Principles of Plant Science: Environmental Factors and Technology in Growing Plants

Book Description

Over the past 200 years, our knowledge of stars has expanded enormously. From seeing myriad dots of different brightnesses, we haved moved on to measure their distances, temperatures, sizes, chemical compositions, and even ages, finding both young and ancient stars that dwarf our Sun and are dwarfed by it. Unique in its approach, Extreme Stars describes the lives of stars from a new perspective by examining their amazing features. The result is a refreshing, up-to-date, and engaging overview of stellar evolution, suitable for everyone interested in viewing or studying the stars. Ten chapters, generously illustrated throughout, explain the natures of the brightest, the largest, the hottest, and the youngest, among other kinds of stars, ending with a selection of the strangest stars the Universe has to offer. Extreme Stars shows how stars develop and die and how each extreme turns into another under the inexorable twin forces of time and gravity. James B. Kaler is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has held Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships, has been awarded medals for his work from the University of Liège in Belgium and the University of Mexico, and most recently was selected to give the Armand Spitz lecture by the Great Lakes Planetarium Association. His research area, in which he has published over 100 papers, involves dying stars. Kaler has also written for a variety of popular magazines, including Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and Scientific American. His previous books include The Ever-Changing Sky (Cambridge, 1996), Stars and their Spectra (Cambridge, 1997), Cosmic Clouds (Scientific American Library Paperback, 1998), and The Little Book of Stars (Copernicus, 2000). He is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and is a frequent guest on radio and television shows.

Customer Reviews:

Quite good........2007-03-09

This is the third book by James Kaler I've read--the other two being "Stars and Their Spectra" and "The Hundred Greatest Stars", in that order. The other reviews and the back matter of the book give pretty much all the relevent info on what the book is about: stellar superlatives.

As usual, Kaler's personal enthusiasm for his subject shines through, to a degree exceptional for any scientific text. He knows how to turn a phrase, how to create a provocative image with words that will stimulate the reader's imagination. There is much here to amaze even those who consider themselves well-versed in astronomy.

Much as I hate to say it, though, the book isn't perfect. It feels like it occupies an uncertain valley between the introductory "Greatest Stars" and the more advanced "Stars and their Spectra", like it's attempting to be the best of both worlds. Consequently, there are parts that are wonderfully new...as well as those that are "Hmm, he wrote about this in _____." As was the case with "Stars and their Spectra", I would have liked an appendix for more dyed in the wool geeks like myself. ;)

Though he eschews math and advanced physics, I can't quite recommend it for beginners; in my op, people just getting into his work should read "Greatest Stars", then this, and finally "Stars and their Spectra".

Good hunting!

Absolutely Fascinating - Stellar Evolution, Stellar Spectra, and Stellar Superlatives.......2006-07-02

Extreme Stars - On the Edge of Creation (Cambridge University Press) is a remarkably fascinating, in-depth look at stellar evolution from the perspective of the Hertzsprung - Russell (HR) diagram, a chart plotting stellar luminosity against temperature (expressed by spectral classes O B A F G K M). James Kaler illustrates the complexity of stellar evolution by examining extreme stars - the faintest, coolest, hottest, brightest, largest, smallest youngest, oldest, and even strangest stars.

Through the telescope most stars look alike, perhaps with a few showing a slight tinge of color. The key to understanding stars is to measure and analyze their spectra, a subject foreign to most readers. Kaler introduces atomic and molecular spectra early, thereafter steadily advancing the reader's understanding and appreciation of spectral analysis, all in the context of the HR diagram.

The HR diagram shows that most stars brighten with increasing temperature; these main sequence stars lie on the chart within a narrow, curved band stretching from the lower-right corner (dim M stars) to the upper-left corner (bright O stars). Hertzsprung's and Russell's key discovery was that many stars lie outside this main sequence, such as the sub giants, giants, super giants, and hyper giants (and contrastingly, the white dwarfs). Many stellar types move either onto or off the main sequence as they age.

