The Sun.

THE SUN

STEELE HILL AND MICHAEL CARLOWICZ

The sun is familiar and, astronomically speaking, rather unremarkable as stars go. Nevertheless, the authors offer dozens of dramatic, high-resolution pictures in this small-format book. Hill, an expert in solar imaging, and science writer Carlowicz provide images from satellites such as Skylab and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. These provide unusual views of the sun, highlighting phenomena such as solar flares, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections. Images depicting how sunlight interacts with forests, fields, and clouds reveal the sun's beauty, while others present rare views of full and partial eclipses and auroras. Abrams, 2006, 240 p., color images, hardcover, $19.95.