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Deduce

By Deduce
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Deduce

Deduce

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I want to start off by saying that for as long as I can remember, I've always looked up on a clear night, and wondered to myself, how it all happened. I love thinking about what could be out there, and if anything was looking back, and asking itself the same question. It's kind of funny, really. Every time I see something on the television about our universe, or hawking, I have to watch it. That man fascinates me. Now, I'm a sophomore in high school, and college seems like it's right around the corner. Saying that, I want to do as much as I can, while I can. This is partially why I am here. I know this community has to be great, and I would think you guys wouldn't mind giving me your input on certain things. One of these being books. As I said, I'm a sophomore, and I want to get the best books that are at my disposal, so I can learn basic things in astrophysics, let alone others.

I know I may seem like a teen that thinks of a new dream every day, but I'm not. I've always wanted to be something that dealt with the universe, or the unknown. Whether it was an astronaut when I was just a little boy, or majoring in astrophysics as I want to right now.

After saying all that, I would like to just ask you one question right now. What are some books that you would recommend for a student in high school.

Thanks for reading, and I would like to thank you in advance for your help.

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Deduce

Deduce

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Hi and welcome to SGL

If you're into Stephen Hawking how about "A brief History of Time", confused the hell out of me.

Yea, I was looking into that one. I may pick it up sometime, but I think it may be a little to early. Thanks for the help though

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barkis

barkis

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Hello Deduce and welcome to SGL .

As far as I know, a Sophomore is around 10th. grade in High School or College in the States, and about the time a student will decide the direction his future will take.

Have you thought about Physics as a career perhaps, and Astro Physics in particular.? A lot of learning to do, but nothing is achieved without hard work. I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do, in the meantime, you will enjoy being a member of this forum.

A lot of knowledge resides here.;)

Ron.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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the book that got me back into science reading was Bill Bryson's a Short History of Nearly Everything.

This is written as a layman, is very funny in places and covers pretty much what is on the tin! Some may think this book is a little cheesy but it sends you off in all sorts of directions and he references masses of other great authors and books. I love it and have read it several times. If you don't follow anything in it then just read it a few times and it will sink in eventually.

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david o

david o

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Hi there Deduce,

Welcome to the forum. ;)

You could try Carl Sagan's Cosmos, either the book or the DVDs of the TV series.

Hawking's Brief History of Time is a good read. You shouldn't find it too difficult - OK, some of the stuff he explains can be a bit hard to get your head round at first, but at least there's no heavy lifting with math. :)

Other than that, why not just browse Wikipedia for the things that grab your interest (supernovae, blackholes, , other aspects of stellar evolution, etc... ). It's a great resource.

If stargazing itself takes you, then Turn Left at Orion is a good way to start learning your way around the sky. A planisphere is also a simple and handy aid. And The Backyard Astronomer's Guide will give you a grounding in the equipment and tools of our hobby.

HTH

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AWR

AWR

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Hi,

Welcome to SGL. I'm afraid I'm ignorant as to how a Sophomore compares to the UK system. Let me know how old you are and I'll dig out some book recommendations.

Andrew

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Merlin63

Merlin63

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Hello All. Let me start by saying that I think Stephen Hawking has a brilliant mind. With that said, I think that even brilliant minds can become overwhelmed by too much information. I like to try to see things simplistically most of the time. I recently posted a thread on here about the increasing speed of "Expansion" of the universe. I also believe that a black hole doesn't warp space/time but only gravity itself. But I could go on forever about how I came to believe this. I actually just wanted to say HI to ALL.

MP

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Breakintheclouds

Breakintheclouds

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Hi there,

I'd second the recommendation for Bill Bryson's book, and add Timothy Ferris's book "Coming of Age in the Milky Way" which covers a lot of the same ground as Bryson but is more specifically focused on astronomy, cosmology and physics. It's an excellent book.

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Pete Presland

Pete Presland

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Hi Deduce

A warm welcome to SGL

I'd also endorse Turn Left at Orion. Another option is to download one of the free planetarium software to help you find your way around the skies. Have a look at Stellarium

Steve

i have tried stellarium,the text on it never seems to be readable always blurred.can anyone recomend another free planetarium software.

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Breakintheclouds

Breakintheclouds

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If Stellarium isn't working for you then the best thing might be to try and work out why not. It really is the nicest, most user-friendly free software and people love it.

If you really can't get it working, you could ty Cartes des Ciel ( Sky Charts, Free Astronomy software , Celestial atlas ) but whilst it's very powerful, it's not as nice and user friendly as Stellarium.

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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HI from me too - not sure what I'd recommend as a book really. Probably 'Longitude' by Dava Sobel because its not very heavy going and very interesting. As observers and astronomers we focus on telescopes and miss the time element of astronomy. The longitude problem was the biggest thing in its day - the search for reliable timekeeping which is completely fundamental to both astronomy and our whole society. I found it fascinating.

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Deduce

Deduce

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Wow, thanks a bunch guys. Really, you don't know how much this means to me.

As to the reading, I just got back from the library, and I managed to pick up "A brief history of time." Whoever said to pickup "The Universe in a Nutshell," I almost did!

One thing I want you all to keep in mind is that I know NOTHING about physics as of right now. I'm going to try and take it next year, but I haven't even taken Calculus yet, either.

Another thing: I'm only 15. I know very little about the universe, I'm just amazed by it. I want and NEED books that will introduce me to things, and explain them as well. My school system doesn't really focus on Astronomy or physics at all. This is why I would like to do all the work on my own, and a little at a college course I'm taking next year on Astronomy.

And finally, I would hope you guys wouldn't mind helping out just a bit extra. If I get confused by something, could I post it here, to see if anyone can explain it to me.

I just want to thank everyone again, you guys are helping out a lot.

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