Posted on by Jason Major

Enter the Universe Today “Wonders of the Universe” Contest!

The iPad app features seven apps in one, all of which are linked 3D environments to explore: Subatomic, Atomic, Local Stars, Solar System, Milky Way, Galaxy and the Universe.

If you’ve seen the excellent BBC/Science Channel series “Wonders of the Universe,” you know that host Brian Cox’s natural enthusiasm for astronomy is nothing short of infectious. His explanations of far-out concepts bring the mysteries of our Universe down to Earth for everyone to understand… and now he and HarperCollins UK have brought them even closer — right to your iPad.

Now, here on Universe Today you can win a free copy of the app as well as a signed copy of his Wonders of the Universe or Wonders of the Solar System hardcover book!

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Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe is designed for people with any level of understanding of astronomy, from casual explorers interested in the aesthetics to those looking for a deeper educational experience. Users can travel with Professor Brian Cox on his personal tours through the Universe, or jet off on a solo voyage of discovery through the planets of the Solar System to local stars and onwards through the galaxy.

Additionally, the app takes full advantage of the extensive capabilities of the new iPad, using a powerful 3D engine capable of handling high-resolution textures and complex animations created exclusively for iOS5.

Watch a personal tour of the app given by Prof. Brian Cox above.

Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe is available on the iTunes store now for an introductory price of $6.99 USD… or you can enter for a chance to win a free download along with a signed copy of a Wonders of the Universe or Wonders of the Solar System hardcover book (four of each are available!) by emailing [email protected] with subject line “Wonders App”.

Be sure to put your mailing address in the body of the email, and we will randomly select 8 winners to receive a signed book (our discretion) and a download code for the app.

The contest is open to all U.S. residents. One winner per mailing address. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery of the books. Winners will be chosen by June 10, 2012.

These are beautiful books that are chock full of information about our Universe as well as signed by Brian Cox himself… don’t miss out on a chance to get one!

Wonders of the Universe and Wonders of the Solar System books (HarperCollins UK)

Also, be sure to check out the latest app from HarperCollins UK, Fragile Earth. It uses amazing satellite imagery from all across the planet to put a century of climate change at your fingertips. It’s currently available from the iTunes store for $2.99 USD.

(App downloads and books provided courtesy of HarperCollins UK and Walker Sands Communications.)

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Contest: Win a Copy of ‘Sidereal Clock’ iPhone App

A view of the Sidereal Clock iPhone app.

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You know you’ve always wanted your own sidereal clock. Now, here’s your chance. We’re giving away 10 access codes for the new Sideral Clock astronomy iPhone app. Just send an email to us with “Sidereal Clock” in the subject line and Fraser will choose five winners at random.

Sidereal time is a time-keeping system astronomers use to keep track of the direction to point their telescopes to view a given star in the night sky. A a sidereal day is the time scale that is based on the Earth’s rate of rotation measured relative to the fixed stars. All observatories have a Sidereal Clock, and you can find sidereal time on the Internet, but you don’t always have access to the internet while observing. If you have an iPhone you can now install “SiderealClock” application and carry it with you everywhere you go.

This app uses iPhone geopositioning, and the application displays the current time (LMT), Greenwich time (GMT), your local Sideral Time (LST) and also the Julian Day. SideralClock is a real time clock and runs in any iPhone with geopositioning system and iOS 4.2 or higher.

Find more informations about this application at Apple iTunes Store The app is available in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese.

Thanks to designer Fabio Rendelucci for providing the app codes for this contest!

Note: this contest replaces an earlier one that was canceled, in case you feel like you are experiencing deja vu.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win a Copy of the New Book “Cosmic Heritage — Evolution from the Big Bang to Conscious Life”

How did the Universe begin and evolve? How did life start on Earth? These questions are discussed in a new book, “Cosmic Heritage — Evolution from the Big Bang to Conscious Life.” Thanks to the folks at Springer Astronomy, we have 10 copies of this engaging book to give away! Just send us an email with “Shaver Book” in the subject line and Fraser will randomly choose 10 winners. Deadline for the contest is Thursday Oct. 20, 2011 at 1200 GMT. The contest is open to anyone around the world.

This book follows the evolutionary trail all the way from the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago to conscious life today. It is an accessible introductory book written for the interested layperson – anyone interested in the ‘big picture’ coming from modern science. It covers a wide range of topics including the origin and evolution of our universe, the nature and origin of life, the evolution of life including questions of birth and death, the evolution of cognition, the nature of consciousness, the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the future of the universe. The book is written in a narrative style, as these topics are all parts of a single story. It concludes with a discussion on the nature and future of science.

See more about the book at Amazon.com and read a guest post by Shaver on Universe Today.

Posted on by Fraser Cain

Giveaway: Ankylosaur Attack by Daniel Loxton

Ankylosaur Attack by Daniel Loxton
Ankylosaur Attack by Daniel Loxton

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Daniel Loxton, the editor of Junior Skeptic magazine, has released a brand new children’s book called Ankylosaur Attack. This is Daniel’s second book, after his excellent Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (I’ve got this book and read it to my own kids).

To celebrate the release of Ankylosaur Attack, Daniel’s publisher has agreed to give away 5 copies of the book.

You know how this works, send an email to [email protected] with the subject “Loxton Book” before Friday, September 30th, 2011 at 12:00pm. We’ll choose 5 emails that we receive, totally at random, and the lucky winners a copy of the book.

