Valerie Illingworth

Creating a comprehensive dictionary of astronomy is a tall order. After all, you have the entire universe to deal with!

Admitting that the task is impossible, this is still a very good start. At least for interested lay people. That's perhaps the point. The other astronomical dictionaries in my possession are either too professional (i.e. they have a lot of technical details that no one except a working astronomer can use) or too infantile.

This one produces a nice balance, with lists of things such as brightest starts and constellations; a good catalog of planetary moons, and good brief overviews of astronomical phenomena such as black holes.

Of course, astronomy is a fast-moving field, so books like this can be left behind. There isn't much on exoplanets, for instance, or Kuiper Belt objects. But no book can deal with those subjects entirely successfully, because there just isn't time. You have to go to the web. For the earlier fundamental material, this book should serve you well.… (more)