"Merlin's Tour"

Wonders of the universe

"Merlin’s Tour Of The Universe: A Skywatcher’s Guide To Everything From Mars And Quasars To Comets, Planets, Blue Moons, And Werewolves." Neil de Grasse Tyson, Main Street Books/Doubleday, 1997, 299 pages.

 

"If the sun makes rainbows, then does the moon make moonbows?" This and other questions are answered in a fascinating new book by Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson on the wonders of the universe. Despite the public’s interest in our natural world, science books can sometimes be difficult reading for the layperson. "Merlin’s Tour" is a wonderful departure from this difficulty.

Dr. Tyson has used a fictitious character to present the scientific information in a delightfully entertaining way. The book is centered on an imaginary traveler from the Andromeda galaxy named Merlin. He is the five billion-year-old writer of the monthly column "Star Date." In this Q & A column Merlin answers questions from the general public based on his conversations with some of the greatest scientists in Earth’s history. The result is an enlightening look at the universe and the natural phenomena it contains. Traveling through the universe, Merlin investigates and explains the Earth and the other astronomical oddities of time and space. During his journey Merlin travels beyond the Earth past the moon, planets, stars, asteroids, comets and the sun. In each of these chapters Merlin answers specific questions pertaining to that phenomena.

 

 

In the chapter entitled "Planets," Merlin answers a question from a woman in Fort Wayne, Ind., regarding the possibility that Saturn could float on water. Despite the fact that Saturn is many times the size of Earth, Merlin explains that because of its lower density (compared to Earth), Saturn would indeed be able to float on water. In "Galaxies Galore" a man from Chicago asks if the visible light from the galaxy Andromeda is the light is emits now or in the past. Merlin’s reply: "You see Andromeda not as it is and where it is, but as it was and where it was over two million years ago." The result is a fun-filled presentation that educates the reader on the scientific information in the field of astronomy.

 

 

 

Incidentally, according to Merlin the moon does make moonbows: "(They) tend to appear when you look at the Moon through a hazy, semitransparent cloud of tiny ice particles."

Dr. Tyson has written a very entertaining and informative book on the science of astronomy. One of the joys of reading this book is the question and answer style of covering the broad subject categories. This allows one to read from cover-to-cover or open the book at any page and begin reading a submitted question to Merlin with his response. Most of the responses are in narrative form; a few are presented in poetic rhyme. Dr. Tyson has included a glossary of terms common in astronomy, a bibliography for further reading, and an easy to use index.

Dr. Tyson is currently the Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium. He has published several books and his writing appears in many publications, including the magazine "Natural History."

"Merlin’s Tour Of The Universe" is recommended for any adult or young person who is looking for an entertaining source of information to expand their knowledge of the universe.

For more information, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call 732-8878.

[Richard Sumrall,
Lincoln Public Library District]

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