Celestron Nexstar 60GT 60mm Go-To Refractor Telescope
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $358.00
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The Nexstar 60GT is Celestron's most affordable computerized telescope. For a surprising price, you get a complete telescope with three eyepieces (and a finder), an adjustable tripod, and a computerized tracking system with a database of 4000 objects.

With the help of the well-illustrated manual, it takes only minutes to assemble the Nexstar 60GT and connect the batteries or optional AC adapter.

The NexStar handset is your user-friendly guide to more than 4,000 celestial objects.

Nexstar's "quick align" feature allows me to track bright objects like the moon and planets right away, but to get the most out of the tracking system the computer needs to be oriented to two bright alignment stars. Celestron includes some basic star charts, but if you don't already know a few constellations, you'll want a guide book like Nightwatch or a magazine like NightSky to introduce you to the bright alignment stars by name.

Once the Nexstar alignment is completed, the fun of seeing star clusters and planets and galaxies is as easy as pushing a few buttons. The low power 20mm eyepiece (35x) is best for viewing open star clusters and finding objects; I use the 10mm (70X) and 4mm (175X) eyepieces to zoom in on stars and planets. The planets show up quite nicely at 70x, and they're even better with a 6mm plossl eyepiece at 117x. Venus looks like a tiny crescent moon, Jupiter shows off its two major cloud bands, and Saturn's rings are sharply separated from the planet. Bright double stars also show up well. Castor, one of the twin stars in the constellation Gemini, turns out to be a double star only four arc-seconds wide. You'll need that 6mm eyepiece (117x) or the included 4mm (175x) to separate Castor into two beads of light.

Students from middle school on up will find the Nexstar 60GT just the right size. It's affordable, it's light and portable, and it's an easy introduction to the world of computerized telescopes. My first telescope, made of telescoping cardboard tubes, came from an ad in Popular Mechanics magazine. I would have been thrilled to have a telescope as good as the Nexstar 60GT. An adult with a serious interest in astronomy, however, is likely to outgrow a 60mm telescope rather quickly. It takes a larger scope to see the divisions in Saturn's rings or resolve globular clusters into individual stars; if you want that kind of detail, take a look at the telescope buyers guide for some larger ideas. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Complete package is light, portable, and affordable
• Classic refractor design for good planet views up to 120x
• Nexstar computer finds planets, star clusters, and galaxies for you

Cons:

• It's small--the only way to see more detail is with a bigger telescope
• Batteries only last a few hours

... Read more

Features

• Computerized auto align feature makes observing easy
• Instant access to over 4,000 celestial objects
• Common sense menu descriptions
• 700mm focal length
• 3 eyepieces (35x, 70x, and 175x)

Reviews (8)

Best telescope
This is my very first telescope and to tell you the truth I know nothing about Astronomy and bought this on a whim to *look at pretty things in the sky*. Just Kidding.But this telescope is quite powerful and the remote control is absolutely wonderful.THe instruction manuel was easy to follow and the actual set up took no time at all even for a noob.I defintely recommend this.

Great performer vs cheap dept. store units !
Agree with other positive posts.Compared to those dept. store units this is a no brainer purchase !You also get additional eyepieces and these are the1.4" not the .96" size that the cheap units include.
You can also get the optional pc patch cord and run the scope from your laptop !Buy 16 nimh aa rechargeable batteries and you'll never run low on battery power for your scope.
Check out this website from the show on PBS !
http://www.jackstargazer.com/
Keep looking up !

Lotsa power for little money
I have always wanted a telescope and when Mars was beginning to approach it's closest distance to earth in 2200+ years, I didn't want to wait 2 more millennia to get one.Amazon delivered the scope just in time for me to view The Red Planet at its closest distance in history.

I must say that the viewing was anti-climactic... but not due to the telescope's failings. At its closest, Mars looked like an orange dot with a white dot near the polar cap - fairly flat in appearance. About a week later, when Mars was still relatively close, I went to a public viewing at the Observatory at UNT in Denton, TX.I got to look through a telescope that was so large, it could use this Celestron as a q-tip. :-)

It was then that I realized how good m Celestron was - because the viewing at the observatory looked the same as it did with my new, inexpensive telescope!

Wee!

The moon is absolutely breath-taking, especially with the included moon filter that helps the craters to "pop" with clarity.

My less than perfect rating is due to the fact that the included software is for Windows-only. This is frankly inexcusable. There is no reason that the same software could not be made for the Mac platform, especially since Mac OS 10.x is Linux based.

Also annoying is the lack of a built-in compassand bubble level. I bought a compass and lined my scope due north and bought a carpenter's level to make sure it was level. I then punched in the date, time and time zone and gave the command for the telescope to auto-calibrate. The motor impressively hummed as the scope automatically turned to find Polaris... but couldn't find it. Then it tried to find another star, and couldn't find that, either.

The instructions read like you have just completed a college-level astronomy course (which I have not), so the neophyte will be confused by many of the instructions.

With the help of some online web sites, I got some helpful hints that made the use of the scope to be easier.

I know that the stars are millions of miles away, but they really don't look any different through the telescope than they do with the naked eye.

I wish there was an angle viewer for the laser alignment scope... when you're looking at objects that are right above you, you've got to get into a yoga position to line up the spot scope.

The tripod folds up easily, as long as you don't attach the storage triangle below the scope.

The battery pack design is totally bizarre. If you want to easily transport the tripod from location to location and opt not to install the storage triangle, there is no where to put the battery pack unless you precariously hang it on thetop of one of the tripod legs - and it's way too easy for the cords to get tangled up as you move the telescope from object to object in the night sky.

The clip that holds the hand controller is also less than impressive. Any jarring of the tripod and the controller goes flying. The phone-jack like connectors should have had swivels installed so that when you turn the scope the controller doesn't get tangled with the power cord to the battery pack.

