Comins, Neil F.

John Allen Paulos, author of Innumeracy and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper:Although ostensibly about astronomy, Comins's Heavenly Errors effectively uses common (mis)conceptions about the subject to present an elegant tutorial on scientific thought--as much about embarrassing holes in arguments as about black holes in space. Michael Shermer, Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic magazine, and columnist for Scientific American:Comins's delightful romp through both scientific and pseudoscientific errors through the ages will not only teach you more science than a year's worth of college courses, but you'll learn something even deeper about how the mind works and, more important, fails to work. Jeffery Bennett, author of The Cosmic Perspective and On the Cosmic Horizon:A unique and entertaining way to learn how we have progressed from the ancient belief in an Earth-centered universe to our modern understanding of the cosmos. Along the way, Comins provides lessons about science and misconceptions that should be valuable to every teacher, student, and parent. Intriguing analysis of common errors and misconceptions of the real nature of the universe. An easy-to-read guide to what science now knows about the universe. Debunking silly, frightening and grandiose beliefs, the University of Maine professor of physics and astronomy is reassuring and engaging. Anyone concerned with astronomy will find this book useful. His relaxed style of discourse makes his book quite readable, and though his pedagogical approach is somewhat unconventional, he deserves a hearing. Recommended for acade. One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Astronomy, in particular, is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines. With the participation of thousands of undergraduate students, Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. Heavenly Errors provides access to all of them and explores many, including:¿ Black holes suck in everything around them.¿ The Sun shines by burning gas.¿ Comets have tails trailing behind them.¿ The Moon alone causes tides.¿ Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is the hottest planet. In the course of correcting these errors, he explains that some occur through the prevalence of pseudosciences such as astrology and UFO-logy and some enter the public conscience through the "bad astronomy" of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science-fiction movies.. Perhaps most important, Professor Comins presents the reader with the methods for identifying and replacing incorrect ideas--tools with which to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves ... and to think more like scientists.

An astronomer and author explores ten examples of what Earth would be like if conditions in the universe were slightly altered, in a fascinating journey into scientific scenarios.

Any discussion about finding life elsewhere in the universe always leads us to analyze the factors that make life possible on Earth. What would the earth and life on it be like if our planet had formed under different circumstances? What if the earth were less massive, or if the sun had ended up with more mass when the solar system was formed? What would happen if a star exploded near the earth, or passed through our solar system right now? What if a black hole passed. Through the earth? What if our ozone layer became depleted? What would happen to life on Earth? In this engaging and accessible exploratory work, accomplished astronomer Neil F. Comins shows how these and other hypothetical situations would affect our planet and the life it sustains, by extrapolating from our present condition and applying plausible astronomical and geological theories. What if the moon didn't exist, for example? Well, Comins explains, the earth would. Rotate more than three times faster than it currently does, and our tides would be much lower. There would be recurrent gale-force winds like those on Jupiter, making it a challenge for "tall" beings (like humans) to evolve. And the atmosphere would have taken millions of years longer to convert from one dominated by carbon dioxide to the life-giving nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere of today (if it could at all - the atmosphere surrounding moonless Venus is still predominantly. Composed of carbon dioxide). By following up its initial imaginative leaps with careful analysis, What If the Moon Didn't Exist? offers the reader a fresh understanding of our place in the solar system, and a deep appreciation of how fragile a habitat the earth is.