bit about hydrogen and helium but my excuse is that they make up the bulk of the visible matter in the Universe. Similarly wavelengths, which, like frequency, can be used to describe the behaviour of different kinds of solar energy from X-rays to radio waves. You do not have to be a geek to appreciate such matters, witness a useful mnemonic for the relationship between wavelength and frequency to be found in one of the tales of diplomatic life by Lawrence Durrell: " If there is anything worse than a soprano, " said Antrobus judicially, as we walked down the Mall towards his club, " it is a mezzo-soprano. One shriek lower in the scale, perhaps, b ut with higher candle-po wer . " Just bear in mind that he got it the wrong way round. There are many paradoxes in my account. The Sun drives the weather and keeps the Earth's temperature at tolerable levels, it is the basis of photosynthesis and thus the life of plants and the creatures they sustain, and its magnetic field shelters us from dangerous cosmic rays; yet at the same time the ultraviolet (UV) part of the solar spectrum may damage DNA and human tissue, solar flares can destroy spacecraft, power systems and computers, and there is every indication that the Sun precipitated a mini Ice Age less than two centuries ago. Sunshine allows us to generate vitamin D but too much of it can lead to skin cancer and cataracts. Etcetera etcetera.
Reviews

From the reviews:

"This excellent little eight-chapter book is packed with scientific and technical information placed in historical and cultural context. Vita-Finzi ... leads the reader through a well-illustrated and footnoted tour of all that is known of the sun, including its evolution and place among the universe of stars. Readers learn how the sun's power has changed over its 4.6 Gyr history and how these variations likely affected the evolution of life and, more recently, of human societies. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 46 (10), June, 2009)

"Claudio Vita-Finzi ... producing a book which not only summarizes the basics of how it works, but also describes the numerous ways in which it influences our lives or may be used to improve them. ... Well written and illustrated, The Sun provides an interesting, and sometimes stimulating, overview of the relevance of our neighbouring star for 21st-Century civilization. For anyone seeking more detailed information, numerous academic papers are referenced." (Peter Bond, The observatory, Vol. 129 (1210), June, 2009)

"In this book, Vita-Finzi has set himself the task of presenting a ... object in the sky and shows us that there is more to it than meets the eye. ... The book continues with a great variety of subjects and this gives an ample overview of the very different areas in which the Sun plays an important role. ... written in a very accessible way and its aim as a manual is achieved effortlessly." (J. Rogel-Salazar, Contemporary Physics, February, 2010) "We are all users of the sun and should be concerned by its history, investigation, physics, and its influence on earth and humanity. The goal of Vita-Finzi is to respond to these concerns in 156 pages ... . the author achieves his goal of reaching the typical user of the sun. ... In conclusion, this small book is very enlightening for any enquiring mind and will provide many topicsfor discussion at school ... ." (Fernande Grandjean and Gary J. Long, Belgian Physical Society Magazine, Issue 1, 2010)

"The Sun is so important that everyone should understand its basic workings. ... In this, jargon-free, concise, beautifully illustrated and eminently readable book the Sun is approached from many angles. ... We need A user's manual. We all need to know more about our Sun and its multitudinous effects on our life. And Vita-Finzi's book fits the bill admirably." (David W. Hughes, Times Literary Supplement, June, 2011)

Book Information
ISBN 9789048177493
Author Claudio Vita-Finzi
Format Paperback
Page Count 156
Imprint Springer
Publisher Springer