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Astronomy book and documentary recommendations

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  • 30-12-2010 10:58am
    #1
    ScottStorm
    Registered Users Posts: 364 ✭✭


    I've been watching "The Universe" which is an enjoyable show and going forward will be watching "the sky at night".

    However the thirst for knowledge is unquenched, can anybody recommend some good books (and or documentary / t.v. shows) on astronomy?

    Any recommendations will be appreciated and the knowledge will be gratefully consumed.


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    #2
    Plug
    Registered Users Posts: 9,248 ✭✭✭Plug


    The sky at night magazine is good.


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    #3
    FarmerGreen
    Registered Users Posts: 1,134 ✭✭✭FarmerGreen


    BBC2 at 20.00 Mon 03/01, Tue, Weds
    Stargazing LIVE. Dara O Briain and others "wonder at the night sky, with extraordinary images beamed in from telescopes across the globe"
    Could be good.


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    #4
    ScottStorm
    Registered Users Posts: 364 ✭✭ScottStorm


    I'll definitely have a look at those, anybody read any of Carl Sagan's books?


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    #5
    dublin_daveyboy
    Registered Users Posts: 108 ✭✭dublin_daveyboy


    Another good documentary series from the bbc is "the planets",its an oldie but a goldie i have the dvds i had to buy them from england.you would find it on youtube and ive seen some of carl sagans documentry on there aswell.


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    #6
    Cú Giobach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,772 ✭✭✭Cú Giobach


    The monthly Sky & Telescope magazine is IMO the best astronomy mag out there, and well worth checking out.
    A brilliant book to read is Journey beyond Selene it is (like most books on the topic of space) slightly out of date, but will give you a brilliant understanding and "view" of the solar systems moons, it's a truly fascinating read. :)


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    #7
    Conor108
    Registered Users Posts: 3,871 ✭✭✭Conor108


    Wonders of the solar system was great!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUfd7RLMScU


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    #8
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    ScottStorm wrote: »
    I'll definitely have a look at those, anybody read any of Carl Sagan's books?
    I have read them all and they are fantastic. Not really about astronomy but rather Cosmology.
    Cosmos - Sagan's best-known work, Cosmos takes you through the past, present, and future of science. It is a sort of bible of where we've been and where we're headed.

    The Dragons of Eden - is an excellent examination of the human mind. It traces the development of human intelligence and the function of many of our myths and legends.

    Pale Blue Dot - Sagan mixes science and philosophy into a journey through the solar system and recounts the many startling scientific findings of the past few decades.

    Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors - Sagan travels back in evolutionary time a billion years and then bring us forward to explore the origins of the human species.

    Billions and Billions - Sagan's final book, which is in fact a collection of essays that was published posthumously. It covers a variety of subjects.

    The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - My favourite! Sagan takes you on a fascinating trip through the world of pseudoscience. Exploring UFO stories, alien abductions, faith healing, religious extremism, and other mysterious phenomena, he debunks the world of mystical beliefs and defends science as a means of explaining the world in which we live. He equips you with a "baloney detection kit" that will help you think through the many political, social, and religious issues you encounter in daily life.

    He has many other books well worth reading. Alos there is the DVD series Cosmos which is just fantastic and available from Amazon, ebay etc.

    A life changing series, relevent as much today as it was in 1980.

    Carl Sagan was a legend and the world is a much poorer place since he died.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE9dEAx5Sgw





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    #9
    ScrubsfanChris
    Registered Users Posts: 8,599 ✭✭✭ScrubsfanChris


    Conor108 wrote: »
    Wonders of the solar system was great!
    +1
    It looks absolutely awesome on blu-ray aswell

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonders-Solar-System-Blu-ray/dp/B00395ATPO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294004699&sr=8-2


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    #10
    Cú Giobach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,772 ✭✭✭Cú Giobach


    I forgot about this one, the Through the wormhole series with Morgan Freeman, it's well worth a watch. Nicely up to date and well done. :)


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    #11
    ctrl-alt-delete
    Registered Users Posts: 14,112 ✭✭✭✭ctrl-alt-delete


    Conor108 wrote: »
    Wonders of the solar system was great!

    Yeah I loved that series, Brian Cox is excellent in my opinion!

    I got the book of the series for Christmas, I love flicking through it.
    ScrubsfanChris wrote: »
    +1
    It looks absolutely awesome on blu-ray aswell

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonders-Solar-System-Blu-ray/dp/B00395ATPO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1294004699&sr=8-2

    Thanking you for that link, 10 quid for it on Blu-Ray is a steal!!


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