Book Review of Space Explained by Robin Scagell

Page 51 of A Beginner's Guide to the Universe is worth the cost of the book. There you will find the most brilliant picture explanation of the zodiac that could be used with a telescope to become familiar with the star patterns that guided men on earth since the first man looked up. This book is all astronomy from its premise that the Universe was formed because of gravity to its accurate visual full color photographs of the real, fascinating and for many people frightening natural formation of planets, asteroids, suns and stars.

To accept the Universe as a frontier that is governed by laws of physics just as Earth is governed by laws of physics is the first step in overcoming the fear of the vast expanse that is the neighborhood we are a part of. It is awesome that what we accept as normal, the time zones on Earth, we find daunting in calculating the time needed to cover the distance from the Moon to Pluto. We say at the speed of light and find it hard to comprehend but we call and leave messages on telephones located in time zones ten hours earlier than the time we are calling from.

These and other questions are explained and discussed and the real make up of the Universe is brought out in human terms of a most beautiful Nature, active and alive, throughout the Universe.

Did you know what causes a black hole? Is it some mysterious corridor in the Universe? Well, actually, it is formed from the space surrounding a dead star. When the star can no longer produce energy, it collapses within itself, a radius or aura of the space that it used to occupy forms. Light cannot escape from the radius of the dead star, nothing can, whatever light is found within the radius is pulled towards the dead star.

Did you know that Venus is full of volcanoes, erupting and while the air underneath the cloud cover is clear, the landscape is molten lava.

Did you know that Mercury is 885* in the daytime and 275* at night? Perhaps, my numbers aren't correct. You can check them out by getting a copy of the book and being amazed that the author is right. You will never need to buy another book about astronomy again. He answers everything.