Following on the success of the first of the "Little Books...: (Hogan, Little Book of the Big Bang), Kaler examines all aspects of the nature, birth, life and death of stars, and their meaning for us. Technical detail is kept to a minimum. The book is meant to be read by interested laypeople.

From the reviews:

*"*Everything a popular science book should beit is a delight to read and is packed with accurate yet easy-to-digest scientific information." Physics World

Autorentext
Following on the success of the first of the "Little Books...: (Hogan, Little Book of the Big Bang), Kaler examines all aspects of the nature, birth, life and death of stars, and their meaning for us. Technical detail is kept to a minimum. The book is meant to be read by interested laypeople.

Inhalt
Stars: Beginnings. Defining a star. Chemical composition. Age. Gravitational compression. Nuclear reactions.- Collections: Distances and luminosities. Doubles, multiples, and masses. Clusters. Our Galaxy. Other galaxies. The universe of galaxies.- Kinds: The Sun. Spectra and classes. The HR diagram. Dwarfs and giants. Supergiants. White dwarfs.- Parade: The night sky. Constellations. Naming the stars. Your fortune please. Timekeepers. The navigator.- Bazaar: Variable stars. Pitch and catch. Strange. chemistries. Planetary nebulae. Supernovae. Neutron stars.- Linkages: Main sequence evolution. Growth. Transformation. Cataclysm. Darkness.- Dawn: Nebulae. Building blocks. Collapse. Birth. Disks and planets. Looking outward.