THE LIVES OF STARS

A veteran stargazer (See the Stars: Your First Guide to the Night Sky, 2000, etc.) pairs a meaty disquisition on stellar types and life cycles to page-filling photos and artistic visions of stars and nebulae. Using the H-R (Hertzsprung-Russell) Diagram as his framework, he devotes spreads to heavenly bodies from main-sequence stars to Cepheid variables, neutron stars and black holes—exploring along the way in some detail exactly how scientists determine or deduce stellar luminosity, mass and chemical composition. He closes with a look at extrasolar planets, current theories about the origin of natural elements and the search for extraterrestrial life. Even readers who find the densely packed text hard going will pore over the pictures: Printed in sharp detail and bright, enhanced colors on glossy-coated paper, Orion, the Veil Nebula, the Crab Nebula and their celestial companions make serious eye candy. Though the lack of a resource list limits its research value, students of the skies will find this a (what else?) stellar picture of what we know or guess about those distant lights. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)