MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

by William R. Corliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1967

A number of the mysteries of the universe delineated by William Corliss in neat, effective prose may never have occurred to you at all unless you are an avid reader of Sky and Telescope. Certainly cosmology, (the origin and age of the universe); certainly exobiology (is there life anywhere out there); maybe even certainly Quasars, (quasi-stellar objects), since they get a fair play in the papers. But lights on the moon, inertial versus gravitational mass, the eleven year sunspot cycles, Jupiter's wandering red spot, are realms of considerable esoterica, while Martian canals and missing planets seem dated. This means that parts of the book are legitimately satisfying and readable; others are not, or are more remote and demanding. The author's purpose in using the word mystery seems to have been to woo the reader into a discussion of astrophysics and relativity. He does this well so perhaps one shouldn't carp. True to form he carries his pedagogical device through to the end of each chapter, promising a ""solution"" to the mystery if present-day technology prevails. Up the NASA budget!

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Crowell

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION