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Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIA, reports on Astronomy
Book reviews Solar Gamma-, X- aad EUV Radiation. Edited by S. R. Kane. International Astronomical Union Symposium No. 68 This volume is a collection of some 39 papers presented at an IAU Symposium on observational and theoretical aspects of Solar Gamma, X and EUV Radiation held in Buenos Aires in June 1974. About one half of all the contributions are quite brief, frequently only one page summaries of what presumabIy had been more su~tant~al presentations at the Symposium. The principal contributions are the review papers and the full length papers describing recent results. The topics covered by the review papers include X-ray spectra of solar active regions; the structure of solar active regions from EUV and soft X-ray observations: X-rav and EUV spectra of solar flares and laboratory plasmas; thermal and non-thermal interpretations of flare X-ray bursts; the interpretation of spectra, polarisation and directivity of solar hard X-rays; the relation of microwave emission to X-ray emission from solar flares; high energy gamma-ray radiation above 300 keV associated with solar activity; fast electrons in small solar flares; the nuclei of heavy elements in solar fiare particles; acceleration processes in solar flares. A number of other papers describe recent sateliite results from Skylab, OS07 and the Soviet satellite Prognoz 2. The volume provides a valuable survey of knowledge in the field as at 1974. The nroduction is excellent and it is a worthy contribution to the series of IAU Symposium volumes published by Reidel. 1
W. J. Granville Beynon Entwicklungsphasen der Erforschung det Leuchtenden Nachtwolken. E. Schriider: Akademie-Veriag, Berlin, D.D.R., 1975. vi+64pp. Sinee the turbidity of the terrestrial atmosphere which followed the Cracatao voicanic eruption in 1883 was observed by many astronomers the first observation of noctilucent clouds stems from lg85. But only at the Berlin observatory under W. Foerster a program for systematic observations of the phenomenon was established and executed by 0. Jesse. His early Endings and hypotheses are compared with recent in situ observations. It appears that a detailed explanation of the phenomenon requires still better knowledge of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics near the mesopause. The possibility that meteoric matter might be involved was mentioned by Jesse already. About 200 references. K. Rawer Traasactions of the ~te~ational As~onomi~ Union, Vol. XVIA, Reports on ~~o~orny. Edited by G. Contopoulos. Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland. 1976. Part 1, pp.-228, Dfl. 90 (US $33). Part 2, pp. 240, DA. 90 (US $33). Part 3, pp. 222, Dfl. 90 (US $33). Every three years, at the time of the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, astronomers look
forward to the authoritative reviews of the progress of their subject, prepared by the Presidents of the Commissions of the Union and published as Reports on Astronomy. As the subject ffourished and the number of astronomers grew, the size of successive volumes increased until, in 1970, it threatened to become prohibitive and strict limits on the length of each report had to be imposed. The cost nevertheless remained such as to be beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest individuaIs so, for 1976, the reports have been published in three parts, each at a price at which it is hoped that individuals will be able to afford at least the part most closely reiated to their own speciality. Part 1 is likely to be that of most interest to readers of the Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, since its main concern is the Solar System, although it excludes the Sun itself but includes reports of Commissions 9 (Instruments and Techniques), 14 (Fundamental Spectroscopic Data), 31 (Time), etc. Part 2 covers the Sun and stars, while Part 3 deals mainly with the large-scale features of the Universe, but includes also reports of Commissions 40 (Radio Astronomy), 44 (Astronomical Observations from Qutisde the Terrestrial Atmosphere) and 48 (High Energy Astrophysi~), among others. For an astronomer or physicist wishing to find out what work has been done in any branch of astronomy during the relevant period, in this case the years 19’73-1975, the Reports on Astronomy are virtually indispensable, although potential readers should be warned that they are intended for the professional astronomer so no concessions are made: the reports are all extremely concisely written and indeed in some cases are little more than classified lists of references strung together with the very minimum of connecting material. They represent, in fact, one of the key bibliographical tools in the subject, ranking only second in importance to the impeccable Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts (prepared under the auspices of the IAU by the Astronomiches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg and published by Springer-Verlag). The division into three parts must be regarded as a step in the right direction of making them more widely available to the astronomical community but, even so, there can be few individuais in the developing countries (or the deveioped countries either, come to that) who can easily find $33 out of their own pockets for such a book, and a cheaper format would be entirely acceptable to most readers. John Shakeshaft
