J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 106, 2, 1996
Springer, 1995. ISBN 3-540-58778-0. Pp xv + 282, DM 58.00 (hbk).
reviewed by Simon Mitton
Kenneth Lang, professor of astronomy at Tuft's University, has written a jewel of a book. From its title I assumed the book would be about the Sun, the Earth as a planet, and atmospheric physics, which seemed an eclectic mixture. In fact Lang describes the Sun as a star, and explains how the Sun affects the Earth, through the branch of physics known as solar-terrestrial relations.
Lang is unusual among astrophysicists in having a deep knowledge of literature and art. This cultivated background informs his beautiful prose in which every sentence has a natural flow. The learning curves we climb under Lang's guidance are the gentlest gradients. Like Hawking, and unlike most professional astronomers, Lang understands the importance of cadence, of the active voice, of making the knowns the objects of verbs and the unknowns their subjects. These are simple matters of grammar that make all the difference between excellent science writing, which this is, and turgid dross. To illustrate the book there are many examples of fine art: we are in the company of Claude Monet, J. W. M. Turner and Joan Miro for example. The diagrams are exquisite, and help Lang achieve explanations of solar-terrestrial interactions without the use of equations. And there is poetry too. All of this sets the book apart from college textbooks on the Sun.
The content is very well chosen. In writing about the Sun the danger for an author is getting bogged down describing all the different manifestations of solar 'weather'. Of course, sunspots and flares and prominences are all in here, but Lang carries it off with style, using excellent photographs which are accompanied by lengthy captions. Without using too much technical language, Lang gets us up to speed on the big issues: the solar neutrino problem, solar contributions to global warming, the Sun's vibrations, and the latest missions such as Ulysses. I was disappointed, however, that we don't learn very much about the formation of the Sun or planets. In compensation there is a fine glossary and an ample reading list and two indexes.
This is a book to buy, not borrow, because you will want to return to it. If you want to learn about the Sun and don't want a textbook on astrophysics, this is the book for you.
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