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14-09-2010, 02:38 PM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Ya Too Slow, Here's Some Books, Suzy!!!!
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14-09-2010, 03:26 PM
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Unpredictable
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,023
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A walkin', fast talkin', text book salesman !!
 
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14-09-2010, 03:37 PM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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14-09-2010, 04:02 PM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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14-09-2010, 04:23 PM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Those books should help you with the science. They're not too dear either, which means you should be able to buy all of them 
By the time you finished reading them all, you'll know more than I do
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14-09-2010, 07:57 PM
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Unpredictable
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,023
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Psst … $316 all up … and the last one is unavailable for purchase …
(Try Wiki .. its cheaper .. not as boring ..).
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14-09-2010, 08:56 PM
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Stargazer
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 842
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I have a lengthy list of books similar to this, including "Astrophysics is easy", in my cart on amazon waiting to be purchased May have to add more to the list...
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14-09-2010, 09:21 PM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigS
Psst … $316 all up … and the last one is unavailable for purchase …
(Try Wiki .. its cheaper .. not as boring ..).
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Yeah, but not as authoritative
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14-09-2010, 10:13 PM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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If anyone is confused over this thread, here's the story....
I have a another thread running in this section titled, "New Foxtel Series: How the Universe Works". Within that thread I made a comment to Carl and Craig that I wanted to learn more about stars and that I have been searching for books on stars, but have not been able to find any. To that I mentioned that I was going to start up a thread. Apparently Carl thought 30mts was too long to wait, so he beat me to it! 
Now, I know why, I had trouble trying to find books on stars - I was using the wrong terminology wasn't I?!  Astrophysics is what I should have been looking under. 
In the last couple of months I have become very keen to know more about star formation and death and have been wiki'ing and printing a great deal of info to the point where I thought it was time to get a "real book". Then when I watched the Foxtel programme, "How the Universe Works" and it explained how gold is formed when a star explodes, I got even more hungrier for information. Fascinating stuff this!
So, basically I'm after a book that explains the breakdown of particles, fusion, info on some of those huge giants etc.
Carl, thank you so much for those links, I've had a look at them and I'm going to buy the first one you listed, "Astrophysics is Easy" by Mike Inglis. Only $40.44 (delivered) from The Book Depository. I google previewed it and this exactly what I'm after. I like the fact that this belongs to Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series". This book seems fairly easy to understand, which is important as I'm learning.
Question about this book though: 
When I was Google previewed it, in section 5, he mentions Proxima Centauri to be the second nearest star. I thought it was the first?  And then I was blown away  when he said new information tells us that Proxima isn't part of the Centauri system as first thought - it is merely cruising past.  Woah, learned something within the first 5 mts of previewing.
Craig, yep, it is cheaper to Wikki, hubby thinks I'm crazy buying books when I can Wikki everything, but gosh, at the end of the day, you just can't beat the info a book can give you and it's easy just to pick up and read it no matter where you are. Besides, it wouldn't be Astronomy if we couldn't throw money at it right?! So, yet another astro purchase!  .
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14-09-2010, 10:20 PM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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Oh, I just see that Shelley has got the same book at Amazon waiting in her basket! 
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14-09-2010, 10:47 PM
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Stargazer
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 842
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzy
Oh, I just see that Shelley has got the same book at Amazon waiting in her basket! |
Plus another 7 or so books on all manner of astrophysics I'm gonna be so poor soon...but hopefully really smart!
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14-09-2010, 11:09 PM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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Welcome to the bottomless pit of Astronomy Shelley, where we have lots of astro toys but no money. Food is over-rated - Madonna lived on popcorn when she first moved to the big city, so who needs steak and veges after all. At least our brain cells will get nourished - especially yours with those seven (*gulp*) astro books! You'll be busy for a while!
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14-09-2010, 11:21 PM
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Stargazer
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 842
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzy
Welcome to the bottomless pit of Astronomy Shelley, where we have lots of astro toys but no money. Food is over-rated - Madonna lived on popcorn when she first moved to the big city, so who needs steak and veges after all. At least our brain cells will get nourished - especially yours with those seven (*gulp*) astro books! You'll be busy for a while! |
Hopefully I'll be so busy I won't notice my rumbling stomach I already have many books, all of which I want to be reading at the same time. I'll start with Lawrence Krauss and work my way up...
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15-09-2010, 12:43 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Beautiful SE Tassie
Posts: 4,734
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I think it an addiction ... buying astronomy books.
I have bought soooo many in the last 6 months, due to the ease, and range of great books, that get delivered to your door by the smiling postie.
