Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos - Hardcover

Dana Berry

3.88

52 ratings by Goodreads

9781568527055: Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1568527055 ISBN 13: 9781568527055

Publisher: Konecky and Konecky, 2008

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Preeminent NASA illustrator, Dana Berry, takes the reader on a dazzling tour of the cosmos. Drawing on his extraordinary access to NASA's files and the latest data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, he showcases an unprecedented and spectacular selection of photographs and full-color illustrations, adding clear explanations of the latest discoveries and theories.

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About the Author:

A pioneering and preeminent space illustrator, Dana Berry worked for many years as an artist at NASA's Hubble Telescope and Harvard's Chandra X-Ray Observatory. His work has been widely featured by National Geographic, Discovery Television, and the BBC. His illustrations and writing have been published in Discover magazine and Sky & Telescope. He is currently at work on an IMAX-style movie about the cosmos and several other related film projects. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

From Publishers Weekly:

Tours are only as good as the guide who leads them, no matter how spectacular the view, and here a fine commentator draws out the awe-inspiring majesty of our universe in such a way that readers will feel at ease with even the largest concepts and find themselves fascinated at every turn. NASA artist Berry jovially steers his way outward from our home sun, past each planet and the birth place of comets, into the "local group" of galaxies and to the very edges of the universe and time. Illustrations and photos from space telescopes act as the views from the tour bus windows—something to "ooh" and "ahh" over while learning about their significance. As we leave our solar system, Berry explores the search for extraterrestrial life and how we could communicate with aliens if they do exist. While sailing through the Milky Way, he explains how the colors seen in the cosmos describe the movement of stars. Those who are accustomed to the language of cosmology but who might find Hawking’s A Brief History of Time a bit out of their league will appreciate this book the most. It is meant to draw people into the wonder of the universe we live in and make them yearn for further discoveries—and it does a stellar job. There are a few passages which might be a bit confusing to some readers and, as with any science book, very recent discoveries mean that a few sections are a bit outdated, but these are minor detractions. At the end of this tour, readers will look up at the night sky with renewed appreciation.
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