Also annoying is the fact that the AC adapter is not included, so you have to keep fresh batteries on hand.

The spotting scope has a cool laser-like light to help you spot an obect easily before zooming in w/ the compounded lenses - but the battery that operates that scope is not changeable - when it dies (estimated time is 10 years), it's dead and all you can do is either live without it or buy a new telescope.

For someone who is totally clueless like me, but still wants to view the night sky, this is a very affordable way to get into a rewarding hobby. Obviously, though, you get what you pay for and the serious astronomer should get the most power they can afford to reap the biggest rewards. ... Read more

Asin: B00004ZD36
Subjects:  1. Telescope (Telescopes)    2. Astronomy    3. Star Gazing (Gaze)    4. Refractor (Refractors)   

Celestron Nexstar 5 Telescope (Telescope Only)
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $1,049.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The NexStar 5 combines deluxe features with Celestron'slegendarySchmidt-Cassegrain optical system to provide amateur astronomers with asophisticated and easy-to-use telescope. It has a 5-inch diameterrefractor, afocal length of 1250mm, a focal ratio of f/10, and one multicoated 25mm(50x)1.25-inch Plossl eyepiece.

After locating just two alignment stars,you'llhave the NexStar 5 up and running. If you are new to astronomy, you maywish tostart off by using the NexStar's built-in sky tour feature, whichcommands theNexStar to find the most interesting objects in the sky andautomatically movesto each one. The experienced will appreciate the comprehensive databaseof over18,000 objects, including customized lists of all the best deep-skyobjects,bright double stars, and variable stars. Here is an example of theactual textfrom the telescope's database as it describes M87: "Elliptical galaxyequal insize to 790 billion solar masses. More than 1,000 globular clusters areknown tosurround this galaxy and it is believed to have a giant black hole atitscenter. Distance: 50 million light years."

The NexStar hasalt-azimuthoperation (no need to polar align). Even if you can't find the locationof twobright alignment stars, NexStar will find them for you using the"go-to" handcontrol that can be mounted on the fork arm for hands-free operation.The handcontrol is fully computerized, and it has red back-illuminated buttonsthat helpretain your night vision. Just enter the date, the time, and yourlocation, andthe NexStar will align itself to the necessary stars. The hand controlincludesa built-in RS-232 communication port allowing you to control theNexStar from acomputer and use popular astronomy software (like The Sky, which isincluded)for point-and-click slewing ability.

Finding objects is easy with theStarPointer finderscope, which is like having a laser pointer that you canshinedirectly onto the night sky. Just align the red dot seen through theStarPointer with the desired star in the sky.

Additional featuresinclude:

Star diagonal--1.25 inches
Visual back--1.25inches
Heavy duty base with rubber feet
RS-232 port tocommunicate with a PC
Nine available slew speeds
Incredible6.5-degrees-per-second slew speed
Powered by standard AC adapter or eight AA batteries (notincluded)

Mounted on a sturdy metal base, the NexStar 5 sits securelyon any flatsurface and has three rubber gripping feet for vibration suppressionandtraction. Weighing under 18 pounds, it is extremely portable. ... Read more

Features

• Common sense menu descriptions
• Focal length of 1250mm
• 127mm (5-inch) diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain refractor
• Observe immediately with the computerized auto align feature
• Automatic slewing to over 18,000 celestial objects

Reviews (6)

goto where ?
After receiving this scope .I read the instructions and understood them. The goto feature is not difficult to figure out.So I had no problems there. I have never been able to see any neb. or gal. Nothing but the usual boring venus and jupiter. The moon of course. This scope although expensive is no better than my dept. store telescope. What good is goto when you getthere there is nothing to see. Star test was excellent so it doesnt need collimation. DO NOT BUY ANY SCOPE WITH LESS THAN 8inches of apeture. And you can take that to the bank!!!

What I see through this scope
I originally ordered the Nexstar 80 GT because I wanted to see the bands of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn during winter of 2001-2 while those planets were high and bright. Before it shipped, an astronomer friend suggested that I save [price] on a 5" or 8" scope by not buying that one. So I bought the Nexstar 5 instead. Overall, I am very happy with it, but now I wish that I had saved [price] on an 8" or 10" scope by not buying the 5".

With the Nexstar 5 and [price] worth of accessory filters and lenses, I see clearly five or six bands of Jupiter, I watch the four largest moons change positions as they orbit, but cannot see the moons' shadows on the face of the planet. On a clear, still night I can just distinguish the red spot. Saturn is beautiful, but I cannot make out separate rings, they blur into one. I see the Great Andromeda Nebula as an indistinct splotch of light. My favorite targets are, by far, the sun and moon. With proper filters (mandatory for solar observing) I can see sunspots, but solar flares require another very expensive filter. The moon is spectacular through this scope; I can easily see many interesting features of craters and mare. These are just my observations and not meant to criticize the scope - it does exactly what it is capable of doing.

While it does seem logical to spend your money on optics, until you become an expert skywatcher, the Nexstar goto and tracking features are a must. The sun, moon, and planets move so quickly across the sky that without some type of tracking system they quickly exit the field of view. Without the goto features it would be impossible for moderately experienced observers to point the scope at, say the Christmas Tree Nebula (never mind whether you can actually see anything once it gets there). The Nexstar does indeed have an internal database of 18,000 objects and 17,995 of them are either invisible or nondescript points of light - but that does not mean that they are not worth pointing the scope at.

Astronomy is an expensive addiction. Even those who use the Hubble space telescope would prefer a bigger and better scope. So in summary, buy this scope if it is what you can afford, otherwise do your homework and then buy a more expensive one.

