EDITORIAL INFORMATION

A great deal has happened in the world of astronomy since the last edition of The Guinness Book of Astronomy. This new edition containing, for the first time, colour illustrations throughout brings us up to date with details of the recent comet impact on Jupiter, with stunning photographs, the newest and most powerful telescopes to have been built, such as the improved Hubble Space Telescope, details of the latest theories about the origins of the universe, and major developments in astronomical theory, including planetary exploration by spacecraft.

The Guinness Book of Astronomy also includes a comprehensive star catalogue with finder charts, a host of new, inspiring and productive astronomers, solar and lunar eclipses up to the year 2006, and potted sections on glows and atmospheric effects, star distances and movements, variable stars, clusters, and nebulae. The book also has a lighter side, with stories about astronomy, such as the only cricket match to be interrupted by an eclipse, the person who had the narrowest escape from a meteorite, and the asteroid that had its name auctioned off. The Guinness Book of Astronomy is the definitive astronomical reference book, consulted by amateur enthusiasts and professional astronomers worlwide.

(Extracted from the dust jackets).

GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Contents.

-The Solar System.

-The Sun.
-The Moon.
-Mercury.
-Venus.
-Earth.
-Mars.
-The Minor Planets.
-Jupiter.
-Saturn.
-Uranus.
-Neptune.
-Pluto.
-Comets.
-Meteors.
-Meteorites.
-Glows and Atmospheric Effects.

-The Stars.

-Distances and Movements.
-Classification.
-Evolution.
-Double Stars.
-Variable Stars.
-Galactic Supernovae.
-Star Clusters and Nebulae.
-Galaxies.
-BL Lacertae Objects.
-The Evolution of the Universe.
-Some Astronomical Nicknames.
-The Constellations.

-The Star Catalogue.

-Telescopes and Observatories.

-The History of Astronomy.

-Astronomers.

-Glossary.

-Index.

OUR REVIEW

The fact that any book has the name of Patrick Moore on its cover is a true guarantee of a perfect, pleasant read on astronomy for the general public. Therefore the fact that this one is already in its fifth edition must not come as a surprise. This prolific British science writer published the first edition of this book in 1979, and since then he has been updating its contents as time has been going by, always with his peculiar style, so as to keep its scientific accuracy while at the same time being pleasant to read. Naturally enough, this text being intended for such a well-known, commercial collection as the Guiness collection is, it will certainly allow for the discovery of many surprising questions which will attract not only the readers interested in astronomy per se, but also the general public as well.

The work is perfectly ordered. For each chapter or section the author provides a brief introductory explanation and a table of physical data, followed by a narrative on what happens to be most interesting about the astronomical object or objects dealt with in each section. In this way we not only learn some surprising facts, true records in the area of astronomy, but also, in an indirect way, we will have a great deal of general information which will allow us to get updated with respect to everything related to the Universe. Tables, charts, photos and graphic designs are all of them of a high quality, even to the point that the stellar catalogue included in the book is a true guide of sky observation through the different constellations. The cronology, the list of well-known astronomers and the glossary itself are the golden brooch to a work which should not fail to be in any library.