The lower main sequence is the home of many of the faintest (and coolest) stars, grouped as M0 through M10. These faint stars, nearly all invisible to the naked eye, comprise about 50 percent of all stars. Surprisingly, other very faint stars - like the Mira variables that exhibit substantial variation in luminosity over months and years - are found among the giant stars, especially on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB).

The magnificent, beautiful planetary nebulae are among the hottest stars. The brightest stars are actually quite rare, but due to their flamboyance some are well-known to the sky gazer. The largest stars (super giants and hyper giants) are not always the brightest, but are, nevertheless, absolutely awesome. The white dwarfs, among the smallest stars, exhibit a wide range in spectral characteristics; some even have variable luminosities with periods measured in only minutes. Even smaller yet are neutron stars.

The youngest stars, such as the T Tauri variables, as they fire up by burning deuterium, become visible at the "birth line" on the HR diagram, thereafter evolving toward the main sequence. The chapter on oldest stars allows consideration of the evolution of galaxies themselves. A final chapter looks at truly strange stars that reside within the main sequence, their weirdness revealed by their most unusual spectra.

In summary, Kaler's focus on superlatives (brightest, hottest, oldest, etc. ) proves immensely effective. Extreme Stars will appeal both to the amateur astronomer well-acquainted with the night sky and to the scientifically-inclined reader relatively new to astronomy. Five stars to James Kaler for this remarkable book.

I ate this one up.......2005-02-01

The stars are so distant that even at high power through a telescope they look like nothing more than colorful points of light. In "Extreme Stars", Kaler shows us that in fact these little luminaries of our night sky come in an astonishing variety of temperatures, sizes, absolute brightnesses, and chemical compositions. A chapter is devoted to each type of extreme star, e.g. the coolest, brightest, youngest, etc.

To me, the most interesting theme of the book is how a single star can actually change from one extreme type to another over its lifetime. For example, the brightest stars (accounting for 'unseen' radiation like ultraviolet and infrared) are the blue supergiants. These inevitably go supernova and often leave behind neutron star cores, which are both the smallest and hottest of stars. Also, the coolest red giants will form planetary nebulae and leave behind white dwarfs, which comprise one of the hottest types of stars at the outset. Another example is the faintest stars, which are so frugal with their fuel consumption that they have the longest lifespans and therefore will be the oldest stars.

The book is written with great enthusiasm and is well illustrated. I do remember one time that Kaler kind of took it into the deep end with his discussion of electron degeneracy and the Pauli Exclusion Principle, but for the most part the book is easily accessible to the interested layman. Amateur astronomers like myself would really dig it.

After reading the book, it made me want to get the telescope out and simply stare at some of these extreme stars for a while. The easiest ones to learn to identify by naked eye are the bright supergiants, like Betelgeuse and Deneb. But there are plenty of others in the other extreme types that are bright enough to see with the naked eye; these can be located with a decent star atlas.

One minor quibble: I feel that Kaler didn't emphasize enough that the vast majority of stars we see are just regular main sequence stars, ranging from perhaps 0.2 to three or four times the mass of the Sun. Extreme stars are relatively rare.

Highly recommended.

A Galaxy Full.......2004-05-17

Have you ever wondered how many different types of stars are in space or are there planets orbiting them? The book Extreme Stars, At the Edge of Creation, by James Kaler is a must read for the astronomy enthusiast. This book is a fresh approach at examining the lives of stars. It covers all extremes from black holes and neutron stars to supergiants and hypergiants. Kaler takes a unique way of organizing the stars in sections for example the coolest, the hottest and the brightest stars. In each section Kaler includes lots of diagrams and pictures to help the reader relate to examples from the text. He is also very through about each topic and often explains the history behind the star and the links that change stars from one type to another. In one chapter, Kaler explains that giant Jupiter class planets have been found in orbit around certain stars.
Kaler writes in a way that is very thorough and detailed but where even the most novice astronomer can still understand. The graphs and photos also help to clarify some of the more difficult. For example, when he talks about stars and their spectra he will often include a diagram to help show the relationship.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to someone interested in astronomy. It is really interesting and shows the great variety of stars that exist in the universe. Especially for people wanting to learn more about stars this book is a must read.

