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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Sky and Telescope Magazine",
    "description": "This item contains volume seven, issue three, number seventy-five of Sky and Telescope Magazine.",
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    "seq": 26,
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    "ocrText": "250\nBOOKS AND THE SKY\nLUMINOUS\nSTARS\nONE TWO THREE\nINFINITY\nstrange twist of mind the Roman logic\nDARK\nMoon & 4 Planets\nGeorge Gamow. The Viking Press, New\nstopped at that; and so when the Senate\ndecided to erect a monument to commem-\nYork, 1947. 340 pages. $4.75.\nHave your own Planetarium\norate the victory over the Carthaginians\non the ceiling of your den,\nHE BOOK originated,\" writes Pro-\nin the year 260 B. C., and to immortalize\nbedroom or rumpus room.\nfessor Gamow in the preface to the\non it the amount of war reparations ex-\nSTARS\" shine with outdoor realism\nvolume under review, \"in an attempt to\nacted from the fallen foes, the sculptor had\nAFTER furning off the lights.\nGummed and Ready to Put Up\ncollect the most interesting facts and theo-\nto repeat the symbol ((()))) 23 times.\nThis was a fairly laborious undertaking,\nINOW\nOuly $100 postpaid\nries of modern science in such a way as to\ngive the reader a general picture of the\nto be sure, but still much less so than Pro-\nComplete with Chart and Directions\nuniverse in its microscopic and macro-\nfessor Gamow's drawing would lead us\n\"STARS\"\n12,200 BLIX STREET\nNORTH HOLLYWOOD CALIF\nscopic manifestations, as it presents itself\nto believe.\nto the eye of the scientist of to-day.\nThe misprints in the book are, unfor-\nThe subjects to be discussed have been se-\ntunately, many. Names are misspelled\nlected so as to survey briefly the entire\n(Aristanchus, page 6; Schwartzschild, con-\nFeatures of the Moon\nfield of basic scientific knowledge, leaving\nsistently). The reader will be surprised to\nno corner untouched.\"\nlearn that the prototype of the \"Cepheides\"\nBy J. E. SPURR\nEven if the last words just quoted prom-\nis \"the star B-Cepheus, in which the phe-\nise perhaps more than the reader may\nnomenon of pulsation was first discovered\"\n419 pages 14 plates 95 text figures\neventually find in the book, its scope is\n(page 289). The statement on page 318\ntruly impressive. Its four main parts deal,\nthat X Canis Majoris is commonly known\nPrice $5.00\nsuccessively, with various interesting\nas Sirius belongs to the same category.\npoints of the theory of numbers, the rela-\nOn pages 318 and 319, the author refers\ntivity of space and time, the world of\nrepeatedly to a star called Y 380 Cygni.\nThe Science Press Printing\nnuclei (both atomic and cellular), and the\nI believe he means the eclipsing variable\nmacrocosmos. Part III - Microcosmos -\nV 380 Cygni; this is an unpleasant mis-\nCompany\nforms the bulk of the book and touches in\nprint since Y Cygni, another eclipsing\nLancaster, Pa.\na light vein, which is characteristic of the\nvariable, is referred to on the immediately\nwhole text, upon a great number of diverse\npreceding page.\ntopics of physics, chemistry, and biology.\nThese and other misprints, due undoubt-\nThe limelight is decidedly focused on nu-\nedly to hasty proofreading, are relatively\nA S T R O N O M I C A L\nclear fission, whether of atomic nuclei with\na minor matter. The most serious objec-\nP H O T O G R A P H S\nall its notorious implications, or on the\ntion which the present reviewer feels\nmitotic division of nuclei of living cells\nbound to raise - and in fairness to Pro-\nand the fundamental concepts of genetics.\nfessor Gamow it should be said that it\n65 selected photo-\ngraphs made through\nThe fourth part, dealing with the macro-\ndoes not concern his writings alone - is\nthe World's Largest\ncosmos, which should be of most direct\na protest against too much enthusiasm or\nTelescopes. Yerkes,\ninterest to Sky and Telescope readers,\nemphasis (and omission) in presentations\nLick, Mount Wilson,\nis, unfortunately, disappointingly brief.