The Cosmic Perspective

by Bennett, Megan O. Donahue, Nicholas O. Schneider

Book by Bennett, Jeffrey, Donahue, Megan, Schneider, Nicholas, Voit, Mark

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Astronomy, Physics, Reference, Space

1 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Tom Oman]

Probably the first textbook I ever sat down and read from cover to cover, and I was not even in the class!

This book will open your mind to space and the universe. It became an obsession of mine after reading this book. A wide range of topics are discussed that provide a strong base of scientific knowledge in general.

It was only upon finishing this book that the profundity of the title dawned on me; after reading the cosmic perspective, my perspective was truly cosmic.

This book gave me great pleasure in simply observing the world and universe around me. For the rest of your life, you can spend time just sitting and thinking yourself into a stupefied state of wonder and astonishment at the universe around you with the information that this book will place in your mind.

[RL]

Obviously I didn't fully read this, but when you spend hours dedicated to reading something, even only large chunks of it, it feels so unfair not to include it in your book goal despite not reading it cover to cover.

Still feel like I'm cheating :(

[Carissa]

worst class ever.

[Susie]

A great introductory astronomy textbook that was enjoyable to read cover-to-cover.

A line that made me smile regarding Jupiter: "Of course, where some people see a failed star, others see an extremely successful planet."

[meredith]

i hate astronomy

[Tso William]

Reality provides us with facts so romantic that imagination itself could add nothing to them. - Jules Verne

The difference between astronomy and astrology lies not simply one being a scientific discipline while the other is not. The greater difference is that astronomy represents the triumph of human imagination . All the apparent symbols in the tarot cards or the daily vague predictions of the zodiac signs at the back of the newspapers seem hopelessly childish when compared with the massive storms in Jupiter, the bizarre state of a neutron star or the hugely expansive supercluster which houses clusters consisting tens of galaxies with each galaxy containing billions of stars among which our sun is one of those in the periphery of a galaxy called the Milky Way.

This textbook systematizes my previous knowledge but in the vast majority of times, I learn new things from it. With all the photos, pictures and diagram, I sometimes wonder that textbook is a better popular science book than the ones in the market which are usually stuffed with anecdotes, blurs the scientific details.

This is a long book and it took me several months to finish it. It is certainly worth it when, for example, every time I go out and feel the warmth of sunlight, knowing that after it is first produced in the sun's core, it took thousands of years to radiate out of the sun and then reaches the Earth. In other words, the sunlight is actually thousands of years old. There is something uplifting in that.

[Steven]

In terms of textbooks, really not a bad read. Actually, if I'm honest, this is the only textbook I have ever actually read through. And when I say read, I mean I read most of it, but I'm counting it as a read book because I saw a different review where the author said they read most of it, so they were counting it, and I was like "Yup, makes sense. I too will do that."

I know, I know: saying "...the author said they..." is improper grammar. Sue me*.

*Please don't sue me. I'm a poor student who shelled out a lot of money on the book that this review is about, and instead of working I was reading said book. Which was ok. And I want to add it to my book goal.

[Colleen Earle]

This is a superb text book. It has the perfect mix of humour and fun facts. The only thing that's missing is more awesome stories about Tycho Brahe.

I highly recommend reading the whole book, especially if it's a required text for an astronomy course.

[Briana Herlihy]

A truly wonderful and comprehensive introduction to astronomy and cosmology. Great for anyone interested in the qualitative side of the universe, though there are great (separate) sections that explain the mathematics as well. This was a perfect start for a self-study course in cosmology.

[Michael]

The Cosmic Perspective by Jeffrey Bennett, Megan Donahue, Nicholas Schneider and Mark Voit, 2022
To quote the preface, it is “… a comprehensive survey of modern astronomy suitable for anyone who is curious about the universe, regardless of prior background in astronomy or physics.” Suitable as an introductory text book for college students who do not have previous science course work. While it is billed as a college level coursebook, it seems to me it would be a great textbook for high school students, as well. It is very readable and should have a broad appeal to a wide non-scientific audience.
The book starts with a broad overview of the universe, the scale and history of the cosmos and our place within it here on earth. The reader is presented with thought experiments and exercises meant to provide the opportunity to think about the topics for themselves, helping make the concepts more understandable. Filled with many drawings, images and charts making the book a very visual learning tool. Also included are special sections for Mathematical Insights and Special Topics, depending on the depth of the subject the reader wants. Another useful feature is the short “Common Misconceptions” sidebars, which point out common misunderstandings about physics and astronomy, sprinkled throughout the chapters.
Each chapter ends with a review of the topics covered, discussing the “Big Picture” and a summary of key concepts. In true text book form, each chapter also contains a section of exercises and problems to test retention and firm up concepts.
The Cosmic Perspective is a broad overview of many, many topics, but each is treated pretty quickly, so don’t expect a lot of depth for any given topic. Even just an introductory treatment of astronomy fills more than 800 pages, including various appendixes (Useful Names, formula, Tabe of the Elements, basic math review, stellar, galactic and solar system data, constellations and star charts), Glossary and the Index.