Compact and easy to use.
Small enough to throw in the trunk of your car, sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of stumbling around the backyard in the dark, the Nexstar 5 offers fine viewing and ease of use for any beginner that does not have the time or the attention span to learn the locations of many celestial objects. ... Read more

Asin: B00004ZD39
Subjects:  1. Telescope (Telescopes)    2. Astronomy    3. Star Gazing (Gaze)    4. Catadioptric   

Starry Night Enthusiast 4.5 Astronomy Software Win/Mac
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (02 September, 2003)
list price: $59.99 -- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• View the sky from anywhere on Earth or blast off and visit locations 20,000 light years away
• Learn how to identify planets, stars, and constellations; new weekly sky-gazing suggestions
• LiveSky panel lets you see up-to-date images of the Sun and Earth
• Locate objects easily with 'Find' command; create your own movies and images
• More than 2.5 hours of movies, on both CD-ROM and bonus DVD

Reviews (6)

Underwhelmed!
Maybe it is because this is the base version but I have mixed feelings about this program. I loaded it into my laptop and at first I thought that was neat since I had the sky at my fingertips, it shows the planets, constellations, many stars. Just punch in your location and date and there is the sky duplicated on the laptop. And I like a number of features. Fast forward and turn the sun on and off, sun comes up and goes down. It has lots of information - all neat.

But then when I got out the telescope I went for a couple of books. My general feeling is that yes it is neat but maybe just a toy. So when I got a new computer I did not bother transferring the program. More of a toy, not a great tool and like all toys you lose interest fast. For the serious astronomer or telescope user just use a Miller Planisphere - it is the sky on a 10" circular disc with a sliding cover elliptical hole. You rotate the coverto the date and time and it shows the shy through the open elliptical hole. That gives a similar level of detail. For more information - go to a reference book. Maybe the program has some appeal in teaching where the novelty factor might generate or keep the interest of the students.

Jack in Toronto

I'm satisfied... totally.
I know that some people seem to have had a bad experience with Space Holdings, but I have ordered both directly from them and also from Amazon before and was satisfied with both previous transactions. I will concur that they seem to have some internal communication issues and that the people you may talk to on the phone don't seem to have a very good handle on things... at least when you consider that they actually work for the company. It kind of feels like you've called someone's house and their 4yo kid picked up the phone. Trying to get Mommy or Daddy on the phone at that point can be tricky.

While I can't speak to the quality of other similar products (Red Shift, TheSky, etc.), I can say that I have been VERY happy with Starry Night. Having been a Starry Night Backyard user since version 3.0, I can say that it was worth my upgrade to 4.0 and then again to 4.5 (Enthusiast). I am now using 4.5.2 on my Apple TiBook running Mac OS X 10.3.2. The product is satisfactory to me in every way, and really lacks nothing that I use for amateur observation of the sky. I thoroughly enjoy it personally.

Additionally, I enjoy it professionally. I teach astronomy at a public high school with over 1400 students. I see about 130 of those students each year enrolled in astronomy. We use Starry Night Backyard (version 4.0.5) running on Mac OS X (10.2.8) as a part of the curriculum that I have developed. I have been totally satisfied with it as an educator.

Obviously I'm runnning all this on a Mac and the same was true with my version 3.0 (though that was on Mac OS 9). It could be that this product does not run as well on a Windows machine, but that can be said of a great many things. If you decide to get it, though, I would recommend is getting it from Amazon or some other source than directly from Space Holdings. Not only do they charge full retail price for the product, but because they're in Canada, the shipping is outrageous.

Don't buy from Space Holdings
This product crashed my machine, which is a new Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows XP.There customer service is dismal.After four emails and no response, I returned the product and stopped the payment on my credit card, indicating that it was fraudulently represented as a functional product.They have the worst customer support I've ever experienced.Buy something else. ... Read more

Asin: B0000C7FSF
Sales Rank: 1126
Subjects:  1. Computer software (programs)    2. Education (Educational)    3. Reference    4. Science (Sciences)    5. Mac Macintosh Machintosh Apple   

Space Theater Planetarium
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (5)

Count me among the disappointed
A few days ago I had the audacity to write a review before I ordered this planetarium, because my reading of the reviews of this and one other toy planetarium suggested that two "disappointed" dads were confused. I said I would write another review once the planetarium arrived.

Well, I just received the planetarium, and I now count myself among the disappointed.

So, I'm writing this review to correct the earlier one, written when I had only ordered the Space Theatre, but before it had arrived. Due to rules governing this site, I could not post this corrected review til I removed the first.

The "sky" offered is a very narrow part of the sky, maybe 20 degrees of arc, just what might be seen straight above, with no peripheral view. There is no attempt to reproduce stars closer to the horizon or even those as you gaze upwards 45 degrees.

And the "stars" as projected on my ceiling, just eight feet (2.44 meters) above the floor, and about 2 meters (6 or 7 ft) above the table on which the planetarium sat, are each much too big, not pinpoint stars at all. Each star is about a centimeter or two in diameter, as if every star in the upper sky were suddenly enlarged, blown up, with not enough dark sky between them. Instead of a dark night sky, with little starlights, we have instead a polka dot sky, with hundreds of flat circles of light, like so many large buttons thrown onto the ceiling.

Only when the planetarium was held up high, only a foot from the ceiling, did the stars have an appropriate small size, bright intenstity and tight resolution. But then of course, with the light source and theater so close to the ceiling, the reproduced "sky" was only about a meter across.

I did not open the CD or any of the other materials, because it is clear that I will need to return this.

It is strange, the planetarium that I had as a child, nearly fifty years ago, when plastic toys were all brand new, was a full nearly 360 degree black sphere, with very tiny poinpoint holes, which projected stars throughout the entire room, ceiling and four walls, no doubt distorted a bit by the walls, but not limited as this one, to just such a tiny midportion of the night sky. We could see the morning sky, the evening sky, and how the sky might look from other distant parts of the world, in different times and seasons. None of that is possible with this tiny section of sky.

I apologize for questioning our "disappointed dads". [...]

