Starlight

• A River of Starlight.- Starlight by Numbers.- From Light to Starlight.- Space – The Great Radiation Field.- A Multitude of Magnitudes for the Colors of Starlight.- The Photons Must Get Through – Radiative Transfer.- First Look Inside a Star – The Atmosphere.- Deep Inside a Star.- In the Space Between Stars.- A Star Story ? 10 Billion Years in the Making.

From the reviews: "Understanding stars without understanding maths (well, almost) is Robinson's aim and he succeeds brilliantly in Starlight. There is a bit of maths but, on the whole, concepts such as radiative transfer, hydrostatic equilibrium and stellar evolution are thoroughly explained by diagrams and analogies ... . If you would love to know why Cepheids pulsate or why hot stars don't always radiate in the ultraviolet ... this is the book for you." (Chris Kitchin, Sky at Night Magazine, June, 2010) "Astronomer Robinson ... undertook the daunting task of exploring the concepts underlying the physical conditions in stars with words rather than in equations so that amateur astronomers might gain a deeper appreciation of these familiar and fascinating objects. ... The author does a particularly good job describing the magnitude (brightness) and colors of stars. ... Starlight is a lucid presentation of complex physical principles which will be richly rewarding to serious readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division under graduates and general readers." (D. E. Hogg, Choice, Vol. 47 (9), May, 2010) "Keith Robinson's recent publication presents a good, easily accessible account of basic stellar physics. ... It would be a good resource for, say, a GCSE-level or amateur astronomer, and I would recommend it to that readership. ... However, the book's aim of communicating the basics of stellar astrophysics at a beginner's level is achieved. All in all, Robinson's book is a well-put-together resource for the amateur astronomer, explaining the basic concepts and equations pertinent to the study of the stars." (N. J. Dickinson, The Observatory, Vol. 130, October, 2010)