The Sun
Leon Golub, Jay M Pasachoff Reaktion Books £25 HB
Our local star has been getting ever more popular with amateur astronomers in recent years, with solar telescopes becoming more readily available and recent eclipses and transits continuing to grab the public’s imagination. What sets this book apart from a myriad of others on the subject is its easy-to-read, nontechnical language. In cases where a more complicated point needs to be communicated, this is backed by analogies from everyday science to get the information across in layman’s terms.
Starting with the Sun’s internal workings and how this drives the features that we observe through telescopes and spectral lines, Leon Golub and Jay M Pasachoff take the reader on a logical journey outward through the Sun’s atmosphere, and finally consider its influence on the Solar System and beyond in terms of space weather. This is done by historical recount of how the science has evolved over time to get to our current point of understanding, and provides a refreshing change to the many mathematical formulae and equations that are presented by some other books on the subject.
Appendices then briefly cover solar observations, with interesting and useful information that would be suitable for a newcomer to solar eclipses. However, it would have been nice to see slightly more detail on the safe ways to view eclipses, rather than having more focus on what are the historically unsafe methods, for example DVDs and smoked glass. An informative, basic section on space-based solar observation is included, as is up to date information that provides the reader with further details on solar observing, including equipment and practical guidance. What’s particularly nice is how the further reading section for each chapter includes carefully chosen texts that would effectively build on the knowledge already gained, should you want to explore the subject further. This entertaining and easy read is ideal for beginners wanting to find out a bit more about the Sun and its wider influences, without being bogged down by the sort of heavy science that can be dull to read and difficult to understand. Taken in this context, this is a thoroughly recommended book.
MARK TOWNLEY is an experienced solar observer and photographer