It’s been more than a decade since Asimov’s passing, but if you are hankering for a fix of that science-essay magic, give the Astronomical Games series a try. The author, Brian Tung, is a Chinese-American on the west coast, not a Russian-American on the east coast, but he grew up reading Asimov’s essays. When he turns his hand to writing, the product is obviously shaped by his influences. He has been published in Sky & Telescope as well as being the author of a geek book, but his Astronomical Games series are all available at his website, The Astronomy Corner. He cites Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column as a primary influence, and I won’t disagree. But (and being an Asimov fan, I mean this as the highest compliment possible), if someone told me that the Astronomical Games series was a lost set of Asimov essays, I would believe it. In particular, “Diffraction” is a tour de force (I finally understand RF sidelobes now! :-) I also thought “The Dimension of our Galaxy”, about how you would find your way home from the center of the galaxy, and “The Grand Illusion”, about general relativity, especially excellent.

There are several sets of essays with continuity between them (for example “The Grand Illusion” is part of a subseries on both general and special relativity), so you might want to start near the beginning (chronologically) and read from there. However, as with many series, in the first attempt, “The Moon” from August of 1999, Tung has not quite found his groove. Although it’s a good enough essay, it hasn’t quite got the panache of the later ones. I’d recommend starting from the second essay, “Planning The Stars”, about how to use a planisphere, and continuing from there. Or, if you’re strapped for time, just read the highlights I recommend above. (Then, I guarantee you’ll be hooked and you’ll make time for the rest! :-)