Astronomy II: Stars, Galaxies, And The Universe

by James B. Kaler

"Over the past century, our vision has taken us far beyond the home Galaxy into the vastness of the Universe, where we find we are hardly alone. As far as we can see there are countless other galaxies of all shapes and sizes set within an ever-expanding space that was created in a "Big Bang" nearly 14 billion years ago. Along with solutions to old puzzles, however, come new riddles, as most of our Universe appears to be in the form of some kind of unseen "dark matter" and incomprehensible "dark energy" whose natures and origins remain unfathomable. Yet with all our questions - and knowing that there are questions still to be asked - we have learned the most important that all of this Universe is our home, that it took all of it to make us, that it is ours to behold and enjoy.While this course stands on its own, it is also an ideal complement to the first course of the set ( Earth, Sky, and Planets), which covers celestial motions, constellations, telescopes, and planetary astronomy, all of it then integrated into a full picture of space and time.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Astronomy, Audiobook, Physics, Science Nature

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Travis]

This lecture series had fairly basic information for the most part, but it was well told. A high point is how Professor Kaler presents the material with such a vivid sense of wonder, wonder at not just the fascinating workings of the universe, but how remarkable it is that we can understand it.

My only complaints are that at close to 15 years old, this content is maybe not quite out of date, but could be even more complete in its presentation than it is; and that there are times when the narration clearly indicates that the professor is gesturing or indicating some sort of visual, suggesting that the audio version I listened to is simply an adaptation of an originally intended video production.

The title here in Goodreads is Astronomy II, though it is merely Astronomy on the item itself; but the introduction did state that it was a companion to another lecture series by this professor, so I may listen to that at some point.

[Jason Baldauf]

Another stellar set of lectures by Professor Kaler (sorry, couldn't pass up the chance). This series picks up where the first left off, discussing cosmology on a more macro scale outside of our galaxy. After finishing both series, the beginner to astronomy will have a very solid understanding of the concepts and will be left in awe at the elegant magnificence and incomprehensible scale of our grand universe.

[Robert Vlach]

Hned dvě výborné audioknihy z populárně-naučné série Modern Scholar. V prvním díle Earth, Sky and Planets popisuje prof. James Kaler naši planetu a sluneční soustavu, ve druhém Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe pak hvězdy, galaxie a celý vesmír. Nahrávky jsou z roku 2003, takže už jsou místy lehce neaktuální, ale jako úvod do moderní astronomie to nemá chybu. V autě se to dobře poslouchalo.

[Shockvalue]

Great text on the "larger part" of astronomy. (Basically all the stuff outside our own solar system).
This one got a little more advanced than the first lesson and I found myself having to revisit a couple of sections to grasp the whole concept. Kaler is a good teacher - moves at a good pace, keeps things interesting, and you can tell he is passionate about his subject matter.

If you're enthusiastic about astronomy, I highly recommend this series.

[Shawn]

if you like astronomy, this is a good one

[Manifest Stefany]

Just a joy to listen too. The history of the stars and how it fits or doesn't fit into today's world is by far my favorite portion of the lectures.