Beyond The Observatory

Here is a collection of lively essays by on of the world's foremost astronomers, who, with wit and wisdom, style and charm, has written on the giant universe of stars as well as on a variety of subjects outside the scope of astronomy. It contains: 1. "Ten Revelations," presenting the scientific achievements of the twentieth century that Dr. Shapley believes have most profoundly affected the lives and thoughts of mankind. 2. "Breathing the Future and the Past," which presents the science and romance of the argon atom, showing, for example, how your breath will contain more than 4000,000 argon atoms that Gandhi breathed in the long life. 3. "Life Among the Dwarfs," concerning a kind of dwarf star, reddish and relatively cool, where, says Shapley, a rocky crust and water may form and life evolve. 4. "Six Notes on Planets and Life," a sketch of some interesting characteristics of the local planetary system. 5. "Life and Hope in the Psychozoic Era," which takes as its central theme the greatest topic Shapley knows, cosmic evolution. 6. "Thirty Deductions from a Glimmer of Star Light," summarizing the present knowledge that can be gained from a pinpoint of light we call a star and demonstrating the intellectual attainments of man. 7. "Out of the Whirlwind," a rereading of the biblical Book of Job, showing how poetic the sciences can be and how science-touched is some poetry. 8. "Apologies to a Comet," in which Shapley directs some penitent remarks to the Great Comet of 1960 on the regrettable condition of mankind, and, as spokesman for the human race, promises that we shall do better if the Comet returns in the distant future. 9. "The Five Beasts of My Own Apocalypse," a list of human problems and remedies for them. 10. "On the Prolonging of Civilization," a means by which the indefinite prolongation of mankind might be assured. 11. "The Science Outside the Laboratory," a blueprint of how scientists and other inventive men can help at this time of crisis. The literary compositions are both analytic and interpretive. They deal with topics--scientific, social, and philosophic--from a personal point of view: that of one of our distinguished elder statesmen in science, who always has something provocative to say, whether it be about stars of men.