The Modern Scholar

Astronomy I: Earth, Sky and Planets

By: Prof. James Kaler

Narrated by: Prof. James Kaler

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

The Earth, the sun and moon, the planets, comets, asteroids and meteors - the solar system is all around us, yet how much do we truly know about it? When we explore the Earth and the layout of the sky, what can we learn about the meanings of the day, the year, the seasons, and the constellations? Which physical laws control what we see, and what are the natures of the celestial bodies? Professor James Kaler - a former Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellow and author of many acclaimed books on astronomy - answers these questions, taking us on a fascinating and informative voyage through the Solar System.The heart of this course examines the planets themselves, and reveals how they are constructed and how they differ from one another. By studying the physical astronomy of all the planets in the Solar System, we can attempt to understand their true nature. Ultimately, these lectures will bring us to a greater understanding of the Solar System's creation, which brings us again back to the beginning and what it means to us as we look outward from our rotating Earth.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2003 James Kaler (P)2003 Recorded Books

Awe inspiring, but not overwhelming

What I liked about Professor Kaler's approach was that he related everything back to the earth. Though he points out that the terrestrial planets could be regarded as the sun's leftovers, he reminds us that size does not equal significance.

The professor has a way of describing things so that you can picture them in your mind's eye. He points out not only the huge sizes of objects like the sun and Jupiter, but even more so the enormous distances between them. I did not realise how big the solar system is. Neptune is 30 times further from the sun than is earth. And the comets perhaps extend out to half the distance to the next star. But you don't get blinded with statistics. Professor Kaler explains succinctly how the moon orbits the earth, why it appears in phases, and other basic facts of astronomy.

The lectures are well worth your credit. I've already started listening to Part 2.

Must have

Like the other reviewers say, every minute was interesting and kept me hooked. Professor Kaler is able to explain our solar system in our terms and ways we can understand. I already have part II in my cart.

Awesome, Dr. Kaler is spot on.

First, I must say that Dr. Kaler really knows how to keep your interest. He really explains the details of our planets, and our solar system in a very enthusiastic way that really keeps your ears glued. I have owned this book for a short while now and I have listened to it 3 times already. I highly recommend this book if you want to get detailed knowledge of our great earth, moon, and all the planets orbiting the sun with us.
The final chapter is great where Dr. Kaler goes in depth on how solar systems are born and developed. A Must Read!!

A gifted lecturer

Dr. Kaler has the rare ability of being able to teach astronomy in a way that is easy to understand without making the subject banale or unscientific. His presentation is clear, coherent and I found the progression of the lectures to be neither too slow or too fast.

My only objection is that I would have loved to see a more comprehensive coverage of the geology and features of the planets, but this is a natural consequence of the length of the book.

A great listen for anyone interested in astronomy.

Superb Book

Great book! Full of interesting facts and the author does a great job making it easy to understand. I highly recommend it.

Very Informative

Any additional comments?

Boy, did I learn a lot from this one! Professor Kaler tends to rush through some of the details from time to time but, overall, this was a primer on astronomy that will get me looking to the skies more frequently and with a lot more comprehension of what's up there. Excellent for wanna-be stargazers and parents of inquiring kids. Do you know why the moon comes up at different times of day? Why one side of the moon always faces us? Why Pluto is considered a planet by some and not others? You will know all these and much, much more after listening..

Just excellent

Would you consider the audio edition of The Modern Scholar to be better than the print version?

cannot comment - never seen print version

Who was your favorite character and why?

Prof James Kaler - great presenter

Which character – as performed by the narrator – was your favorite?

n/a

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

Strongly recommend this to anyone with a scientific bent, or those who think there's not much to know about our spectacular Solar System

not that advanced

good story for those starting in the topic! nice pace and style of presentation. recommended

I would give it 6 Stars if I could, it was great.

It was one of my favorite audio books ever, I'm going to listen to it again.

Very Good. Easy To Understand.

The last review I had of our solar system was in grade school in the 1960's so this lesson was way overdue for me. This simple review of our neighborhood is what we know about our solar system today, and it's a lot more than we knew 50 years ago. So I was left thinking how exciting it will be to see what's revealed in the next 50 years. Well worth the credit to listen to this one.