author laments slightly.
I did end up skimming bits of the second part of the book because I got bored, but I was glad she concluded with a look at the reactions of people when she says she's an astronomer. Telescopes cost vast sums of money and they're not liked by everyone - all the protests around a new telescope being built on Hawaii were fascinating - but it's undoubtedly a very cool profession.
I did end up skimming bits of the second part of the book because I got bored, but I was glad she concluded with a look at the reactions of people when she says she's an astronomer. Telescopes cost vast sums of money and they're not liked by everyone - all the protests around a new telescope being built on Hawaii were fascinating - but it's undoubtedly a very cool profession.
cheryl2021's review against another edition
Interesting stories from the author’s and other’s experiences showing how astronomers observe in the past and present. Some of it got a little technical but it’s overall accessible and entertaining.
readingweadinglire's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful exploration of the past, present, and future approach to astronomy. Full of anecdotes showing real people’s experience in the field. Funny, insightful, and informative! Learned a lot and laughed a lot!
Definitely recommend to anyone interested in the stars, or just science in general.
Definitely recommend to anyone interested in the stars, or just science in general.
colls's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
"Space is cool!" I enjoyed her stories about studying the stars and the anecdotal tidbits about astronomers’ telescope time. Levesque’s book demystifies the profession and shares insights into the life of an astronomer while showcasing some of the techniques and technology used over the years that have increased our knowledge of the cosmos. The human side of science shines through. And don’t forget pulsars! Pulsars are fascinating.
https://linesacrossmyface.com/2022/11/29/why-do-we-stargaze/
https://linesacrossmyface.com/2022/11/29/why-do-we-stargaze/
violetvale's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book. For the most part, it's a well-written book littered with humorous stories and factual information about how observing over the past few decades and how rules and regulations continue to change within observatories around the world. There's enough sciencey jargon to inform a well-informed layman, but maybe not enough to offer something interesting or new to a scientist--especially one proficient as a writer. I might not have been as keen to purchase this book if I knew the narrative was more based on the author's life. It's not that I have a personal qualm with Levesque, but I was more interested in being dropped straight into the stories about different stargazers and their specific field of interest/what equipment they use, and their nightly runs. For this reason, I feel the author missed the opportunity to flesh out various technical nuance that would have been really interesting. I wanted to know why certain astronomers studied and obsessed over certain stars and more about Levesque's own field of interest re: red gas giants. I appreciated the nod to women in the field, their struggles, and the lack of diversity in astronomy. The information on politics and competition within the field was also interesting, but I'm not sure if it needed to be included based on what Levesque has set out to accomplish in this book.
I enjoyed this book. For the most part, it's a well-written book littered with humorous stories and factual information about how observing over the past few decades and how rules and regulations continue to change within observatories around the world. There's enough sciencey jargon to inform a well-informed layman, but maybe not enough to offer something interesting or new to a scientist--especially one proficient as a writer. I might not have been as keen to purchase this book if I knew the narrative was more based on the author's life. It's not that I have a personal qualm with Levesque, but I was more interested in being dropped straight into the stories about different stargazers and their specific field of interest/what equipment they use, and their nightly runs. For this reason, I feel the author missed the opportunity to flesh out various technical nuance that would have been really interesting. I wanted to know why certain astronomers studied and obsessed over certain stars and more about Levesque's own field of interest re: red gas giants. I appreciated the nod to women in the field, their struggles, and the lack of diversity in astronomy. The information on politics and competition within the field was also interesting, but I'm not sure if it needed to be included based on what Levesque has set out to accomplish in this book.