Longitude by Dava Sobel is a short, satisfying, and surprisingly engaging read about one of history’s most fascinating scientific challenges: how to measure longitude at sea. Sobel tells the story of the eighteenth-century clockmakers, astronomers, and explorers who tried to solve this problem — a problem that cost lives, ships, and fortunes before it was finally cracked.
This book does a great job taking a lot of information we know about life and considering where we might be able to find it – not only within our solar system, but in the cosmos. Not only that, the author thinks about both life as we know it and life as we don’t know it.
Pay no attention to the negative comments on Goodreads. I have to wonder if those reviewers read the same book I did (or read it at all).
I debated about whether or not to write a review since I didn’t finish this book (I did read half the book). But I thought it be prudent for the casual reader to know my impressions of it before they pick it up. In short, it was quite interesting, but a little too academic for my casual interest.
“You know, I can understand nine words in that book now.” – Billy Madison
Another pick for the Planetary Society book club. And what an amazing pick this was! Who knew that a journey to a lifeless rock somewhere between Mars and Jupiter would be interesting?! This author understood the assignment!
Would you like to go to Mars? I know I would. But would you want to immigrate there? If so, this book is chock-full of information on how to get there, how to live there, how to work there, how to start slavery there, how our world kind of sucks, how America started but isn’t going so well, and how to get around on our neighbor, the Red Planet.
I hope we’re not alone in the universe. When I look up at the stars, I like to imagine that there is life orbiting quite a lot of them. Like in Star Trek. Which is referenced heavily throughout this book. And you know what? I’m here for it!
Another pick of The Planetary Society Book Club – this for April 2024. As the cover states, this book features firsthand astronaut accounts from all 135 missions. It’s loaded with photos too!
We landed on the Moon! Like, today – as I write this! Intuitive Machines, a US-based company, successfully landed the Odysseus lander on the Moon. This is the first private company to land on the Moon and the first US landing on the Moon in over 50 years! That may be why this book is the Planetary Society book club pick for February 2024.