\nin popular books of theories or hypotheses\nHarvardobservatories.\nNevertheless, it contains two features\nwhich a credulous or uncritical reader may\nReproduced in half-\nwhich should make it worthwhile to every\neasily take for granted, but for which the\ntone in\namateur astronomer: a popular and read-\ncautious verdict of sober science still re-\nable discussion of the neutrino theory of\nmains: not proven. Enthusiasm, even sin-\n\"An Album of Celestial Photographs\"\nthe supernovae, and an account of von\ncere and well meant, is always a poor\nSize 8¹/² x 11\nWeizsäcker's theory of the origin of the\nsubstitute for actual knowledge; and if\nDe Luxe Copy (heavy paper cover) $1.50\nLibrary Edition (press-board cover) $2.00\nsolar system.\nnot used with caution it may easily help\nThe volume is well written and well\nto create, in wide circles, an entirely er-\nA. L. BEDELL - PUBLISHER\nprinted. It is profusely illustrated by the\nroneous impression about the present at-\nBox 1447-J\nSt. Louis 1, Mo.\nauthor's own drawings as well as by some\ntainments of the natural sciences and, still\nexcellent reproductions of carefully se-\nmore, about the rate of their development.\nlected photographs. A few of the drawings\nThis latest book by Professor Gamow\nSplendors of the Sky\nare really good, such as the one on page\nis by far more inclusive than any of his\n80 depicting Albert Einstein in the role of\nprevious popular writings. The result is\nCompiled by\na magician. The same disarmingly ele-\nstimulating, but the dangers of attempting\nCharles and Helen Federer\nmentary style which characterized Ga-\nto cover too much in a book of limited size\nmow's earlier writings will accompany the\nare likewise obvious.\n36 pages of astronomical photo-\nreader on his kaleidoscopic journey\nZDENEK KOPAL\ngraphs and pictures, many full-size\nthrough the present book. The occasional\nMass. Institute of Technology\n- 9 x 12. Fine-screen halftones\nfelicity of expression (for instance, the\nand Harvard College Observatory\nprinted on heavy coated paper.\nterm \"cosmic thunderclouds\" in reference\nAs an addition to your own library,\nto the electrically charged matter in inter-\nor for a gift to friends or children,\nstellar space) does much to drive home\nSplendors of the Sky cannot be\nthe points and to enliven the subject.\nIt must, however, be observed that the\nMoon Sets\nequaled at this price.\n35c each - send 5c postage please\nauthor's tendencies to witticisms have\nAVAILABLE NOW - the 18 full-\nSold at all planetariums:\noccasionally misled him to incorrect state-\nsized plates of the moon, nine of\nments. For example, his drawing on page\nAdler, 900 E. Achsah Bond Drive,\nthe first-quarter and nine making\n5 depicts Julius Caesar attempting to\nthe last-quarter moon, from Lick\nChicago 5. 111.\nwrite \"one million\" in Roman numerals on\nObservatory negatives. Printed on\nBuhl, Federal and West Ohio,\nthe wall. Actually, the conqueror of Gaul\nheavy coated stock, each plate on\nPittsburgh 12, Pa.\nor any of his contemporaries or even an-\na sheet 12 x 18 inches. Included\nFels, Franklin Institute, Philadel-\ncestors would have known much better\non a separate sheet are 18 key\nphia 3, Pa.\ncharts of named lunar features.\nthan to repeat endlessly the symbol M, or\nGriffith, P. O. Box 9787, Los Feliz\nrather its original form (|), for this pur-\n$2.00 postpaid\nStation, Los Angeles 27, Cal.\npose. Ten thousand in Roman numerals\nSKY PUBLISHING CORPORATION\nHayden, Planetarium Book Corner,\nused to be abbreviated as (())), and 100,-\nNew York 24, N. Y.\nCambridge 38, Mass.\n000 was ((()))). It is true that by some\n72\nSKY AND TELESCOPE, January, 1948"
}