"Stellar behaviour runs amok".......2003-08-11

Kaler's descriptive aptly summarises the theme of this fine work. Astronomy done well is always a fascinating read, and Kaler's done a masterful job. He takes us into the realm of the biggest, hottest, smallest, coolest, most dense and diffuse stars in our universe. Each chapter is devoted to a type, with examples, history, evolution and likely finales. The text is clear and unambiguous, obviously written for anyone interested in our stellar neighbours. Diagrams and photographs illuminate complex subjects throughout, including some spectacular colour plates in one section. Kaler deserves high praise for a comprehensive and exhaustive presentation untainted by weighty philosophy or arcane mathematics.

Kaler's uses the nearest star, our sun, to launch a comparative view of the more extreme versions of stellar objects. Placed in the middle of the band of stars fitting on the "main sequence", it's a valid starting point. Main sequence stars range from very large and bright to very small and dim. Within that range they follow fairly predictable patterns for a given size and type. Outside that stable range, however, loom some immense exceptions and a plethora of tiny, almost minuscule stellar objects. Orion's shoulder is marked by a star with a diameter nearly reaching the orbit of Jupiter. Another, even greater, reach nearly to Saturn's. Others, as Kaler notes, would "fit inside a small town". Even these minute objects have a life history that tells us much about the universe we inhabit. Kaler is vivid in his descriptions of these objects, but he's even more spirited when dealing with the nuclear processes going on within them. Some stars truly seem to "run amok"!

Stars are distant laboratories where reactions occur impossible to duplicate in Earth-bound facilities. Kaler describes the activities of chemical elements within stellar objects and how their signals tell us about the events occurring there. As stars burn away their hydrogen fuel, various options, some still not understood, may be followed. Electrons jump from shell to shell emitting or absorbing energy. These signals, he notes, are the indicators of luminosity, temperature and even distance. One such signal, of course, is the most significant of all - the "noise" indicating the Big Bang that started it all. One result, however, is clear - without these processes neither our planet nor we would exist. This is because the stars, which began as clouds of hydrogen and dust, become the forges of heavier elements. As Joni Mitchell once sang, "we are all made of star stuff". You don't have to be interested in astronomy to enjoy this book. You need only care about your origins and environment. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

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Extreme Photography: The Hottest, Coldest, Fastest, Slowest, Nearest, Farthest, Brightest, Darkest, Largest, Smallest, Weirdest Images in the Universe...and How They Were (Extreme)
Terry Hope
Manufacturer: Rotovision
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Xtreme Sports Photography: Taking Pictures on the Edge (Xtreme)

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ASIN: 2880467608

Book Description

Photography is about much more than putting the camera to the eye and pressing the shutter. Sometimes what is being recorded is impossible to approach in a convetional way, for a number of reasons: it's too small, too large, far away, too hot, too cold or hidden away somewhere where the eye can't see. Extreme photography takes the medium to the limits of possibility and beyond human capability.

Book Description

The year 2003 was the 50th anniversary of the seminal experiment of Stanley Miller. This was a unique opportunity for highlighting the current interest in this most interdisciplinary subject. The leading space agencies: the European Space Agency (ESA) as well as NASA, the American Space Agency, have planned missions that will elucidate some of the still unknown questions underlying research in the origin of life. New results are surpassing our ability to keep well informed: the reviews that we were presented at the Trieste meeting will bring the readers of this well-documented and timely book up to date in this fast-moving area.

An important component of the conference was the review of the Cassini-Huygens mission due to arrive in the Saturn system just one year after the conference convened in Trieste. There was particular interest in the status of the experiments that will take place inside the atmosphere of Titan, the large satellite, which is a testing ground for the theories and experiments in the field of chemical evolution.

The Jovian system is currently under study with the view of investigating the possibility of life underneath the frozen surface of the Galilean moon Europa; the ESA mission "Mars Express" and Mars Odyssey received special attention. Some of the world leaders in the field gathered in Trieste in September 2003 - that was a most timely date for reviewing recent data and discussing the prospects of future research.

Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2002: Second XP Universe and First Agile Universe Conference Chicago, IL, USA, August 4-7, 2002.Proceedings ... (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

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Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2002: Second XP Universe and First Agile Universe Conference Chicago, IL, USA, August 4-7, 2002.Proceedings ... (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3540440240

Book Description

This book constitues the refereed proceedings of the Second XP Universe and First Agile Universe Conference, XP/Agile Universe 2002, held in Chicago, IL, USA in August 2002.The 27 revised full papers presented together with tutorial abstracts, workshop summaries and panel statements were carefully reviewed and selected. The papers are organized in topical sections on methods and support tools, introducing extreme programming and agile methods, experience reports, testing, empirical studies, pair programming, and educational issues.

Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2003: Third XP and Second Agile Universe Conference, New Orleans, LA, USA, August 10-13, 2003, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

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Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2003: Third XP and Second Agile Universe Conference, New Orleans, LA, USA, August 10-13, 2003, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 354040662X

Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the XP / Agile Universe 2003 Conference held in New Orleans, LA, USA in August 2003.

The 17 revised full papers presented together with abstracts or papers from an educator symposium and workshop summaries were carefully reviewed and selected from 35 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on becoming agile, agile methods and processes, agile testing, and tool support for agile teams.

Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2004: 4th Conference on Extreme Programming and Agile Methods, Calgary, Canada, August 15-18, ... (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

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Extreme Programming and Agile Methods - XP/Agile Universe 2004: 4th Conference on Extreme Programming and Agile Methods, Calgary, Canada, August 15-18, ... (Lecture Notes in Computer Science)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 354022839X

Book Description

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th Conference on Extreme Programming and Agile Methods, XP/Agile Universe 2004, held in Calgary, Canada in August 2004.

The 18 revised full papers presented together with summaries of workshops, panels, and tutorials were carefully reviewed and selected from 45 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on testing and integration, managing requirements and usability, pair programming, foundations of agility, process adaptation, and educational issues.

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Explores the most violent & awesome objects in time & space

Extreme Universe
Nigel Henbest , and Heather Cooper
Manufacturer: MacMillan UK
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Using 150 dramatic astronomical photos, Extreme Universe investigates the most violent phenomena in the cosmos, from death–trap planets to black holes.

Customer Reviews:

Explores the most violent & awesome objects in time & space.......2004-02-03

Nigel Henbest & Heather Couper's EXTREME UNIVERSE explores the most violent and awesome objects in time and space and will appeal to a wide and general interest audience. It deserves ongoing mention as a fine library acquisition, packed with color photos and details rich in scientific history and insights on the Universe's origins.

The New Science of Astrobiology: From Genesis of the Living Cell to Evolution of Intelligent Behavior in the Universe (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)

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The New Science of Astrobiology: From Genesis of the Living Cell to Evolution of Intelligent Behavior in the Universe (Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology)
J. Chela-Flores
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Astrobiology is a very broad interdisciplinary field covering the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe, as well as the design and implementation of missions for solar system exploration. A review covering its complete spectrum has been missing at a level accessible even to the non-specialist.
The last section of the book consists of a supplement, including a glossary, notes, and tables, which represent highly condensed `windows' into research ranging from basic sciences to earth and life sciences, as well as the humanities.
These additions should make The New Science of Astrobiology accessible to a wide readership: scientists, humanists, and the general reader will have an opportunity to participate in one of the most rewarding activities of contemporary culture.

Planet of Extremes: Jupiter (Isaac Asimov's New Library of the Universe)

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Planet of Extremes: Jupiter (Isaac Asimov's New Library of the Universe)
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ProductGroup: Book
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Exploring the extreme Universe! (SuDoc NAS 1.86:UN 3/2/CD/2001)

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Exploring the extreme Universe! (SuDoc NAS 1.86:UN 3/2/CD/2001)
NASA
Manufacturer: the Laboratory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00011585U

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