Suggestions for great books on astrophysics?

If you’re not only interested in astrophysics, “Physics of the Impossible” is a good entry level book. However, I don’t remember the author’s name off the top of my head, and am too lazy to get it off my shelf to get it.

Have you tried reading Brian Greene’s Fabric of the Cosmos or Elegant Universe? They are extremely readable, as he wrote them for people with little knowledge in the field.

“The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene. great book, liked it a lot, it’s packed with information.

“The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephan Hawking” by Susskind is a pretty interesting read as well.

Not sure if this is quite what you’re after or not, but Carl Sagan’s books “Cosmos” and the much more recent “Pale Blue Dot” are fantastic. They don’t delve so much into the hard, nitty-gritty science of things, instead dealing with the way we humans can relate to science, astronomy, and cosmology. I highly recommend them, esp. “Pale Blue Dot”, even if they’re not the best answers to your specific question.

If you’re after something more in-the-weeds, Feynman’s “Six Easy Pieces” is a pretty solid choice.

“Death from the Skies” Ph.D. Philip Plait . Don’t let the title scare you away, the book is great. You can find plenty of great reviews on Amazon.

I remember reading “Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe.” THAT was fun. :) Great story teller, fun examples. Overall, fun book. If you handled Hawking’s, you’re totally set for this book.

Also echoing everyone else, “The Elegant Universe” is gorgeously written.

The Universe by Martin Rees.