Disappointed
I returned this item.It is sturdy and useful as indoor entertainment, but I wanted my grandchild to be able to identify the constellations outside and the dots just didn't seem to translate to the actual sky.

Looks good
I suggest if you're looking for a home plantarium get this one..it's the best you can get.
Like above mentioned this displays a white light until other trashy projectors i.e Star Theatre II = a total waste of time and $35US and they display in shadowy dull and doesn't even fill the entire room...a total waste.
Get this one,you won't regret it! ... Read more

Asin: B000063TQM
Sales Rank: 2927
Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Astronomy    4. Activity    5. Space   

Complex 39 - Shuttle Launch Center
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $24.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (2)

Cheap, Cheap Plastic Not much fun
This looks like such a great toy, and the packaging is really impressive, but don't be fooled like we were. I assumed that by paying close to 25 dollars it would be somewhat durable-just reasonable durability-I don't expect much from plastic toys...but this is really really bad. You might also think that paying that much would give you things like closable doors...you know, 99 cent matchbox cars' doors stay closed, but the space shuttle's doors don't-which limit it's "fun" factor. The "movable arm" is just a free floating plastic stick that simply is stuck into a hole..It doesn't even stay in. The "launch pad" and the fuel tank/boosters are down right horrible. They don't connect to the shuttle, which was disapointed all of us, especially my son. And it is so cheaply made, I really can't believe that it wasn't bought from the dollar store. My son was so excited for this set. But after playing with it for just a few minutes he hasn't gotten it out again. I would definately NOT recommend this

Lauch time!!
We have been searching for a shuttle for a year now and are glad to have found this one.The shuttle itself is durable, yet safe enough for my one year old to play with as well as my older two.They love to fly around, dropping off the rocket boosters and the re-landing on the launch pad.The space vehicle and astonauts are an added bonus, even though they do not fit together. As a first shuttle toy, you can't beat it! ... Read more

Asin: B00005BMOL
Sales Rank: 4072
Subjects:  1. Preschool    2. Learning    3. Science    4. Astronomy    5. Vehicles    6. Activity    7. Pretend Play    8. Play Sets   

Astronomy for Dummies
by Stephen P.Maran
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (28 October, 1999)
list price: $19.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (10)

Review Of Astronomy For Dummies
I own several astronomy books and this is by far the most informative and interesting.

Very Helpful!!
This book is the most helpful book I've ever read.Since I'm new in astronomy I used this book to at least give me the basics.It gave me more than I could ever ask for!Some things I liked just reading about like solar eclipses and reading about the planets.I really don't need to know how to find the planets because my meade etx70at does all the work for me which I highly recomend for the casual observer.Anyways this book is very helpful and I think you'll like it.

Good introduction to astronomy
I recall having a great interest in astronomy for a time when I was a kid.About two years ago, as an adult, my interest in astronomy was somehow revived, and I decided to buy (and read) this book.The book was very helpful in re-introducing me to astronomy.It helped me to really understand astronomical concepts much better.It also helped me to understand better the scientific explanations and theories behind the behavior and characteristics of the stars, planets, etc.The author does a good job of introducing one to astronomy.I recommend this book especially for beginners in astronomy. ... Read more

Isbn: 0764551558
Sales Rank: 143441
Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Astronomy    3. Astronomy (General)    4. Astronomy - General    5. Observers' manuals    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Science / Astronomy    9. Science: General Issues   

A Brief History of Time : The Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition
by STEPHEN HAWKING
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 September, 1998)
list price: $16.95 -- our price: $11.53
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to reveal these questions (and where we're looking for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time, and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking, for, as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God." --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (297)

Good Until You Get To The End
As Hawking confesses, this is one of those Physics books which will try to explain you everything without feeding you real meat or printing single equation (i.e., except E=MC2). So the result is that after reading this book you would start believing that somebody taught you Chinese but apparently you can't write a single letter in Chinese. I bought the book simply because I think Hawking is probably the closest in living people who can sit next to Einstein and Newton. The way it starts is really engaging. Illustrations and those full color images are absolutely fantastic. The way the book goes is to take you on the journey to just few microseconds after the big bang to few minutes after. The most interesting part of the book is the discussions and disputes about singularity. I guess that alone (or just that, depending on your view) is worth the price of the book. It's written with lots of passion, clever remarks and it will make you think. But soon enough you will realize you are a helpless being quickly descending in the muddy quicksand. As the chapter passes by, the topics get increasingly fuzzy and extremely confusing. I won't blame the author as the publisher didn't allow him to put "real meat" in his writings. These kind of advanced topics are inherently difficult to understand without presenting actual equations and dealing with guts and gore. I read the later parts of the book 3 times trying to make sense of it and finally came to a conclusion that it is impossible to extract a logical meaning of that part of text, even though it's syntactically correct. So buy this book to get some first hand insights in to singularity and dive in to black holes, but save your time by skipping later chapters.

An excellent starting point
For those who are fascinated by physics and the most profound philosophical questions, but did not get much past trig in their mathematics education, Hawking's book is the perfect starting point. It is very well written and accessible to the thoughtful layman. The introduction to this vast field of science offered by this book lays a perfect foundation for following up with books on this topic by other authors such as Kaku, Greene, and Feynman.

Science at Its Best
If you've been away from science for a while, or have failed to come to grips with the current foray of the physical (cf., biological) sciences, this is THE book to read. You'll be pleasantly, elegantly, coherently, and intelligibly guided through the breakthrough in chemical and physical science. And you'll also become more aware of this century's greatest scientific challenge: How to unify to contrary, but not contradictory, theories about how the world works -- quantum theory and relativity theory. The former works well on the microscopic level, while the later works well on the macroscopic level, but the two are at odds when "combined." How could this be?

There's no real answer -- not yet, but not for lack of engaging effort. You'll encounter everything from quarks to quasars to black holes and dead stars (are they the same?) to relativity to the anthropic principle, the three paradigms of time -- from Copernicus to Penrose and from Newton to Einstein. Intensely condensed and easily digestible, "A Brief History of Time" is a remarkable achievement and a joy to read. It's a review of all "must-know" physics and chemistry that will update the literate person of today in very accessible, easy-to-read, yet dense writing.

The remarkable thing about this tour d'force is that, after all the efforts from Sir Francis Bacon to today to expunge metaphysics from the scientific blackboard, metaphysics have reintered through the mathematics' back door. One has to ask one's self whether or not not-so-black holes and strings (things that are wholly unobservable) are more satisfactory "scientific" explanations for things that go bump in the night than the granduer of Aristotle's and Ptolemy's four elements. Is it really science to "posit" theories based wholly on derivative experience and mathematical probabilities (or dare I say "possibilities")? This, I think, is the ultimate question this book poses! And maybe it's time to reassess to what extent we must go to do to purge mystery from the experience of life. Aren't some questions just unanswerable? Aren't "black holes" and "strings" just alternative explanations for the Force or Allah used by others. Once we allowed the invisible gravity into the foray, where do we stop? (Paradoxically, despite the ubiquity of its presence, the word "gravity" does not appear in the book's otherwise excellent glossary.)

However the reader decides these questions for him- or herself, one is confidently armed to attack them head on. I am by no means a "scientific" person, but this wonderful overview offers enough armamentaria to think about the physical sciences intelligently. For that, and for Hawking's incredible clarity, this book is worthy of it continued long-term success. ... Read more

Isbn: 0553380168
Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. History    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Science / General   

1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the Universe
by WILLIAM A. JR GUTSCH
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (18 May, 1999)
list price: $17.95 -- our price: $12.21
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (9)

2002
Not just a year, but probably the REAL number of interesting facts there are in this book!!!If you even have a passing interest in astronomy, or even science in general, you must get and read this book.When you're done... keep it near by, and occasionaly thumb through it just for an amazing tid-bit of info which is at times beyond comprehension.....

Informative Astronomy Book of Facts !
A very good book for mature ages down to early teens. I pick this book up every once in a while before I go to bed - even though I read it several times over just to wonder over the many interesting things in our universe. It is very well written by William A. Gutsch JR. (Ph.D) former Chairman of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium New York, former President of the International Planetarium Society, Science Editor for WABC-TV and Special Science Correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America". This man knows this subject and how to write about it in a way that will keep you reaching for the book time after time. Out of the many astronomy books I have in my collection, this one is among the tops for facts written very interestingly. Don't let a few "out of context" opinion writers steer you wrong about this book. Excellent book of facts reading for astronomy.

Better Than The Universe Itself
My cousins gave me this book, and it took me a year to finally start reading it. When I did, it got me even more interesting in astromony that I already was. True, a few things are hard to understand. I mean who gets this: "Normally, atoms are said to be neutral because the number of positively charged protons in their nuclei are matched by the number of negatively charged electrons whirling about each nucleus."

But suppose you could understand that. This book is great. It is definitly NOT for children. Whoever wrote that must obviously a child themsevles because they have nothing better to say. (You can tell that by the length and words displayed in their review.) Don't let reviews stop you. Buy this book now if, espically if you have a strong interest in our universe and other ones out there. If you don't have an interest it will probably give you one, but then why would you buy it if you don't have an interest? Some of these facts include how we've sent signals into space to contact intelligent life, odd facts about the planets (such as how Mercury's day islonger than it year) and even things about Uranus's methane gas you thought you never knew! This is the best book alive. (Actually not.) ... Read more

Isbn: 0385483864
Sales Rank: 444100
Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy - General    3. Astronomy - Universe    4. Miscellanea    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Science / Astronomy   

Contact
by Carl Sagan
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 July, 1997)
list price: $7.99 -- our price: $7.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

It is December 1999, the dawn of the millennium, and a team of international scientists is poised for the most fantastic adventure in human history. After years of scanning the galaxy for signs of somebody or something else, this team believes they've found a message from an intelligent source--and they travel deep into space to meet it. Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sagan injects Contact, his prophetic adventure story, with scientific details that make it utterly believable. It is a Cold War era novel that parlays the nuclear paranoia of the time into exquisitely wrought tension among the various countries involved. Sagan meditates on science, religion, and government--the elements that define society--and looks to their impact on and role in the future. His ability to pack an exciting read with such rich content is an unusual talent that makes Contact a modern sci-fi classic. ... Read more

Reviews (289)

Payoff makes it worth the effort
Like a lot of Sagan's work, Contact is really about the place of humanity, and life, in the greater reality of the universe.Are we a random accident of nature or is there a more fundamental meaning behind our existence?

As a novel Contact is an entertaining, but sometimes cumbersome, read.The payoff is a brilliant little twist at the end, completely absent in the movie.It is original, delightful and a complete surprise, and by itself it raises a pretty good book onto my short list of personal favorites.

Some readers won't get it, or won't get the significance of it, but those who are fascinated by the big questions and reasonably literate in scientific/mathematical thinking, will stumble upon a hidden little gem here.

Enjoyable Science Fiction
Dr. Sagan was an intelligent and creative man. I would have been more satisfied if he had left out the twist between daughter and father in the story but the symbolic of the situation bode well with the whole fiction. Having a woman as the President was a marvelous idea especially as it may come true in near future. His futuristic interpretation of scientific developments happening at the start of the millennium was clever. Maybe I am being biased because of Dr. Sagan's real life's achievements as a scientist. My favorite character is none other than the inventor with an attitude. All in all, although the story line is simple and predictable, Contact is still a skillful art at science fiction by a man with many commendable qualities. The day he passed away was truly a sad day for the science community.

