Shadow of a Star: The Neutrino Story of Supernova 1987A
by Alfred K. Mann
W. H. Freeman and Company, 1997
hardcover, 210pp., illus.
ISBN 0-7167-3097-9
US$22.95

On February 24, 1987, a Canadian astronomer stepped outside the Chilean observatory where he was working to confirm something he thought he had seen in recent images. Scanning the sky he came across a naked-eye star where no such star had been visible before. The "new" star was the supernova explosion of a blue supergiant in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 50,000 light years away, which became known as Supernova (SN) 1987A.
     However, hours before the supernova was noticed in visible light, a wave of neutrinos -- subnuclear particles which have little or no mass and can pass through matter with virtually no absorption -- reached the Earth. These neutrinos were detected at several special neutrino "telescopes" around the world, including ones in Japan and under Lake Erie. Alfred K. Mann, a University of Penn physicist who was a member of the team that worked with those two observatories, tells the tale of the discovery in Shadow of a Star.
     Part of Mann's book deals with the basics of supernovae and a basic introduction to what neutrinos are, suitable for the layperson. The other part tells the tale of the discovery of the neutrino detection from SN 1987A, which was not confirmed until weeks after the supernova, although the neutrinos arrived at Earth a few hours before the light from the supernova (neutrinos cannot travel faster than light, but they got a head start on the light from the explosion.) The technical trials and tribulations of neutrino detection -- no easy feat, considering how easy they pass through the entire Earth without being stopped -- makes the discovery even more remarkable. Shadow of a Star is a fine tale of discovery, and a good introduction to some topics of physics and astrophysics that will be appreciated even by those with no knowledge of the field.

A Short History of the Universe
by Joseph Silk
Scientific American Library, 1997
softcover, 246pp., illus.
ISBN 0-7167-6020-7
US$19.95

Joseph Silk's book might be better titled A Short History of the Beginning of the Universe, as his focus is on the origins of the universe, the creation of matter, and the formation of stars and galaxies. That's about all you can take away from this otherwise fine, comprehensive introduction to cosmology by a leading researcher in the field. Silk starts with the basics of the field, then discusses everything from the expansion of the universe, including inflation theories, to the formation of galaxies. Included are topics on dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe.
     Silk's text is added by the lavish, full-color illustrations found throughout the book. These illustrations are essential to help a beginner to the field understand what can be a complex, mind-boggling subject. Silk writes for the layperson, but he is comprehensive: you have to pay attention as you read or else you can lose track of what's going on! For someone interested in an introduction to cosmology, or who wants to refresh their knowledge with the latest information on the field, A Short History of the Universe will serve as a good resource.

Hubble's Universe: A Portrait of Our Cosmos
by Simon Goodwin
Penguin Studio, 1997
hardcover, 128pp., illus.
ISBN 0-670-87310-1
US$29.95

A Photographic Tour of the Universe
by Gabriele Vanin
Firefly Books, 1996
hardcover, 144pp., illus.
ISBN 1-55209-054-X
US$29.95

One of the great things about astronomy is the range of astounding images of planets, galaxies, nebulae, and other objects visible from telescopes and spacecraft. These images have done much to raise public interest in astronomy and have in some cases become part of popular culture. Two books have dedicated themselves to publishing some of the best images of the universe in full-color, oversized formats.
     Hubble's Universe, as the name suggests, is dedicated to images from the Hubble Space Telescope. After a brief introduction to the history of the telescope, including its optical problems and the repair mission which corrected them, Goodwin works his way out, starting with Mars, though solar system, our galaxy, and other, distant galaxies. We're treated along the way with stunning views of Jupiter after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts, the Eagle Nebula, and Eta Carinae. They're all images most people have already seen, either on television or via the HST Web site, but the images appear even more colorful in print. Each Hubble image comes with a few paragraphs of text describing the object and its importance.
     A Photographic Tour of the Universe, on the other hand, does not limit itself to Hubble images (although many are included) but includes many images from Earth-based telescopes and NASA spacecraft. Many outstanding images from Australian astrophotographer David Malin are included; their quality rivals even some of the best of Hubble. A good introduction to the book covers the history of astrophotography, and the astronomical concepts associated with the objects imaged are included throughout the book.
     It is difficult to say if one book is "better" than another: they both provide excellent images, and each has a slightly different purpose. The Hubble images in Hubble's Universe are excellent, but I liked the range of images provided in A Photographic Tour of the Universe slightly better. Both would be an excellent choice for anyone looking for a coffee-table type of astronomy book or someone with an interest in the best of astrophotography.

Dreams, Stars, and Electrons: Selected Writings of Lyman Spitzer, Jr.
Lyman Spitzer Jr. and Jeremiah P. Ostriker (eds.)
Princeton University Press, 1997
softcover, 496pp.
ISBN 0-691-02797-8
US$39.50

On March 31, astronomy lost one of its leading figures when Lyman Spitzer, an astronomer at Princeton University, passed away. Over his long career Spitzer made great contributions to our understanding of stellar dynamics, the birth of stars, and plasma fusion. He was also one of the earliest proponents for an orbiting telescope, which he promoted in a 1946 paper and which, after many years, evolved into the Hubble Space Telescope. Dreams, Stars, and Electrons is a collection of many of Spitzer's papers, which he had his colleague Jeremiah Ostriker organized shortly before his death. Included are many research papers on astrophysics which will be of interest primarily only to astronomers. However, other may find other papers on space telescopes, and some of his personal writing, to be of greater interest.