What, exactly, are the ghostly streaks of light that astronauts see—but can't photograph—when they're in space? Why do some scientists think that moderate sun exposure is better for you than using sunblock? What is the recently discovered "second sun" that lurks beneath the solar surface? And how does the fluctuation of sunspots—and the apparent "heartbeat" of the sun—affect everything from satellite communications to wheat production across the globe? Astronomy columnist and Northeast Public Radio host Bob Berman answers dozens of questions like these in this lively and often startling biography of the sun. He ranges from its stellar ignition to its spectacular future death with a focus on the sun's most wondrous and enthralling features. Berman also gives us the heartbreaking sacrifice, laughable errors, egotistical battles, and brilliant inspirations of the people who have tried to understand the sun's power, from the ancients who plotted its path at Stonehenge to the scientists who unraveled the nuclear fusion reaction that turns mass into energy.
"Berman's pitch-perfect book goes a long way to answering the questions you thought were too dumb to ask, but it does much more than simply provide facts ... Berman is a master storyteller, whose passion and enthusiasm for astronomy has served the public well for decades.... Read this and you will never look at the sun in the same way again."—New Scientist