The cosmos

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Michael Zeilik, John Gaustad

Changing Conceptions of the Universe, Focus of Cosmic Evolution, The Evolution of Planets, Galaxies, Islands of Stars, Cosmic Speculation.

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Oliver Montenbruck, Thomas Pfleger

Astronomy on the PC provides practical solutions to a variety of astronomical problems. The book includes both astronomical fundamentals and the technical know-how for an implementation of high-quality software. Efficient and precise computer programs help the user to calculate and predict - positions of the Sun, Moon, and the planets - rising and setting times - physical ephemerides of the Sun and the major planets - positions of comets and minor planets (with perturbations) - the central line and local conditions of solar eclipses - stellar occultations - orbits in the solar system from three observations - coordinates from sky photographs Software developers will find a comprehensive collection of efficient Pascal routines. The extensive documentation and selfcontained structure facilitate a fast and reliable development of individual programs. The enclosed diskette contains source texts of all programs for Turbo Pascal on IBM-compatible PCs or Pure Pascal on Atari ST/TT computers. For the new edition the programs have also been made accessible using Windows. Furthermore, an input file for the OCCULT program is now included on the diskette containing the stars of the Zodiacal Catalogue by Robertson.

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Simon LeVay

Brilliant scientific successes have helped shape our world, and are always celebrated. However, for every victory, there are no doubt numerous little-known blunders. Neuroscientist Simon LeVay brings together a collection of fascinating, yet shocking, stories of failure from recent scientific history in When Science Goes Wrong. From the fields of forensics and microbiology to nuclear physics and meteorology, in When Science Goes Wrong LeVay shares twelve true essays illustrating a variety of ways in which the scientific process can go awry. Failures, disasters and other negative outcomes of science can result not only from bad luck, but from causes including failure to follow appropriate procedures and heed warnings, ethical breaches, quick pressure to obtain results, and even fraud. Often, as LeVay notes, the greatest opportunity for notable mishaps occurs when science serves human ends. LeVay shares these examples: To counteract the onslaught of Parkinson's disease, a patient undergoes cutting-edge brain surgery using fetal transplants, and is later found to have hair and cartilage growing inside his brain. In 1999, NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft is lost due to an error in calculation, only months after the agency adopts a policy of "Faster, Better, Cheaper." Britain's Bracknell weather forecasting team predicts two possible outcomes for a potentially violent system, but is pressured into releasing a ‘milder' forecast. The BBC's top weatherman reports there is "no hurricane", while later the storm hits, devastating southeast England. Ignoring signals of an imminent eruption, scientists decide to lead a party to hike into the crater of a dormant volcano in Columbia, causing injury and death. When Science Goes Wrong provides a compelling glimpse into human ambition in scientific pursuit.

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Jim Longuski

Methods that rocket scientists use to dream up ideas, figure things out, make decisions, and get stuff done expressed in a way that you can apply to everyday life.