An authoritative and readable introduction to the Sun, our nearest star, from two experienced astronomers, for general science readers.

Larvae of the Nearest Stars offers deeply serious verse that packs profound emotional and spiritual power while encouraging readers to laugh out loud. Catherine W. Carter’s quirky, accessible poems bridge and question binaries—human and nonhuman, lyric and narrative, science and magic, river trash and galaxies. The poems’ subjects range from dowsers and liver spots to the mysteries of two-seater outhouses and encounters with sentient milk jugs and “our lady of the bagels.” The collection begins and ends by confronting the necessity—and the promise—to bear witness to the world as it is, addressing how we can manage to love the world in the face of everything that makes doing so a challenge. The poems in this engaging and meditative collection are sometimes dark, often funny, but always surprising.

The sun brings heat, warmth, and energy to the Earth. What is the sun made of? How big is it? How far away? Read and find out!

As our closest stellar companion and composed of two Sun-like stars and a third small dwarf star, Alpha Centauri is an ideal testing ground of astrophysical models and has played a central role in the history and development of modern astronomy—from the first guesses at stellar distances to understanding how our own star, the Sun, might have evolved. It is also the host of the nearest known exoplanet, an ultra-hot, Earth-like planet recently discovered. Just 4.4 light years away Alpha Centauri is also the most obvious target for humanity’s first directed interstellar space probe. Such a mission could reveal the small-scale structure of a new planetary system and also represent the first step in what must surely be humanity’s greatest future adventure—exploration of the Milky Way Galaxy itself. For all of its closeness, α Centauri continues to tantalize astronomers with many unresolved mysteries, such as how did it form, how many planets does it contain and where are they, and how might we view its extensive panorama directly? In this book we move from the study of individual stars to the study of our Solar System and our nearby galactic neighborhood. On the way we will review the rapidly developing fields of exoplanet formation and detection.

It’s a good story: we are made of matter like that we also find in the stars. Essential to our planet’s existence, the Sun—our nearest star––is also the most fascinating object humans have ever adored, literally the difference between day and night. But getting beyond these basic perceptions requires scientific understanding. What, for instance, is the sun made of? Why does it burn so brightly? How long will it last? This book not only answers these questions but also tells the story of how we came to know—not merely behold—the grandest entity in our sky. Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff offer an engaging and informative account of solar science and its history, drawing on centuries of study by solar astronomers who have looked to the Sun not only to learn about our own solar system but also about what lies in the distant wilderness of faintly glimmering stars. They skim along the surface of the Sun, which is decorated with sunspots, discussing these fascinating magnetic aberrations and the roughly eleven-year cycles they abide. They follow seismic waves into the interior of the Sun and its unending nuclear fusion. They show us what is unveiled in solar eclipses and what new views and knowledge our space exploration has afforded us. They brave solar weather, and they trace the arcs of radiation and particles whose effects we can see on earth in phenomena such as the northern and southern lights. Glowing with a wide assortment of astonishing images, this beautifully illustrated guide will delight everyone, from those who know what a coronagraph is to those who simply like to step out on a bright day, close their eyes, and feel the Sun’s warmth upon their skin.

This exciting book teaches young readers about the sunEarths nearest star. Astounding photographs and simple text help kids understand the suns features and role in our solar system.