Solar Bares. by Z. Svestka, Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs Reidel, 399 pp. This mono~aph, prepared by a distinguished CzechoSlovak astronomer now resident in the U.S.A.. is Volume 8 in the series of Monographs on Geophysics and Astrophysics currently being published by Reidel. Originally two volumes on the subject of Solar Flares were planned for this series-the first dealing with experimental observations by the present author Z. Svestka, and the second
W. J. Granville Beynon Entwicklungsphasen der Erforschung det Leuchtenden Nachtwolken. E. Schriider: Akademie-Veriag, Berlin, D.D.R., 1975. vi+64pp. Sinee the turbidity of the terrestrial atmosphere which followed the Cracatao voicanic eruption in 1883 was observed by many astronomers the first observation of noctilucent clouds stems from lg85. But only at the Berlin observatory under W. Foerster a program for systematic observations of the phenomenon was established and executed by 0. Jesse. His early Endings and hypotheses are compared with recent in situ observations. It appears that a detailed explanation of the phenomenon requires still better knowledge of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics near the mesopause. The possibility that meteoric matter might be involved was mentioned by Jesse already. About 200 references. K. Rawer Traasactions of the ~te~ational As~onomi~ Union, Vol. XVIA, Reports on ~~o~orny. Edited by G. Contopoulos. Reidel, Dordrecht, Holland. 1976. Part 1, pp.-228, Dfl. 90 (US $33). Part 2, pp. 240, DA. 90 (US $33). Part 3, pp. 222, Dfl. 90 (US $33). Every three years, at the time of the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, astronomers look
forward to the authoritative reviews of the progress of their subject, prepared by the Presidents of the Commissions of the Union and published as Reports on Astronomy. As the subject ffourished and the number of astronomers grew, the size of successive volumes increased until, in 1970, it threatened to become prohibitive and strict limits on the length of each report had to be imposed. The cost nevertheless remained such as to be beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest individuaIs so, for 1976, the reports have been published in three parts, each at a price at which it is hoped that individuals will be able to afford at least the part most closely reiated to their own speciality. Part 1 is likely to be that of most interest to readers of the Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, since its main concern is the Solar System, although it excludes the Sun itself but includes reports of Commissions 9 (Instruments and Techniques), 14 (Fundamental Spectroscopic Data), 31 (Time), etc. Part 2 covers the Sun and stars, while Part 3 deals mainly with the large-scale features of the Universe, but includes also reports of Commissions 40 (Radio Astronomy), 44 (Astronomical Observations from Qutisde the Terrestrial Atmosphere) and 48 (High Energy Astrophysi~), among others. For an astronomer or physicist wishing to find out what work has been done in any branch of astronomy during the relevant period, in this case the years 19’73-1975, the Reports on Astronomy are virtually indispensable, although potential readers should be warned that they are intended for the professional astronomer so no concessions are made: the reports are all extremely concisely written and indeed in some cases are little more than classified lists of references strung together with the very minimum of connecting material. They represent, in fact, one of the key bibliographical tools in the subject, ranking only second in importance to the impeccable Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts (prepared under the auspices of the IAU by the Astronomiches Rechen-Institut Heidelberg and published by Springer-Verlag). The division into three parts must be regarded as a step in the right direction of making them more widely available to the astronomical community but, even so, there can be few individuais in the developing countries (or the deveioped countries either, come to that) who can easily find $33 out of their own pockets for such a book, and a cheaper format would be entirely acceptable to most readers. John Shakeshaft
Solar Bares. by Z. Svestka, Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs Reidel, 399 pp. This mono~aph, prepared by a distinguished CzechoSlovak astronomer now resident in the U.S.A.. is Volume 8 in the series of Monographs on Geophysics and Astrophysics currently being published by Reidel. Originally two volumes on the subject of Solar Flares were planned for this series-the first dealing with experimental observations by the present author Z. Svestka, and the second