BOOK REVIEW
The Universe in Your Backyard
The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide
Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. 320 pp. Firefly Books, 2002. $49.95
It’s a good bet that most of the nearly 500,000 astronomy hobbyists in North America have read something by Terence Dickinson or Alan Dyer. The stellar duo have recently updated their 1991 classic for the beginning stargazer, The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide (Firefly Books, $49.95). Few books capture the spirit of the hobby so well—the pleasures and the pitfalls of the equipment you might need, and the simple joy of watching the universe go by.
About once a month at Sigma Xi headquarters, we liven up the lunch hour with an American Scientist Pizza Lunch talk. In these informal lectures, scientists describe new research to nonscientists. The series is light on jargon but heavy on solid science. Each Pizza Lunch offers an in-depth look at its subject, whether it's bedbugs or the smart grid. Click below to read about and download these talks -- and to subscribe!