Sagan should have excluded his atheist views
Not only does Carl Sagan make the main character, Ellie, an atheist, he takes it 3 steps further and in his own way through Ellie's voice, ridicules the Holy Bible. I very much tried reading this book with an open mind, and it wouldn't have mattered to me in the least if Ellie was an atheist. But Carl Sagan had to try and place biblical doubt in the mind of the reader by expressing his own apparent atheist views, by saying the Bible is contradictory. It's too bad that Carl Sagan couldn't have just written a fascinating Sci-Fi book without critiquing the word of God.
Without a doubt Carl Sagan was a brilliant scientist. I viewed Cosmos open-mindedly and was fascinated. I understand most scientists are unbelievers of God, and they place their beliefs on the Big Bang theory, Evolution, etc. And that's fine; they have the right to believe what they choose. But please do not critique my beliefs.
If you want to read a very good Sci-Fi book, check out 2001 a space odyssey.
... Read more

Isbn: 0671004107
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Science Fiction    3. Movie/Tv Tie-Ins    4. Science Fiction - General    5. Fiction / General   

Inside the Space Station
Director: Pierre de Lespinois
Average Customer Review:
DVD (21 May, 2002)
list price: $14.98 -- our price: $13.48
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Color

Reviews (6)

not inside the space station
Out of about 45 minutes total, maybe 15 minutes are in space.Of this some is space station Mir, some is looking at Earth, and only maybe 7 minutes is actually "inside the space station".Most of the Video is things like survival training in Alaska, people designing robots for space, or computer simulations of what the space station is planned to look like.So it is mostly not what I was expecting/hoping for.But the short time that was in space was very good.

Out Of This World!
In my opinion this video should be on the shelves of every school science library!It is truly an EXCEPTIONAL video that not only documents the construction of the International Space Station, but reaches beyond to help viewers understand the needfor the space station and for future space exploration! The video's photography, music, and dialogue captivates the audience from the very beginning and never lets up until the closing credits.I showed this video to my sixth grade science classes and every one of my students agreed that it was one of the best educational and documentary type videos viewed.

A Good Introduction
While I was disappointed that this wasn't the full three hour doco shown on Discovery, I did enjoy this DVD immensely. It managed to capture the excitement of the project and illustrate some of the issues the designers and builders faced when creating the station.

Oh, by the way, to the guy who was concerned about all the foreigners involved in the construction, last time I checked it was the INTERNATIONAL space station. Get a grip.

Cheers ... Read more

Asin: B000053VAM
Sales Rank: 37689
Subjects:  1. Documentary   

2001: A Space Odyssey
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Average Customer Review:
DVD (29 June, 1999)
list price: $24.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience.A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (669)

Don't listen to the pseudo-intellectuals commenting on 2001
And there are apparently many, or also many who are simply
too thick to understand anything about one of the greatest
films of all time.I can understand people being turned off
by its slower pace and lack of dialogue, the dating of a film from 1968, ultra space realism, (no silly Star Wars explosion noises in space!) and metaphysical abstraction (especially the final sequence Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite which is abstract as it is for reasons which I could write volumes on, and might someday, 2001 being my favorite film of all time).Anyone puzzled by what the monolith is, or represents, can find out some answers to these and other questions simply by cracking a few books (if anyone reads books anymore), namely Arthur C. Clarke's original novel 2001, and also the book covering the making of the film itself 2001: Filming the Future, and also the early paperback of The Making of Kubrick's 2001, if you can find a copy, it's a highly recommended collection of early reviews, commentaries, and material inspiring the film and novel that is simply indispensable to fully grasping the impact this film
had on release, and continues to impart to audiences today.
I first saw this film in theatrical reissue in the early
1970s, and my parents were correct that it would make an
enormous impression on me. I was anything but bored at
six years old seeing the film, and I understood it fairly
easily, even on a subconscious level.The HAL sequence
hit home the most as an early glimpse of artificial
intelligence (gone awry) so far ahead of its time, it's still astonishingly fresh.Without giving too much away to someone who has never seen this masterpiece, the monolith was intended
by Clarke and Kubrick as mainly a "tool" or conduit, both
a communications beacon, signal, intelligence booster (for the
pre-hominids at the Dawn of Man etc.) and when Bowman finds
the Jupiter monolith at the film's final sequence, something
of a "star gate" or wormhole (not a black hole since they
would having nothing to do with Bowman's journey, since nothing
escapes a black hole)left by the "aliens" or cosmic intelligence (some argues it's God, which is probably as valid an argument as any, even "aliens" as in reality Kubrick and Clarke posit in novel and film) to transport the eventually advanced mankind to another level of "being" and intelligence, or another level of evolution. The monolith is represented as a simple, mathematically "pure" construction, similar to Dr. Who's famous police call box time machine, its simple appearance belies its
unbelievable complexity.This is why Kubrick and Clarke
embodied the "calling card" of the "aliens" as the monolith,
as simple an object as you could imagine, yet it contains
the key, in this story, to mankind's ultimate evolution
and fate in the universe.Bowman's bizarre "transformation"
in the "hotel room" at film's end is merely a construct,
a "way station" the aliens use to cushion his psyche as
he undergoes a fast, aging, death and rebirth as the
"star child," essentially Bowman has become reborn and
is now pure consciousness, another level of intelligent
being.You could also say Dave Bowman's become a spirit or ghost, in one sense, it might be just as accurate a description....who knows? the point of this film is not to provide all the answers, you must think about it and find out some of its truths for yourself.This is the whole point of
doing this movie for Kubrick and Clarke.If the film
explained everything there would be no point in watching it.
The spacecraft The Discovery is not so named for nothing.
Bowman alone (sadly) makes the discovery of the universe,
of all lifetimes, and this is the crux of 2001 for me.
I can't understand why people also don't "get" why
the HAL sequence has the astronauts speaking so little
and so tersely, this is as realistic as you can get;
the Discovery Jupiter mission is a long one, most of the crew
spend it in cryosleep, before HAL murders them tragically later,
so it's boring until they get to Jupiter, this is why
Poole and Bowman seem so low-key.The mission is uneventful
until the point at which the film finds them hurtling towards Jupiter space, as HAL for various reasons explained more in the shoddy sequel 2010 (far inferior but somewhat entertaining), disintegrates before their eyes.Astronauts are trained to remain calm and collected even in the face of the most extreme
situations, as it could mean their lives if they panic.
This is reflected directly in Poole and Bowman's careful
reaction to HAL's increasing unreliability.There's no reason
for them to act over-emotionally.Bowman later almost loses
his temper in a moment of near-panic outside the ship
in his pod, having rescued the body of Poole,
and this is showing his panic, but also that he must
think of the mission and survival to get back in the ship
and dismantle HAL.I never understood why critics
or viewers thought negatively of this sequence, to me the
dialogue and action are exactly as I would imagine it
if it were happening in reality.Contrast this dialogue
and action to the panic and hysteria in a film like ALIEN,
which warrants such a reaction (being hunted down by a
ravenous alien creature twice your size warrants some
more emotion! such as fear and panic and flight), and
I think you'll see what I'm getting at here.
That's enough, go back and watch this marvelous
film a few more times and really stay with it and you'll
eventually "get" it.2001 is also starting to remind me
more and more of Antonin Artaud's seminal book The Theatre and Its Double, he wanted a film and theater wherein the sound and visuals carried most of the story, since language is so full of
pitfalls and dishonesty of meaning.The fact that Kubrick
and Clarke tell this story mainly with the visuals and sound,
(and the remixed DVD 5.1 soundtrack is the best I've ever heard it) with an absolute minimum of dialogue, reflects Artaud's
theories directly, and I believe, most superbly.It is the
very concrete realization of this concept, especially the final
Jupiter and Beyond section of the film, which contains zero dialogue but explains the almost "unexplainable" in strictly sensory terms, sound and vision, no words!This is also directly reflected in Kubricks' flash cut edits to Bowmans' blinking
eye, taking in the sensory overload of his amazing journey
and transformation with no speech to interfere with it; how could he possibly speak at this point anyway? Words are inadequate, there was simply no other way to tell the finale of the story. Why have a stupid voiceover narration over the completely ineffable? And that's why 2001 is a masterpiece, but it may take some 50 viewings to figure it all out, and some may never figure
it out at all.But I believe they will be the poorer for
not making the attempt.

