Heavenly Errors : : Misconceptions About the Real Nature of the Universe / / Neil Comins.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Columbia University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Comins, Neil,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : Columbia University Press, , [2001]; ©2001
• Year of Publication: 2001
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.) :; 20 illus

One of the great paradoxes of modern times is that the more scientists understand the natural world, the more we discover that our everyday beliefs about it are wrong. Astronomy, in particular, is one of the most misunderstood scientific disciplines.With the participation of thousands of undergraduate students, Neil F. Comins has identified and classified, by origin and topic, over 1,700 commonly held misconceptions. Heavenly Errors provides access to all of them and explores many, including:• Black holes suck in everything around them.• The Sun shines by burning gas.• Comets have tails trailing behind them.• The Moon alone causes tides.• Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is the hottest planet.In the course of correcting these errors, he explains that some occur through the prevalence of pseudosciences such as astrology and UFO-logy and some enter the public conscience through the "bad astronomy" of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science-fiction movies. Perhaps most important, Professor Comins presents the reader with the methods for identifying and replacing incorrect ideas-tools with which to probe erroneous notions so that we can begin to question for ourselves. and to think more like scientists.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Fun in the Sun -- 2. Blame It on Someone Else -- 3. Creating Your Own Private Cosmos -- 4. Survival in a Misperceived World -- 5. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do -- 6. The Sage on the Stage or the Guide by Your Side -- 7. Let the Buyer Beware -- 8. Conflicts and Dangers -- Epilogue -- Selected Bibliography -- Index