I think I bought 7 last week from that betterbooks site, then didnt have enough money in my account when I got the groceries. That was my own fault after 1 weeks holidays as well.
I ecently bought that 'Turn Left at Orion' book, which I think is really good too.
I have bought a couple of star books of late ... but nothing too scientifically challenging that keeps Carl, Craig, Shelly and yourself ... excited.
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15-09-2010, 02:52 AM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzy
Question about this book though:
When I was Google previewed it, in section 5, he mentions Proxima Centauri to be the second nearest star. I thought it was the first? And then I was blown away when he said new information tells us that Proxima isn't part of the Centauri system as first thought - it is merely cruising past. Woah, learned something within the first 5 mts of previewing.
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Oh, errr,  doesn't matter answering that question, as the answer is obviously the Sun of course. Trick statement that one. Crikey, how embarrassing, oh well, that was my "doh" moment. Anyway, I shall go hide back in my hole now.  Think I deserve a bit of a poke for that one
Of course then again I could have just gone ahead and sneakily deleted that bit off my thread and not publicly humiliate myself... but what would the fun be in that
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15-09-2010, 06:36 AM
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Unpredictable
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,023
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzy
Oh, errr, doesn't matter answering that question, as the answer is obviously the Sun of course. Trick statement that one. Crikey, how embarrassing, oh well, that was my "doh" moment. Anyway, I shall go hide back in my hole now. Think I deserve a bit of a poke for that one
Of course then again I could have just gone ahead and sneakily deleted that bit off my thread and not publicly humiliate myself... but what would the fun be in that |
Hey, what's up with a little public humiliation ?? I seem to do it to myself all the time!! But there again .. I am only a Hamster … (Witten's Hamster, that is)!
Man, all you guys … err gals … are terrific !!
Also great book salespeople !
Looks like I'll have to get a copy of "Astrophysics is Easy" to keep up with you.
Cheers & Rgds
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15-09-2010, 10:17 AM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Well, Proxima is the closest star to us (outside of the Sun, of course). They're still not sure whether it's actually a member of the Alpha system or a separate star. Problem is measuring its space velocity relative to both Alpha and us. If it's in orbit about the other two stars, there will be a component of orbital angular momentum in addition to its space velocity that will say it's part of the system. Only thing is it's 13000AU from the other stars, which means its orbit is something like a million years or so, in length. Very long time and it hardly moves which means finding an orbit is hard. The only true way they're going to be able to tell is go there and measure its age from meteoric/asteroid debris in orbit about the star. Then go to Alpha and do the same thing. If they're close in age, then it's a safe bet they formed together.
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15-09-2010, 10:19 AM
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Currently Scopeless
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Moura Qld
Posts: 1,774
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Will be happy when I get my Hartungs book from the US. supposed to be delivered by late next week.
Adrian
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15-09-2010, 10:21 AM
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No More Infinities
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Townsville
Posts: 9,698
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Anyway, talking about books....I have a list of 50 books I want to get. The cheapest is $22, the dearest is $340. If I didn't limit the price of the books, there's a couple in the $800-$1000 range that I want to get that I could've written down in my list as well
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15-09-2010, 01:01 PM
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Searching for Travolta...
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 3,700
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Liz, I have you to blame for my book addiction seeing as you put me onto The Book Depository in the first place  . I never really got into reading many books before, so you've actually done a good thing by getting me into reading, and though I'm now addicted, I need to thank you.
Yes, that "Turn Left at Orion" is a great reference book". That was actually my first astro book when I joined this forum. I also enjoy reading the greek mythology attached to the constellations in that book. I knew nothing about it before and was so horrified how violent it all is up there! And my shock/horror to discover that my star sign, Cancer, got squished by Orion's foot!  I enjoy that this book isn't complicated by other stuff and keeps it simple for what it is - how to find constellations and associated greek mythology.
I think you & I ought to form a book club!
Craig, so what is Witten's Hampster all about anyway?
Good sales people eh? Maybe we might knock Oprah's Book Club out of the running after all! And I think there's a good number of books sold that owe IIS some royalties too.
Carl, thank you, that was (as usual) a great read on how you explained Proxima Centauri. You explain things so well - I so enjoy reading your informative posts (Craig and you do a great job contributing knowledge to this forum) - I hope you will write a book one day.
By the way, I'd really like to see what a $1,000 astro book looks like/is about! Crikey! 
Adrian, It's been a long wait for this book and am pleased for you that the time is finally near for delivery. What patience.
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