A VERY BORING MASTER...PIECE OF TRASH
I can easily see the reason for the contempt for this film. While visually realistic of the spaceships both interior and exterior,the docking bay, and space scenery. It is very unrealistic of how the people are portrayed. Was Stanley Kubricks vision of the future that we would be souless drones with no love for life or happiness. A lack of action wasn't the problem. A lack of good dialogue was. If this movie was supposed to have reflected real life then the written lines should have been less dull and morbid. I don't know about you but even my daily conversations are a lot more riveting than the script written for this movie. FREAKAZOID did an excellent sendup of the scene where the astronaut in his space suit is walking through the corridor of a mansion. He sees Freakazoid and whispers: Can you tell me where the bathroom is...? Freakazoid:(whispers) I don't know...Astronaut:(crosses knees) Shoot. The apes while (semi believable) did not look like the type that would evolve into man. They look more like they would evolve into modern day chimpanzee. Then there's the monolith;the huge stone slab. No one can explain this. Not even Kubrick can explain this. So don't you bother trying to explain it either. Because it would only be your imaginative opinion or an out and out lie. I do recommend you see this movie at least twice. The first time to get the anger out of your system. Then about a year later when your anger subsides see it again. At least this way you can hold your fist in front of your chin and say in snobbish mannerism; Yez yez, the visu-el ottisdree of thee pree zentation is to be highly commended however the hue men element is quite mystifying. Or you can say "Don't tell me this piece of junk is any good. I sat through it twice and it still didn't make any sense" Well readers you can sit through this show everyday for the rest of your life and it will never make sense. SO NOW I"M REFERRED TO AS A PSEUDO INTELLECTUAL. JUST BECAUSE I FOUND FAULT WITH A VERY FAULTY MOVIE. I HEREBY DECLARE THIS DRUDGEROUS MOVIE BE REDUCED TO ONE STAR.

Wonderful Artist's Vision
Im actually writing this in response to some of the members who gave this film 1 star rating and the impundent and inacurate description they gave it.
Of course there are things in this movie(like others) that you wont understand thoroughly. So I guess the only way to enjoy a good movie like this is to, I know this is tough but please give it a try.........use your imagination. Imagination is a wonderful gift that distinguishes humans from being just animals.
That is probably why people like Charlie Chaplin, Orsen Wells, Tim Burton, Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Franic Ford Coppola and of course Stanley Kubrick made their movies because they had imagination. They are not limited to what they see or what they can never be able understand fully.
Obviously people who gave this movie a bad review grew up in a rich family, lived in nice little suburbia, and whose only idea of having fun is snorting cocaine or drinking hard liquour and telling the same sex jokes over and over again.
If your going to watch your teen party movies like American Pie, Road Trip, Old School, Van Wilder, Animal House or whatever the h3ll they are, dont waste your time bashing a masterpiece like 2001, because your only making yourself look more ridiculous.....hmmmm actually I dont even think you could sink much lower.
... Read more

