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Clocks in the Sky: The Story of Pulsars (Springer Praxis Books) 2008th Edition

by Geoff McNamara (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars, the collapsed cores of once massive stars that ended their lives as supernova explosions.

In this book, Geoff McNamara explores the history, subsequent discovery and contemporary research into pulsar astronomy. The story of pulsars is brought right up to date with the announcement in 2006 of a new breed of pulsar, Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs), which emit short bursts of radio signals separated by long pauses. These may outnumber conventional radio pulsars by a ratio of four to one. Geoff McNamara ends by pointing out that, despite the enormous success of pulsar research in the second half of the twentieth century, the real discoveries are yet to be made including, perhaps, the detection of the hypothetical pulsar black hole binary system by the proposed Square Kilometre Array - the largest single radio telescope in the world.

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Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0387765603
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0387765600
  3. Edition
    2008th
  4. Publisher
    Praxis
  5. Publication date
    November 17, 2008
  6. Part of series
    Springer Praxis Books
  7. Language
    English
  8. Dimensions
    6.69 x 0.47 x 9.53 inches
  9. Print length
    204 pages
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"McNamara … has produced a masterpiece of science writing. … he proceeds to provide vignettes of the key theoretical developments and observational discoveries over the last 75 years that establish pulsars as one of the most important fields in astronomy. … difficult topics such as relativistic effects are so well explained that casual readers will understand the basic principles. This book has … excellent writing, thorough attention to historical accuracy, and good science. This book is hard to put down! Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries." (T. D. Oswalt, Choice, Vol. 46 (9), May, 2009)

"The author begins with some background information on the life and death of stars, an introduction to the neutron that is essential, some comments on quasars … . There are now a number of different types of pulsar, some having been found in the most unlikely places, for instance globular pulsars, pulsars with planets, magnetars and multibeams. The presentation is never boring and manages to convey the continued excitement that identifies the subject. I can … recommend it." (Bill Barlow, Astronomy Now, September, 2009)

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Praxis; 2008th edition (November 17, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 204 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0387765603
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0387765600
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.69 x 0.47 x 9.53 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Geoff McNamara

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ShanRS
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a great introduction to the intriguing subject of pulsars. It is well written but understandable to the average reader. I used this book for a general college astronomy course and learned a lot.
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Dingane
4.0 out of 5 stars Does anybody know what time it is?
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2016
If you are looking for Pulsar History 101 then go no further than this book. However if you are like me and want to know what makes these clocks tick, pun intended, then you will be somewhat disappointed. Perhaps my conclusion is that very little is known about Pulsar mechanics and there is a wild future ahead of those who are intrepid enough to take up the challenge to study them.
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green66
5.0 out of 5 stars Springer praxis books ships fast, very pleased with my book
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2022
A good science book, easy to read and very interesting.
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spin_glass
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Entry Level Science
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2009
This is a good book for those who have an interest in this particular stellar pathology also if you enjoy the type of writer who informs via the anecdote you will again find this an entertaining way to learn. He for example explains through the words of Ms Jocelyn Bell her perspective on not being included in the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the pulsar and from my own point of veiw I was interested to learn of the radio interferometry experiments carried out here in post war Sydney. The book begins with the life cycles of stars that eventually become the subject of this book and then leads in to the link between the subatomic and the nature of the neuton star. I felt this section was a little confused but encourage the prospective reader to 'read on'. A few of the diagrams are misplaced and in one case i can recall, insufficient in regard to explanations. Closing chapters explore the subclasses of the Pulsar as well as the system PSR 1913+16 which became famous through it being a test bed for General Relativity and the subject of another book by McNamara, gravitational waves.
This book I hope will inspire readers to look further into the types and classifications of stars as well as the interesting behaviour that they exhibit.
McNamara's book is thouroughly researched and therefore a reliable book, which is not always the case with popular science.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

J. Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, not sure about the title
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2011
Verified Purchase
Yes, pulsars are like clocks in the sky and yes, this is the story of pulsars (rapidly rotating neutron stars giving off astonishiningly regular pulses of radiation.) However, my chief concern is that the title may mislead the potential buyer into thinking this book totals more than a large paragraph on their time keeping properties. For example there is no comparison made with the accuracy of atomic clocks. For this, I have deducted one star.

On the positive side, this book charts the discoveries of many perplexing pulsar related phenomena and brings the reader right up to date.....for now.
One person found this helpful
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Michael Dalgleish
4.0 out of 5 stars Superb for an informed reader.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is not intended for readers new to astronomy, a reasonable grounding in science, especially physics helps, but you won't come across and maths.
I found it absorbing and at the end, frustrating- I wanted to keep reading, more and more.
Any suggestions for an equally good read to follow with?
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