Although it鈥檚 not a phrase you鈥檇 ever associate with Patrick Moore, Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait (Wiley, 2002, reviewed 4 May) is his current page-turner of choice. Plait takes a look at widespread misconceptions and errors ranging from astrology to claims that men never landed on the Moon, says Moore.
Moore is also enjoying Our Cosmic Habitat by Astronomer Royal Martin Rees (Weidenfeld, 2002), which, he says, includes 鈥渇ascinating speculations about parallel universes鈥�.
The Turtle and the Stars by Arthur Upgren (Times Books, 2002) is a refreshing take on the Universe. Subtitled 鈥淥bservations of an earthbound astronomer鈥�, it鈥檚 not, Moore says, a conventional astronomical text, but 鈥渋n a way a collection of essays, beautifully written and bringing out some little-known facts鈥�.
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