How are the nuclear power plants we call "stars" formed? Where do they get their energy and how do they die--and what does this suggest about the future of the universe? One of the most popular books written on astrophysics, 100 Billion Suns provides an exhilarating and authoritative life history of the stars.

An eminent astrophysicist presents an analysis of stellar evolution, explaining the origins, life cycle, and death of stars and discussing the future of the universe and the current status of research in astrophysics

A Billion Suns is a wargame of interstellar combat that puts you in command of fleets of powerful starships, from squadrons of agile, but fragile, fighters, to hulking and powerful capital ships. When combined with some spaceship miniatures, a tape measure, a deck of playing cards and some dice, this rulebook provides everything you need to play exciting and tense tabletop games of interstellar exploration and combat. Using simple dice pool mechanics, you must carefully manage your resources and seize the opportunities that come your way in order to lead your fleet to victory and assert your dominance over the stars.

Dorothy Yoshida is a telepath, and a really rather good one at that. She's also a scientist, and when a small planet begins to manifest some unusual signs she is sent to investigate. The planet is more than it seems, and on further investigation the scientists begin to suspect it has been artificially altered. But despite their suspicions the only life they can detect is on the surface, none of which has advanced far above the level of animals. And despite the hopes of mankind to find something which will help them in a burgeoning war against other species, there seems to be nothing there to aid them. With Dorothy's arrival, however, they are in for some surprising discoveries.

Between July 1945 and November 1962 the United States is known to have conducted 216 atmospheric and underwater nuclear tests. After the Limited Test Ban Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1963, nuclear testing went underground. It became literally invisible—but more frequent: the United States conducted a further 723 underground tests, the last in 1992. 100 Suns documents the era of visible nuclear testing, the atmospheric era, with one hundred photographs drawn by Michael Light from the archives at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. National Archives in Maryland. It includes previously classified material from the clandestine Lookout Mountain Air Force Station based in Hollywood, whose film directors, cameramen and still photographers were sworn to secrecy. The title, 100 Suns, refers to the response by J.Robert Oppenheimer to the world’s first nuclear explosion in New Mexico when he quoted a passage from the Bhagavad Gita, the classic Vedic text: “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One . . . I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This was Oppenheimer’s attempt to describe the otherwise indescribable. 100 Suns likewise confronts the indescribable by presenting without embellishment the stark evidence of the tests at the moment of detonation. Since the tests were conducted either in Nevada or the Pacific the book is simply divided between the desert and the ocean. Each photograph is presented with the name of the test, its explosive yield in kilotons or megatons, the date and the location. The enormity of the events recorded is contrasted with the understated neutrality of bare data. Interspersed within the sequence of explosions are pictures of the awestruck witnesses. The evidence of these photographs is terrifying in its implication while at same time profoundly disconcerting as a spectacle. The visual grandeur of such imagery is balanced by the chilling facts provided at the end of the book in the detailed captions, a chronology of the development of nuclear weaponry and an extensive bibliography. A dramatic sequel to Michael Light’s Full Moon, 100 Suns forms an unprecedented historical document.

"Think for Yourself! aims a spotlight at the significant but often overlooked difference between intuitive reasoning and logical reasoning. Steve Hindes shows readers how to cut through the tangle of pseudo-information that people are barraged with daily, so they can educate themselves fully on any topic, whether it's current events or family traditions."--BOOK JACKET.

The Universe in Your Hands Project STAR (Science Teaching through its Astronomical Roots) is an astronomy course that also teaches real-world math and physics. Project STAR capitalizes on students' inherent interest in the limitless universe that surrounds them. This second edition uses a new approach that is consistent with the philosophy of the authors: students learn science better by making measurements and observations than by memorizing "facts." Each chapter begins with questions to test preheld views on certain subjects. Students then use measurements and observations to explore the models in the chapters. Questions are sprinkled throughout the book to test understanding along with cartoons to leaven the learning with humor. Hands-on activities play an essential role in this 1-year course. In completing these hands-on activities, students will: make observations of the skies build models use models to explain observations and make predictions find everyday applications for such models The Student Text for Project STAR, Second Edition includes updated information, is easier to use and visually more appealing. The material is laid out with new illustrations for greater clarity and understanding. A color plate section supports activities and text related to the study of spectra. A reference section has also been added. It lists astronomy resources on the web. The Astronomy Explorer CD-ROM is included with the Student Text. This interactive CD-ROM contains movies and animations related to astronomy. The student exercises provide an excellent foundation for understanding the complexities of the universe. A glossary of terms is also part of the CD.