Books for a Novice

[TrulyC]

<p>Unfortunately I didn't choose a university path that will lead me into an astronomy related field, but as an area of general interest I am absolutely fascinated by everything I read.</p><p>&nbsp;What would you guys suggest as the top books in this field that I should read in order to get a grasp of Space Science & Astronomy? Even the more "far out" string thoery stuff would be cool. Obviously because I don't study in this field, I would prefer books that I would be able to understand.</p><p>&nbsp;Thanks all!</p>

 

[DrRocket]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Unfortunately I didn't choose a university path that will lead me into an astronomy related field, but as an area of general interest I am absolutely fascinated by everything I read.&nbsp;What would you guys suggest as the top books in this field that I should read in order to get a grasp of Space Science & Astronomy? Even the more "far out" string thoery stuff would be cool. Obviously because I don't study in this field, I would prefer books that I would be able to understand.&nbsp;Thanks all! <br />Posted by TrulyC</DIV></p><p>String theory is not really astronomy.&nbsp; It is an attempt to develop a theory that unifies the four known forces -- electromagnetic, weak, strong, gravity.&nbsp; If you are interested in that sort of basic theory, and perhaps the implications for cosmology, my personal recommendation is that you read books written for a general audience by well-established physicists, preferably those at the forefront of the research.&nbsp; If you want to follow that path here are some recommended books:</p><p><em>A Brief History of Time</em> -- Stephen Hawking</p><p><em>The Character of Physical Law -- </em>Richard Feynman</p><p><em>The Pleasure of Finding Things Out -- </em>Richard Feynman</p><p><em>The First Three Minutes </em>-- Steven Weinberg</p><p><em>The Discovery of Subatomic Particles </em>-- Steven Weinberg </p><p><em>Dreams of a Final Theory </em>-- Steven Weinberg</p><p><em>The God Particle </em>-- Leon Lederman</p><p><em>The Emperor's New&nbsp;Mind</em> -- Roger Penrose</p><p><em>The Road to Reality -- </em>Roger Penrose (this one might be difficult reading, but it is very good)</p><p><em>The Inflationary Universe </em>-- Alan Guth</p><p><em>Blackholes and Time Warps; Einstein's Outrageous Legacy </em>-- Kip Thorne</p><p><em>Black Holes, Geons and Quantum Foam</em> -- John Archibald Wheeler</p><p><em>The Fabric of the Universe --</em> Brian Greene</p><p><em>Three Roads to Quantum Gravity --</em> Lee Smolin</p><p><em>The Physics of Star Trek -- </em>Lawrence Krauss</p><p><br /><br />&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p>Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe" is a fairly easy read.&nbsp; One of the first books I read that got me interested in the whole scope of the universe.&nbsp; I don't know much, but I used to know less and I could still handle this book fairly well.</p><p>Here's a 3 hour series as presented by NOVA and narrarated by Greene on his book... much simplified.&nbsp; The book is considerably more thorough, but not much more complicated.</p><p>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[DrRocket]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe" is a fairly easy read.&nbsp; One of the first books I read that got me interested in the whole scope of the universe.&nbsp; I don't know much, but I used to know less and I could still handle this book fairly well.Here's a 3 hour series as presented by NOVA and narrarated by Greene on his book... much simplified.&nbsp; The book is considerably more thorough, but not much more complicated.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html <br />Posted by derekmcd</DIV></p><p>I agree that it is a very good book.&nbsp;I think his second book (<em>The Fabric of the Cosmos) </em>is even better, particularly if you read the footnotes and references of which there are a great many.&nbsp; <br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I agree that it is a very good book.&nbsp;I think his second book (The Fabric of the Cosmos) is even better, particularly if you read the footnotes and references of which there are a great many.&nbsp; <br /> Posted by DrRocket</DIV></p><p>So many good books I haven't read... <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cry.gif" border="0" alt="Cry" title="Cry" />.</p><p>These are the only ones I can remember reading:&nbsp;</p><p>Brief History of Time - Hawking</p><p>BH's, Baby Univ. and other Essays - Hawking&nbsp;</p><p>Elegant Universe - Greene</p><p>Hyperspace - Kaku</p><p>God Particle - Lederman&nbsp;</p><p>Relativity - Einstein&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>