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The system of minor planets
PIarm. Space Sci. 1963. Vol.
I I, pp.
729 to 731.
Pergamon
Press Ltd.
Primed
in Northern
lrelmd
BOOK REVIEWS
G. D. ROTH: The System of Minor Planets. Trans: 1962. 128 pp. 25s.
A. L.
HELM.
Faber and Faber, London
Ttns is a popular presentation of our knowled e of the asteroids written succinctly, well translated from the German, and fully illustrated. To the knowle tige of the reviewer it is the only book in the English language which is wholly devoted to the asteroids. More than half the book deals with history and observational techniques. The reader is told that the first asteroid to be discovered, Ceres, was found by G. Piazzi on New Year’s Day in 1801, and that the first asteroid to be discovered photographically was Brucia. found by M. Wolf ninety years later. The effect of phase, rotation, and shape of asteroids on their apparent brightness is explained and the author describes such well-known technical terms as magnitude and albedo in simple language; indeed little, if any, previous knowledge of astronomy is required to understand and enjoy the treatment. Later chapters are descriptive of the orbits of the asteroids. Orbital elements and perturbations by Jupiter are discussed and illustrated by means of histograms. The problems of the Trojans and of the possible association between asteroids, comets and meteors are also discussed briefly. The last chapter provides a short, unprejudiced account of the origins that have been proposed for the asteroids and, to round off, there are three tables of data-giving such things as sizes and magnitudes of some asteroids and a bibliography. The general popularization and concise nature of each chapter are inextricably tied to the oversimplification and lack of thorough coverage that pervades the treatment. This is, however, a limitation rather than a fault and the book can be warmly recommended to the amateur astronomer or, indeed to anyone who wishes to read an introduction to the important subject of the minor planets. Of the few poor translations, note may be made of “progressive”, on page 85, which should read “direct”. G. FIELDER
E. K. Smnn and S. MATSUSHITA (Eds.): Oxford, 1962. xiii + 391 pp. 105s.
Ionospheric Sporadic E. Pergamon Press,
THIS
excellently-produced text is designed by the editors to fall in character between the two standard types of volumes in current production. One type is the text book, developing an integrated account of a particular subject from one author’s point of view; the second type is the scientific&r&, containing a variety of independent papers in a selected field, but with little or no integration or cohesion between them whatever. The present two editors have sought to select some twenty-three new papers from different authors on Ionospheric Sporadic E. and together with editoral contributions have moulded these papers into an orderly and balanced presentation. This remarkable success of the editors has wisely been achieved by sectionalizing the wide variety of material into three sub-divisions, namely, experimental techniques and measurements, data analysis and theoretical considerations, the source of much of the material being the I.G.Y., though the text is not restricted solely to this. Hence both the experimentalist and theoretician will find much of interest here, with suggestions for further research in almost every aspect. The text is world-wide in its appeal, both as pertaining to the authors and as pertaining to the location of the ionospheric experimental work. It follows that the book is very much up to date, and new research workers will rapidly acquire a working knowledge of the subject and of present trends and problems, but the reviewer cannot help feeling that the book will very quickly become a historical curiosity, unlike the other volumes so far published in the International Series of Monographs on Electromagnetic Waves. Rapid advances in the subject will replace most of the papers in the book by more detailed data, more refined experimental techniques, more constructive statistical analysis and more satisfying theoretical interpretations. J. HEADING 10
729
I I, pp.
729 to 731.
Pergamon
Press Ltd.
Primed
in Northern
lrelmd
BOOK REVIEWS
G. D. ROTH: The System of Minor Planets. Trans: 1962. 128 pp. 25s.
A. L.
HELM.
Faber and Faber, London
Ttns is a popular presentation of our knowled e of the asteroids written succinctly, well translated from the German, and fully illustrated. To the knowle tige of the reviewer it is the only book in the English language which is wholly devoted to the asteroids. More than half the book deals with history and observational techniques. The reader is told that the first asteroid to be discovered, Ceres, was found by G. Piazzi on New Year’s Day in 1801, and that the first asteroid to be discovered photographically was Brucia. found by M. Wolf ninety years later. The effect of phase, rotation, and shape of asteroids on their apparent brightness is explained and the author describes such well-known technical terms as magnitude and albedo in simple language; indeed little, if any, previous knowledge of astronomy is required to understand and enjoy the treatment. Later chapters are descriptive of the orbits of the asteroids. Orbital elements and perturbations by Jupiter are discussed and illustrated by means of histograms. The problems of the Trojans and of the possible association between asteroids, comets and meteors are also discussed briefly. The last chapter provides a short, unprejudiced account of the origins that have been proposed for the asteroids and, to round off, there are three tables of data-giving such things as sizes and magnitudes of some asteroids and a bibliography. The general popularization and concise nature of each chapter are inextricably tied to the oversimplification and lack of thorough coverage that pervades the treatment. This is, however, a limitation rather than a fault and the book can be warmly recommended to the amateur astronomer or, indeed to anyone who wishes to read an introduction to the important subject of the minor planets. Of the few poor translations, note may be made of “progressive”, on page 85, which should read “direct”. G. FIELDER
E. K. Smnn and S. MATSUSHITA (Eds.): Oxford, 1962. xiii + 391 pp. 105s.
Ionospheric Sporadic E. Pergamon Press,
THIS
excellently-produced text is designed by the editors to fall in character between the two standard types of volumes in current production. One type is the text book, developing an integrated account of a particular subject from one author’s point of view; the second type is the scientific&r&, containing a variety of independent papers in a selected field, but with little or no integration or cohesion between them whatever. The present two editors have sought to select some twenty-three new papers from different authors on Ionospheric Sporadic E. and together with editoral contributions have moulded these papers into an orderly and balanced presentation. This remarkable success of the editors has wisely been achieved by sectionalizing the wide variety of material into three sub-divisions, namely, experimental techniques and measurements, data analysis and theoretical considerations, the source of much of the material being the I.G.Y., though the text is not restricted solely to this. Hence both the experimentalist and theoretician will find much of interest here, with suggestions for further research in almost every aspect. The text is world-wide in its appeal, both as pertaining to the authors and as pertaining to the location of the ionospheric experimental work. It follows that the book is very much up to date, and new research workers will rapidly acquire a working knowledge of the subject and of present trends and problems, but the reviewer cannot help feeling that the book will very quickly become a historical curiosity, unlike the other volumes so far published in the International Series of Monographs on Electromagnetic Waves. Rapid advances in the subject will replace most of the papers in the book by more detailed data, more refined experimental techniques, more constructive statistical analysis and more satisfying theoretical interpretations. J. HEADING 10
729