The Sun

Description

Essential for life on earth and a major influence on our environment, the Sun is also the most fascinating object in the daytime sky. Every day we feel the effect of its coming and going - literally the difference between day and night. But figuring out what the Sun is, what it's made of, why it glows so brightly, how old it is, how long it will last - all of these take thought and observation. Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff offer an engaging and informative account of what scientists know about the Sun, and the history of these discoveries. Solar astronomers have studied the Sun over the centuries both for its intrinsic interest and in order to use it as a laboratory to reveal the secrets of other stars.

Leon Golub is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Obser-vatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jay M. Pasachoff is Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College, Williams-town, Massachusetts. Together they are the authors of The Solar Corona (2nd edn 2010) and Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of Our Sun (2nd edn 2014).

This clearly written and finely illustrated book should fascinate and enlighten anyone who has wondered about the Sun and the obvious (and less obvious) ways in which it affects us on Earth. The authors, both leading experts, enliven their succinct exposition with a historical perspective, showing how our present understanding has emerged. --Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal"