Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of Our Sun

Unlike the myriad points of light we gaze at in the night sky, our nearest star allows us to study the wonders of stellar workings at blindingly close range - from a mere 93 million miles away. And what do we see? In this book, two of the world's leading solar scientists unfold all that history and science - from the first cursory observations to the measurements obtained by the latest state-of-the-instruments on the ground and in space - have revealed about the Sun. Following the path of science from the very centre of this 380,000,000,000,000,000,000-megawatt furnace to its explosive surface. This text invites readers into an open-ended narrative of discovery about what we know about the Sun and how we have learned it. How did the Sun evolve, and what will it become? What is the origin of its light and heat? How does solar activity affect the atmospheric conditions that make life on earth possible? These are the questions at the heart of solar physics, and at the centre of this book. Having made optical solar observations with many solar telescopes and in the rockets and satellites, the authors bring their extensive personal experience to this story of how astronomers study the Sun, and what they have discovered about phenomena from eclipses to neutrinos, space weather, and global warming.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. Introduction 2. The Once and Future Son 3. What We See 4. What We Don't See 5. Eclipses 6. Space Missions 7. Between Fire and Ice 8. Space Weather Bibliography Glossary Acknowledgments Illustration Credits Index

About the Author :
Leon Golub is an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and is the head of one of the teams working with NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft. Jay M. Pasachoff is Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams College and, having viewed 31 solar eclipses, is Chair of the Working Group on Eclipses of the International Astronomical Union.

Review :
Soul-stirring, mind-blowing reading...[Golub and Pasachoff] have put together a superb profile of the sun. They don't assume any special knowledge on the part of their readers, so they explain their subject starting with broad overviews and theories...and they glide smoothly between fundamental questions...and more arcane but immediately relevant topics...[Their] discussions...can take your breath away...The sun is simply peerless from any angle and this enlightening biography shows it in all its glory--as bright as daylight. Kirkus Reviews 20010301 A brilliant, richly illustrated survey of the current state of solar knowledge...Golub and Pasachoff describe the sun's dynamism and effects on Earth in a crystalline, nontechnical fashion perfectly suited to nonspecialist readers. -- Gilbert Taylor Booklist 20010301 Coauthors Golub and Pasachoff...describe for a nonspecialist audience what is currently known of the structure of the sun, the source of its enormous energy, its history and future, its various effects on Earth and its atmosphere, and the fascinating phenomena that occur during total solar eclipses...The strength of the book is that it is a 'state of the art' report from two bona fide experts in the field...Recommended. -- Jack Weigel Library Journal 20010401 Taking advantage of the increased attention as the sun reaches the peak of its 11-year sunspot cycle, Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist Golub and Williams College astronomy professor Pasachoff deliver a clear, detailed and broadly informative overview of the scientific study of our "nearest star" and its effects on our planet...[T]his book shines in its discussion of the properties of the sun's turbulent outer layers...It provides space and astronomy-loving readers in-depth information about the many challenging projects that are produced or are producing that knowledge, about advanced projects on the drawing board or in conceptual stages and about Web sites where readers can find more details and up-to-date developments. Publishers Weekly Solar physics is in something of a golden age. Recent observational results from highly successful space missions have significantly altered our understanding of the Sun's outer atmosphere, its magnetic-activity cycle and its influence on the Earth and the near-space environment...Nearest Star beautifully presents these and other recent advances for the general reader, while also giving a good historical perspective on our study of the Sun. The authors are especially well qualified to write a popular book on this topic...With the publication of this book, Harvard University Press continues a tradition of excellent books on the Sun for general audiences. Nearest Star is an up-to-date, authoritative and entertaining introduction to the Sun for the general reader. It represents popular science writing at its best--expert authors writing in a clear and lively style, without oversimplification, engaging the reader's creative thinking and imagination. -- John H. Thomas Nature 20010913 Nearest Star tells the surprising story of our most important star, the Sun, and its relationship to our most important planet, Earth. It is a story with many facets, and multiple links to fundamental physics that might surprise as well as engage the reader. The book is beautifully written and conveys the love that the authors have for the subject...Nearest Star provides an excellent overview of our current understanding of the Sun and its effects on Earth. -- Ramon E. Lopez Physics Today 20011101 Several books about the Sun have been published over the past few years and this is one of the best. It is well written, by two experts, and pitched at a level that should be intelligible to Astronomy Now readers. -- Peter Gill Astronomy Now 20030101 Golub and Pasachoff do not simply present an account of scientific fact. Rather, they show us how the process of science works...Nearest Star will surely leave you with a renewed appreciation for the beauty, complexity, and importance of our nearset star, the sun. -- Jennifer Birriel Astronomy Magazine Nearest Star is written for the nonscientist and avoids mathematics altogether. It aims to present a general description of our current understanding of the Sun and its effects on our planets. -- Lee Macdonald Journal of the British Astronomical Association In this book, two of the world's leading solar scientists unfold all that history and science-from the first cursory observations to the measurements obtained by the latest state-of-the - art instruments on the ground and in space - have revealed about the Sun Nearest Star invites readers into an open-ended narrative of discovery about what we know about the Sun and how we have learned it. Astronomical Society of the Pacific