Principles of Multimessenger Astronomy

Multimessenger Astronomy has become a ‘buzzphrase’ since the publication in 2016 of the first measurements of gravitational waves. The basic sense was that the advent of measurements using gravitational waves had broken the monopoly of electromagnetic radiation in observational astronomy. This was known not to be strictly true, because information from outside the Earth had been received and interpreted in the form of cosmic rays since the first decades of the 20th Century, and neutrinos from the Sun and from supernova SN1987a had, before the turn of the millenium, opened another channel to our understanding of the wider Universe. In their textbook Principles of Multimessenger Astronomy, Miroslav Filipović and Nicholas Tothill aim to present a students’ systematic introduction to the sub-fields included in the term. As well as to physics students who want an introductory way into modern astronomy, the book should be of interest to graduate students in physics who are starting astronomical research. I have to admit that I found the colour of the printed text, grey rather than black, lacking in contrast. The use of colour in the illustrations generally works well, although some of the figures could have better contrast and sharpness. Taken overall the book would be a good addition to the libraries of astronomical institutions. John Beckman, The Observatory, February 2023 -- John Beckman * THE OBSERVATORY *