The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Sun

I get a lot of requests for book recommendations, and "Idiot's Guide to the Sun" is one that I've suggested often to people as an interesting astronomy read for themselves or to give as gifts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and learned a few new things myself! Dr. Pasachoff loves to talk about the Sun. If you didn't know before you bought the book, you'd find out soon enough. This is because he and his students have studied the Sun extensively for years, most notably through solar eclipses. At last count I think he'd been to 35 of them! In this book he takes all that knowledge and shares it, guiding you gently through the intricacies of how our star works, how it evolved, what we learn by studying it, what eclipses are, and how the Sun and Earth are interconnected. Sure, you're going to learn some physics along the way, but it doesn't hurt! Dr. Pasachoff's approach just about guarantees you'll find something to appreciate at whatever level works for you. As in his textbook in physics (which I used lo these many years ago as a physics student), he uses some great examples from history and popular culture to teach about the Sun. Those just grab your attention in a way that less-colorful writing would not! And along the way you learn something about the really complex workings of our star. Give it a chance (despite the word "idiot" in the title) -- it's a neat way to get to know the Sun.

The author is a professional solar astronomer who is able to explain every aspect about our solar system's star in a way that lay people can understand. This was obvious to me as I flipped through the book for the first time, checking to see if it was what I needed to learn exactly how the sun functioned.Admittedly, there were a few things which I had to reread more than a couple of times to really understand, but understand I eventually did. The sun is a complicated object (basically its an enormous nuclear fusion reactor), and to make such a scientific subject comprehendable by the masses is no small task.I really bought it looking for two things: an easy to read textbook about the sun and its workings, and a guide to help me observe it properly in white light telescopic viewing. It should be understood that this latter objective was not the intention of the book. Though the amateur astronomer with a small amount of solar observing experience would be able to sift through the chapters and find some things which he or she could use in bits and pieces, this is definitely not the correct book to be used as an observer's guide. I have to say that I still haven't found a better book for the beginning white light solar observer than James Muirden's "How to Use an Astronomical Telescope," though I am still looking.For "The Idiot's... Sun's" intended purpose, which is teaching the curious about how the sun performs the way it does, this book is very hard to beat.

While the title, not chosen by the author Jay Pasachoff, is less than endearing, the contents are superb. The newcomer to solar astronomy would be well educated after studying this book alone. It comprehensively covers just about all the solar studies that have been and are being done in a remarkably concise manner. This is quite and achievement in a field as dynamic as solar astronomy. Historical work from the Galilleo and Christopher Scheiner up to the modern era are woven in as a backdrop to modern research. In this book you will find discussions on topics from backyard white-light solar observing to the latest work being done by the GONG Network on solar oscillations or results of the SOHO and TRACE satellites, explained in easy to understand language. In fact, many sections are presented as answers to questions that well might be asked at that point by the incisive reader. This and the enjoyable flow of the writing leads the reader from one section and chapter into the next. The book ends with a list of solar observatories and organizations as well as a very good bibliography. While this book may be called "The Complete Idiot's Guide" you will be anything but that when finished!