Merlin's Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: A Traveler's Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far

This book gives a deep understanding of the principles of astrophysics, which is a highly complex subject. It uses a series of questions that are asked of Merlin, a visitor from another galaxy, which are then answered with easy to understand language that is delivered with humility and humor. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is always brilliant as well as funny.

What a curious and fascinating book! I read to my kids and they are discussing, asking, expanding, exactly as it should be - this book is simply awesome an enriching.

Full of questions and answers about our world, solar system, galaxy and universe. Neil answers questions with science and wisdom and in a very compelling manner. A good read. And I still have not forgotten about Pluto-lol!

My 10-year-old loved the book.

The question/answer format of this book made reading it easy and information-dense. It was also easy to read a page or two at random times when I needed to take a quick break.

Great book. Dr Tyson hits a towering home run with this fast read explanation of phenomenon of the cosmos that can be understood by anyone..

I am a big fan of NGT and have read most of his books, and am a weekly listener to Startalk, it is my favorite podcast and I think he is an excellent science communicator who regularly has great guests as well. I had not read this book prior to the new release. I recognize this is NGT back in the 1980s when he was much younger, and was his first book. But reading it now, I can easily find quite a few errors in the answers provided, some misleading answers elsewhere, and sometimes feel as though the original question was not properly interpreted. If I had been the person asking, I would not have felt I got a good answer in these cases and in others felt that the answer simply was not clear. In one example, he gives a completely incorrect answer as to what a geosynchronous orbit is (and what it is vis-a-vis a geostationary orbit). In another, someone wrote in saying that he has heard different things about just what the first words spoken from the moon's surface were. NGT answers this by saying it was 'Houston, Tranquility...' but that is simply not accurate, and the reason the questioner has heard different things is because of that. The real first words were technical jargon about making contact and ensuring the engine shut down properly and no abort had to take place, followed after a short pause by the famous line. In another question, someone appears to ask why spacecraft heat up on the way back down, but not on the way up. But the answer given does not appear to match the question at all. In a fourth example, someone asked what would the biggest hazards be for a human trip beyond Mars. NGT says going through the asteroid belt without spacecraft damage. That's nonsense, and I find it hard to believe he would answer in that way now. The asteroid belt is mostly empty space, not the way it is portrayed in cartoons in movies. That's why there is no concern when spacecraft are sent to the outer planets. So, a bit disappointed. It's a fast read, however, and I am still glad I got it.

If you listen to Star Talk, this is Cosmic Queries in a book format, a series of questions and answers about astronomy. Plus, it's fun and entertaining.

As ordered

Excelente

I bought this for a 9year old that loves reading...figured I'd try this book as a gift, see if it intrigues her to go down that STEM path.

an interesting book that covers the whole scope of the universe in a light fashion. It is not too complex for the average reader.

Damage