A Review

Welcome to my 365 Days of Astronomy Page for March 14, 2010.  In this episode of the podcast (which airs on March 14, 2010), I share a little walk-through review of the A Field Guide to Stars and Planets (Peterson Field Guide), by Jay Pasachoff. This is one of the most useful books I’ve ever had on my shelf, and there’s a reason I keep getting updated versions: it’s fast, handy, accurate, and well-written. Over the years it has been one of my constant “go to” books when I’m writing about astronomy.

Author Jay Pasachoff is a colleague and friend and a very prolific science writer. This will probably make him feel a bit old, but back when I was in college, we used his two-part physics book in my Physics 101 classes. Jay teaches at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and it was my pleasure to teach a winter session class in 2006 at Williams at Jay’s invitation.  Jay focuses much of his attention on solar studies, in particular, solar eclipses. He’s probably been to more eclipses than anybody I know, and in many cases has students along to take measurements along with him. You can learn more about Jay and his work at his web page. It’s been a pleasure to work with Jay and use his books over the years, and I encourage you to check out his writing as well.