Discovery

ASTRONOMY FOR THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, by Paul Wyatt; Cambridge University Press, 1996; 122 pp; $37.75

Reviewed by John Dunlop

This soft-cover volume has been written as a high school science textbook. The first four chapters would suit a junior science course; the last four would provide sufficient material to complete a 6th or 7th Form course. Comprehensive questions, both text-based and research, accompany each chapter.

This is the best reasonably priced textbook suitable for high school use I have seen, and teachers who know that they are not able to do justice to astronomy studies at this level would find this volume an excellent one to organise a course around. The author has extensive experience and success in astronomy and high school teaching. His contribution to improving teaching in this subject is badly needed in this country and most welcome.

The book is almost totally Australian, despite its title. Apart from the complete failure to mention the high quality astronomy pursued by both amateurs and professionals in South Africa, South America and New Zealand, the book provides a good introduction to astronomy for southern observers. The many attractive colour photographs and B&W diagrams make the book attractive and illustrate concepts well, although some of the diagrams are small and cluttered. The star maps are small and incomplete, so would frustrate a beginner trying to find objects in the night sky. This deficiency could be overcome by using the book alongside a star atlas or planetarium software (see http://www.stardome.org.nz for examples). The section on the historical development of astronomical ideas covers well the contributions of various ancient civilisations. The good reasons why an Earth-centered view of the solar system dominated for so long are well set out, and the author avoids the church-bashing often associated with popular accounts of the change to a sun-centered cosmology.

Adults wanting an economical introduction to astronomy that goes beyond simple explanations would benefit from its clear explanations and progressive complexity. Compared to the beautifully presented Skywatching by David Levy and the comprehensive Collins Guide to the Night Sky by Ian Ridpath and Will Tirion, both in a similar price bracket, this book gives a more comprehensive overview of theory, but does not guide the reader around the sky as well. Perhaps a pair of books is better than a single solve-all.

John Dunlop is involved in astronomy education at the Auckland Observatory.