Universe / Kaufmann

Includes Index.

Engagingly written, gloriously illustrated, Our Universe travels across the night sky to reveal the intimate relationship between ourselves and the cosmos. It is an epic journey encompassing the full spectrum of our knowledge of the Universe. Each of the twenty-chapters of the book centers on a famous astronomical object. From these familiar starting points, the entire Panorama of the Universe unfolds, as noted astronomer and writer Michael Rowan Robinson introduces the full range of theories, insights, historical events, and myths associated with the heavens. Rowan-Robinson reveals the violent history of the solar system; the birth, evolution, and death of stars; the astral sources of the elements that make up our own bodies; mysterious and giant radio galaxies; and the engima the Big Bang- the very origin of existence. Our combines superb writing, over 350 striking images from ground-based and satellite telescopes (most in brilliant colour), and dozens of literacy quotations, historical anecdotes, and classic paintings with astronomical themes. The result is a rich experience for all those interested in the role of astronomy in scientific and human history. (This book was previously published by Longman Group UK Ltd under the title Universe.)