[Josh]

This might be the best textbook I read in my university career--one of the few worth reading from cover to cover. Anyone looking to increase their understanding on the universe we live in should read this book. The explanations are clear and concise--not too bogged down by mathematical minutiae, but also not fluffy like most popular science books on the subject. This is exactly what an introductory astronomy text should be.

[Marisabel Lucero]

Read this for a class and I appreciated how it broke down the general concepts of the evolution and features of the universe into easier, qualitative descriptions of how things work. I'm aware some heavy mathematics are required to fully describe somethings, and I think I could sometimes tell when something was probably too watered down from its true complexity, but just having an idea of how the universe moves, morphs, and works in very valuable to me.

[Landon]

Read this book for my intro to astronomy class which was a lab class, that I enjoyed. This book gives you the information necessary for the course such as how it has a lot of visuals all throughout and is simple to understand. I used this book for my astronomy class and used it mostly as a review tool. Very helpful supplementary book to the class lecture.

[Landon]

This was a required book for my Intro to Astronomy I and Astronomy class. I thought this book was interesting enough to sit through my class. And read as much as I can throughout the semester. Reading this book didn't bother me much since, I am a huge fan of space, and any type of science, whatever science it is I get pulled in.

[Laura Sinclair-harry]

This is an excellent textbook. Its readable, relates to the real world reader, with excellent graphics, pictures, and associated animations to clarify material. The designation of some chapters S1, S2. Etc was a bit confusing; just number them like all the others! The review material, optional activities, and further reading suggestions were really helpful.

[Rachelle]

Sure, I actually only read half of this. But this stupid thing took up so much of my recreational reading time that I think it’s worth it. Also, I have no intention of taking the class that requires reading the second half of the text. It counts.

[josie °☆.。.:*]

this class destroyed my soul. it was such pain and suffering, but the book was pretty good. i liked the videos and pictures, it was v engaging.
but this class was the worst class i ever took im so glad i never have to take physics again

[Fitria Khairunnisa]

Snacccc!!!! Enjoyable

[mayra]

obviamente no lo lei completo pero lei big chunks of it y se merece aparecer aca 😤🪐

[mattie]

everything in this book could have been said in a better way

[Daniel]

This book is unforgettable in that it has altered my entire perception of life and existence in the universe.

[Imogen]

Read for school!!

[Sydney]

Re-reading a college textbook for fun ... signing up for community college night classes for fun .... this is what turning 25 does to you

[Serenity]

One of THE best textbooks I have ever encountered across a wide range of subjects! Used it for an undergrad Intro to Astronomy course. One of the few textbooks I have actually read more than half of, and enjoyed! Extremely interesting content presented in a straight-forward and entertaining way. The structure of book and the way things are explained made it very easy to understand. Also, great pictures, diagrams, summaries, interesting facts, and practice problems. I could not have asked for a better primer to astronomy!

[Lia]

I very much enjoyed my astronomy class, even though this text was a lot drier than the one for my astronomy course through BNU. But I learned so much more!

Classmates seemed to think it was a challenging course, but I enjoyed every minute. Probably because it's some of my favorite subject matter... science and especially astronomy!

I love this book because it taught me so much!

[Katherine]

A great textbook for inspiring people new to the field of astronomy. Clear explanations and illustrations, and very accessible to those without a technical background. I believe the world we live in would be a more pleasant place if everyone would try to understand the ideas presented in this book.

[Dale Alan Bryant]

Near-excellence; in-depth, college, introductory Astrophysics text. I don't really appreciate the watered-down, conversational style, so, much, though. 'Plain', is not always preferable in such heady subjects. I had hoped it to read a little, more, like a research paper, in certain areas, rather than plain English. Makes reading a little faster for me.

[Rebecca]

It's a text book, I read it, it counts!

[Kate]

"why scientists experience as much beauty in the exploration of the natural world as, say, artists do in expressing the essentials of humanity" Yorke Brown

[Blair Boggs]

Very good textbook. It explains things well and its visuals are very helpful.