Expert: Philip Stahl - 7/3/2007

Question
I'm wondering if you can name some great books on astronomy (or cosmology) for non-astronomists.

There are two types of resources I'm looking for. The first is an overview of the field, kind of like what "Physics for Future Presidents" (http://tinyurl.com/2s9sjk) by Richard Muller does for physics. Muller talks about matter, waves, electricity, quantum mechanics, energy, etc. but with very few equations; instead he explains the importance of understanding physics concepts to make everyday decisions and national policy.

The second is a more specific, but extremely accessible look into a particular field for the layman, for example what "Freakonomics" is to economics, or "The Tipping Point" is to sociology.

Can you recommend any such resources for astronomy or cosmology?

Many, many thanks!

Answer
Hello,

In your question you've posed an intriguing conundrum since most of the "great" books on astronomy I have come across also have adequate mathematics to communicate the importance of astronomy's essential findings. Minus those, it is hard to make the case one has a "great book", though one may have an "acceptable book".

Certainly, one doesn't want to reduce the demands to the level of the 'Golden' books (like Herbert Zim's book 'Stars', for example). Not that these are bad, but that I do think the adult should be able to move beyond them. He should be able to read and understand at a greater level of complexity - and certainly handle some basic math, including geometry.

Not counting 'Astronomy for Dummies' or its 'Idiot's' counterpart (for reasons I prefer not to get into) I know of only one I would place in the class you demand: 'Astronomy - The Evolving Universe' by Michael Zeilik.

The book is not so trite and basic that it fails to deliver the essentials, and key findings - but is not so complex that the average intelligent layman couldn't handle it. It has ample diagrams and images, and the study exercises are what any interested person ought to be able to master. It also treats the reader with intellectual respect, and not like a "bozo" who needs to be hand held at every step.

Let's be frank that astronomy is not an "easy" science. Because it often places acute demands on one's perceptions (three dimensional) and for most people these aren't easily honed. It takes time and discipline. The problem is that most Americans, for example, want instant formulas, short cuts or recipes.

Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's "Freakonomics" works precisely because it can make comparisons of abstract economics with everyday (much simpler) transactions in our daily lives. There is no analog to this in astronomy, because first - astronomy has no hands-on transactions akin to economics, and second, the best parts of astronomy are based on real science and measurements, whereas economics is not a real science. It does have certain features of science, but its formulations are more based on statistical artifacts than real models capable of self- consistent predictions.

Hence, there is no counterpart to "Freakonomics" (like "Astronomics") that I can offer you!

A book analogous to "Freakonomics" is a different kettle of fish, entirely.