The Sun's Heartbeat
And Other Stories from the Life of the Star That Powers Our Planet
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4.5 • 19 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The beating heart of the sun is the very pulse of life on earth. And from the ancients who plotted its path at Stonehenge to the modern scientists who unraveled the nuclear fusion reaction that turns mass into energy, humankind has sought to solve its mysteries. In this lively biography of the sun, Bob Berman ranges from its stellar birth to its spectacular future death with a focus on the wondrous and enthralling, and on the heartbreaking sacrifice, laughable errors, egotistical battles, and brilliant inspirations of the people who have tried to understand its power.
What, exactly, are the ghostly streaks of light astronauts see-but can't photograph-when they're in space? And why is it impossible for two people to see the exact same rainbow? Why are scientists beginning to think that the sun is safer than sunscreen? And how does the fluctuation of sunspots-and its heartbeat-affect everything from satellite communications to wheat production across the globe?
Peppered with mind-blowing facts and memorable anecdotes about spectral curiosities-the recently-discovered "second sun" that lurks beneath the solar surface, the eerie majesty of a total solar eclipse-The Sun's Heartbeat offers a robust and entertaining narrative of how the Sun has shaped humanity and our understanding of the universe around us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
We won't take the Sun for granted any longer if astronomy popularizer Berman, who writes for Astronomy and for years wrote Discover's "Night Watchman" column, has anything to say about it. Though average in the astronomical scheme of the cosmos, the Sun has been worshipped on Earth, its seasonal "movements" clocked by pyramids and Stonehenge. The invention of the telescope showed that the Sun changed over time, with mysterious, random sunspots that were later believed to be linked to Earth's climate. Berman explores every possible aspect of solar physics, from stellar life cycles and solar neutrinos ("neutrinos are everywhere, like roaches in Rio") to future ice ages (at least 50,000 years away). Eclipses, the aurora, and rainbows, all generated by the Sun, come vividly alive through the author's enthusiastic explanations. Best of all, he does this with a conversational style that is consistently as entertaining as it is informative. "verything about the Sun is either amazing or useful," Berman writes, and then proves it, without a doubt.
Customer Reviews
Wonderfully insightful
Once you start reading it you may not be able to stop...
The Sun's Heartbeat
An excellent read. The book was witty and very informative. It is the first thing I have read that actually gave scientific proof of how human living has changed the climate. The explanations give insight into nature and allow a person to impress others with the scientific explanations given here. I eagerly await Bob's next book, whatever it may be.
Excellent Story of The Sun
Easy to read and imposable to put down. One of the best science books I have ever read.