Picture of author.
12+ Works 239 Members 7 Reviews

About the Author

Sten Odenwald, an astronomer with Raytheon ITSS, is currently the education and public outreach manager for the NASA IMAGE satellite program. He writes a regular online question-and-answer column called "Ask the Space Scientist" and is a contributor to the Washington Post. He is the recipient of show more the 1999 Goddard Space Flight Center Excellence in Outreach Award and the Popular Writing Award from the American Astronomical Society. Solar Physics Division show less

Includes the name: Sten Odenwald

Works by Sten Odenwald

Associated Works

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Odenwald, Sten
Birthdate
1955
Gender
male
Nationality
Sweden (birth)
Places of residence
Washington, D.C., USA
Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Karlskoga, Sweden (birth)
Oakland, California, USA
Palestine, Texas, USA
Education
Harvard University (PhD)
University of California, Berkeley (BS ∙ Astronomy)
Occupations
Astronomer
Organizations
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Short biography
Sten Odenwald is an astronomer who runs the website Astronomy Cafe, and is a researcher studying the cosmic infrared background and space weather. Since receiving his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University in 1982, he has been an astronomer in the Washington, D.C. area, primarily at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Members

Reviews

This was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an interesting read. I wish each object was presented a little bit more in depth. Overall, it whet my appetite to find out more about each subject. I think it would be a good introduction for anyone wishing to learn about our journey to the stars. 🙂🚀🛸🔬
 
Flagged
Arkrayder | 1 other review | Mar 8, 2022 |
Quantum Physics by Sten Odenwald is a nice introduction and overview of what quantum physics is and how science progressed to where we are now.

This is less of an explanation of quantum physics, though a few of the basic concepts and ideas are discussed, than it is a foundation upon which someone with an interest can comfortably start to dive a bit deeper. Unlike the other book in the Fundamentals series I've read, this one tends to take various strands of thought in each chapter and bring them historically into the present (the other book presented one long chronology, which worked well for that topic). I think this worked well because there is not simply one monolithic idea that is quantum physics but a basic idea that then spreads out into many narrower areas.

While I have only had a couple of college level quantum physics courses and a relativity course, I didn't feel like this book overly simplified things, yet it did have to, out of necessity, omit some things that simply require a more nuanced explanation. But the reader unfamiliar with the field won't notice any omissions and will come away with a much better idea of what scientists are talking about when they talk about quantum physics. I can also imagine this would serve as a nice primer for those undecided about a career/academic path since it does talk about what is still to be done as well as what has been done.

This probably won't be of great interest to those in the research part of the field I think this would offer ideas for educators on how to teach these, and by extension other, subjects. This is ideal for the lay reader who wants to have some kind of basic idea of what quantum physics is and how it relates to both the science they learned in school and current scientific advances.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
… (more)
 
Flagged
pomo58 | Jan 27, 2022 |
How does a small, insignificant-looking rock pave the way for all the space discoveries and breakthroughs that follow its humble existence? How do early writings and calendars relate to building telescopes? Trace the development of the astronomer’s tools from the Abri Blanchard Bone Plaque, an ancient lunar phase calendar, to the Event Horizon Telescope that afforded us our first glimpse of a black hole.

While exploring each of the stories attached of these events, readers will discover there were some forty-one thousand years between the Blombos Ochre Drawing and the Abri Blanchard Bone Plaque. Yet there are less than two years between the development of the Tesla Roadster and the Event Horizon Telescope. Clearly, mankind can accomplish much, given the time, resources, and determination.

Certainly, we’ve explored only a minute portion of the vast universe of which we are an infinitesimal part. Yet human curiosity has driven us to reach out, to explore, to discover, to learn. From the artifacts of civilizations past to today’s exciting accomplishment of flying a helicopter in the Martian atmosphere and evolving plans to return to the moon, it’s clear that we’re continuing along the path, reaching even higher and learning even more.

One hundred illustrated, double-page spreads highlight each of the objects selected for inclusion here. The oldest, The Blombos Ochre Drawing dates from 71,000 B.C.E. while the newest is the Event Horizon Telescope from 2019 [the year of publication for this book]. Each of the object entries, including The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, The Star Charts of Senenmut, the Antikythera Mechanism, The Chaco Canyon Sun Dagger, Galileo’s Telescope, the Slide Rule, the Clock Drive, and so much more, include a photograph, a brief history, and an explanation of its relationship to humanity’s reach for space. A listing of resources and photo credits for each object is also included.

Readers will find much to commend in these captivating stories and tantalizing glimpses of objects that play a part in our reach for space. Readers interested in history will find much to appreciate here, as will those interested in space exploration. Don’t miss this one.

Highly recommended.
… (more)
 
Flagged
jfe16 | 1 other review | May 12, 2021 |
Due to the fact that this book is written in a question and answer format, its easy to read a little at a time as your schedule allows. It covers a broad range of topics related to astronomy with very understandable answers. The author isn't afraid to admit that scientist often don't know the answers. This type of honesty is refreshing in that you feel you are being levelled with as opposed to being given an answer that is intentionally over the layman's head to avoid admitting ignorance. On the other hand, sometimes the author presents theories as if they are established facts. I think that a lot of scientist do this (perhaps unintentionally) because they are putting forth the explanation that is dogma in the scientific community and forget to remind the reader that other possibilities may exist. Overall, this is a great book and is certainly worth your time… (more)
 
Flagged
paamember | Jan 13, 2016 |

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Statistics

Works
12
Also by
1
Members
239
Popularity
#94,925
Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
7
ISBNs
13
Languages
2

Charts & Graphs