Asin: B00000J2KP
Subjects:  1. Science Fiction   

Muppets From Space
Director: Tim Hill (III)
Average Customer Review:
DVD (23 March, 2004)
list price: $9.95 -- our price: $9.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The film that answers the immortal question: what species is Gonzo?Kermit the Frog's curly-nosed friend feels alone in the world. When his breakfast cereal starts spelling out questions and he hears voices, Gonzo is convinced he must be from outer space, and his alien brothers are coming to earth. Of course, there are evil scientists (led by Jeffrey Tambor) who kidnap Gonzo to learn his secrets (like "What do you do with a nose like that?"). The usual brand of merriment from the gang is in good order, especially in the opening scene when the Muppets start the morning under one roof.It's not as memorable as earlier films, but nevertheless the joy and sly humor will warm most souls age 5 and up. Human cameos include Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider, Josh Charles, Andie MacDowell, David Arquette, and F. Murray Abraham (as Noah, no less). --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Features

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen
• Dolby

Reviews (53)

5.99 love it
I bought my copy for 5.99 last night at a stare and love it! live video commentary with kermit gonzo, rizzo, and director tim hill. I love the muppets

"Auntie Em! Auntie Em! It's a twister!!!"
The Muppets, in their long span of existence, have gone from making movies about Muppets, novel adaptations with Muppets.Now, the Muppets seem perfectly co-existent with the world, while Gonzo alone feels truly out of place.

The story goes as such: Gonzo feels left out, even when his comrades are already the motley crew, so he searches for answers.Then, through numerous signals varying from his breakfast cereal to the cosmic fish he starts getting contact from space, but no one believes him.Thus, Gonzo, and inevitably all, are taken for many tumultuous turns in understanding the origins of Gonzo, er, whatever.

Now this is not one of the finer moppets movies, but this one has a more modern feel, and I believe Director Tim Hill had that kind of approach.With no real singing on their parts, a surprise since that was a forte of theirs, the soundtrack is replaced by funk/disco, which is amusingly woven in.

In addition, many old characters take a back seat, while some new ones, or lesser-known ones, take the charge.Overall, this film was definitely funny, and a must for Muppet lovers, but remember that this is a bit of a new direction, and go with the flow.

Here's to all the Gonzo fans!
This "newer" Muppet film is great. Lots of people feel that the muppets have lost a considerable amount of spunk since Jim Henson's death. However, this movie is really cute since it puts Gonzo in the forefront, with Dave Goelz (Gonzo's origial muppeteer) continuing to provide Gonzo with his wonderfully eccentric personality. Finally, a muppet movie that allows the gradual transition of many of the Henson-era characters to the background and gives the spotlight to the newer characters. I'd much rather see more of Rizzo,Pepe and that giant Bear (along with Gonzo and his original muppeteer) than watch new muppeteers try to fill Henson's and Oz's shoes with Kermit and Fozzie.
The movie has a fabulous soundtrack of old R&B songs from Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, etc. My daughter loves the music. Though I loved the old muppet movies with original songs, I appreciate that the Henson organization chose to try a new approach. I thought the music was great!
Gonzo's search for his ancestry, and ultimate discovery that he's from outer space, offers a wonder of dialouge and jokes. Jeffery Tambor is phenomenal as the evil Covnet employee searching for aliens. This is a great movie for kids. My daughter is 2 and she loves it. And I find myself retelling some of the jokes and lines of dialouge to my husband. I highly recommend this one. ... Read more

Asin: B00000JYLT
Subjects:  1. Children's Video   

Now the red planet is yours to hug and hold--or to hurl, hang,study, or use as a pillow. The shell of this soft, stuffed,approximately 8-inch-diameter sphere bears a printed map of Mars,showing large craters, small craters, winding valleys, and otherlandforms. Made ofa polyester/cotton fabric, the shell has aconvenient sewn-in hanging loop. A great gift for kids, students,teachers, and astronomy buffs, this huggable learning tool andconversation piece comes complete with a Mars information sheet.--Ava Natov ... Read more

Features

• A fantastic Stuffed Ball Pillow.
• It has an extremely detailed map of Mars with updated cartography.
• Over 400 places are clearly labeled.

Asin: B00004TQ4J

Sea-Monkeys Space Shuttle Expedition
Average Customer Review:
Toy

US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (15)

Sea Monkeys !Go!Go!Go!
Sea Monkeys are great pets.They don't even make noise like my dog.Already ,after very few days ,I have big bunches of them all over the tank.Those tiny dots swimming all over your tank they are Sea Monkeys.They,in time will grow to be a good size.I think this toy is educational because the people or kids who get them learn the nature and sience of a new generation of new pets.Another reason they are educational is how they grow so fast inside that tiny box.Also it is very fun to feed and nurture the baby and adult Sea Monkeys.This one container of Sea Monkeys has lots of fun packed right inside of that tiny box.Even though the Sea Monkeys container bubbler broke already, the rest of it seems pretty durable.I can still take off the cap and bubble it with my million bubble air pump.As you may see, I gave this toy 5 stars! I also got Sea Monkeys Ocean Zoo, which didn't work out that great.I can tell because there are very few Sea Monkeys to be seen even though I followed the directions perfectly, as they were told.In comparison, the Space Shuttle works out much better.I would reccommend for you to get the Sea Monkeys Space Shuttle instead of other Sea Monkey products.

its not bad
This item is really cool looking.The light isn't a big deal feature.I was hoping to use it for a night lite but it is just this little red light which isn't impressive.the filteration, isn't really a filter you just pump the top and air goes through.But overall the item is kool for a kid to enjoy

THE BEST TOY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought this toy for my son for his 11 birthday. My son is very picky on toys. When he only saw the box he said it was the best toy he had. He ran into his room and started seting it up. He never leaves his room. He is always playing with the sea monkeys. I bought it a month ago and the sea monkeys are turning diffrent colors example; red,blue,green,yellow exa.He loves them SO much. This set is very strong. He droped it once with the Sea monkeys in it ,but the Sea monkeys were ok and the tank didnt break. I recemend this toy for starters and masters. ... Read more

Asin: B00004UDP6
Sales Rank: 10455
Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Science    3. Wacky