While you’re at it, you should follow Daniel on twitter.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win A Copy of Brian Cox’s New Book, “Wonders of the Universe”

This week we’ve been talking with Professor Brian Cox about physics, space exploration and the future. He also talks about all those things in his two television series, Wonders of the Solar System and Wonders of the Universe. Cox has written a companion book to Wonders of the Universe, and thanks to HarperCollins, Universe Today has four copies to give away to our readers! Just send us an email with “Brian Cox Book” in the subject line. Fraser will randomly choose four winners from the emails we receive. The contest ends at 12:00 GMT on Monday, August 22, 2011. This contest is limited to people living in North America and Europe.

For more information or to purchase the book see Amazon UK, Amazon US, or HarperCollins.

Above, see a sample of the television series.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win a New iPhone Astronomy App: AstroView

Screenshot of the AstroView app

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There’s a brand new astronomy app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad that provides information on what you should be able to see with different combinations of eyepieces on your telescope. AstroView displays key telescope-eyepiece performance characteristics, provides recommendations on equipment, and with the field of view display, for example, what you see on screen is what you should be able to see through your telescope. Developer George Douvos says this new app is all very intuitive, easy to read, and easy to understand.

Would you like to try a AstroView for free? Universe Today has 10 copies of this new app to give away. Just send an email to [email protected] with the word “AstroView App” in the subject line, and we’ll pick ten winners at random. The contest ends on Thursday, August 18, 2011.

Want more info?

AstroView on iTunes

Astro View supports the following gear:
* Telescopes with objective diameter from 50 mm to 610 mm, selectable in 5 mm increments (or diameters from 2 inches to 24 inches, in 1/2 inch increments), and focal ratios from f/3 to f/15.
* Eyepieces with focal lengths from 2 mm to 55 mm and apparent field of view from 30 to 110 degrees.

Thanks to George Duvous for providing us with the apps to giveaway!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win a Copy of “Atlas of Astronomical Discoveries”

What are the top 100 discoveries in the history of astronomy? In his book, “Atlas of Astronomical Discoveries,” noted astronomy journalist Govert Schilling tells the story of 400 years of telescopic astronomy. He looks at the most important discoveries since the invention of the telescope, highlighting how astronomers discovered new planets, mapped nebulae, determined the distances to stars, unraveled the structure of the Milky Way, and discovered the expansion of the universe, among other things. And, as telescopes became bigger and more powerful, astronomers delved deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos. It is a beautiful book filled with marvelous images and Schilling’s style of captivating storytelling.

Would you like to have a copy of your very own? Thanks to Springer, and Jeff Rutherford Media Relations, Universe Today has 10 copies of this book to give away! Just send an email to [email protected] with the words “Schilling’s Atlas” in the subject line by Monday, June 13th at 12 Noon PDT to be eligible, and Fraser will randomly pick the winners.

Good luck!

Posted on by Tammy Plotner

Free Book Downloads! National Academies Press Offers More Than 4,000 Titles

Are you hungry for knowledge? Well, if you’ve got a filet mignon appetite and a hamburger budget, then get in line as the National Academies Press is offering free PDF downloads of more than 4,000 titles from its exhaustive library.

The mission of the National Academies Press (NAP) – publisher for the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council – is to distribute the institutions’ content as widely as possible while maintaining its financial security. The project began in 1994 when the NAP began delivering content to developing countries, and even then 65% of the files were free.

“Our business model has evolved so that it is now financially viable to put this content out to the entire world for free,” said Barbara Kline Pope, executive director for the National Academies Press. “This is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact by more effectively sharing our knowledge and analyses.”

Just a quick browse through the titles shows such a wealth of information that one could spend hours choosing alone! You’ll find Agriculture, Earth Sciences, Forensics, Biology, Computers, Education, Health, Industry, Math, and yes… Space and Aeronautics, just to name a few. Based on the performance of NAP’s current free PDFs, projections suggest this change will enhance distribution of PDF reports from about 700,000 downloads per year to more than 3 million by 2013.

Where do you get ’em? Just head toward the NAP Website and have fun!

Original Story Source: National Acadamies News and illustration by School Clip Art.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win a Copy of “Drifting on Alien Winds: Exploring the Skies and Weather of Other Worlds”

Meteorologists have a tough time predicting weather on Earth let alone knowing what the weather is like on other planets, but discoveries from spacecraft, observatories, and laboratories have revealed some of the mysteries of weather across the Solar System. A new book by Science journalist Michael Carroll, “Drifting on Alien Winds: Exploring the Skies and Weather of Other Worlds,” explores the bizarre weather found on the other worlds of our solar system.

Read a guest post by Carroll on Universe Today.

Sound interesting? You could win a copy of your very own! Universe Today has two copies to give away, thanks to Springer and Jeff Rutherford Media Relations.

How to win? Just send an email to [email protected] with “Alien Winds Book” in the subject line, and Fraser will randomly pick the winners. The contest ends on Friday, May 20 at 12 Noon PDT.

Good luck!

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Win the Book “Light This Candle”

As we said in our previous article, Alan Shepard was a complicated guy — but seemingly the perfect person for the job of being the first American in space. Want to know more about him? Neal Thompson’s book “Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard” is a great read, which comes highly recommended! (See our article and interview with Thompson — plus our Jason Major has reviewed the book on his Lights in the Dark website.) Thanks to the Crown Publishing Group at Random House, Universe Today has three copies of the book to giveaway!

How to win? Just send an email to [email protected] and put “Shepard Book” in the subject line to enter the contest. Fraser will choose three winners randomly and we’ll notify you via email. The contest will end on Monday, May 9 at 12 Noon PDT. Good luck!