20 Visually Beautiful Books on Outer Space and the Universe

Title: Expanding Universe: Photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope

This awe-inspiring collection celebrates Hubble's images both as scientific feats and as photographic masterpieces. With investigations into everything from black holes to exoplanets, the Hubble Telescope has changed not only the face of astronomy, but also our very sense of being in the universe. On the 25th anniversary of its launch into low-earth orbit, TASCHEN celebrates its most breathtaking deep space images both as scientific feats and as photographic masterpieces. Ultra high-resolution and taken with almost no background light, these pictures have answered some of the most compelling questions of time and space, while also revealing new mysteries, like the strange “dark energy” that sees the universe expanding at an ever-accelerated rate. In generous square format with several foldouts, the pictures mesmerize in their iridescent colors, intricate textures, and vast, fragile forms. The collection is accompanied by an essay from photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with Zoltan Levay, who explains how the pictures are composed. Veteran Hubble astronauts Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and John Mace Grunsfeld also offer their insights on Hubble’s legacy and future space exploration.

Author(s): Owen Edwards;Charles F. Bolden Jr.;Zoltan Levay;John Mace Grunsfeld

ISBN 13: 9783836549226
Pages: 260

Title: National Geographic Stunning Photographs

Capturing the moment in which a firecracker explodes into a burst of electric energy or the last rays of the sun as it stretches across a red-rock valley, certain special photos offer an unrivalled conduit to the world around us. Shot by National Geographic's most renowned photographers and peppered throughout with inspiring quotations, Stunning Photographs is a vibrant tapestry of images that showcases the medium's ability to reveal extraordinary moments of wit and discovery, harmony and intimacy, energy and joy. Definitive, striking, and always unstaged, the remarkable pictures in this book will appeal to all who want to enjoy the smorgasbord of colors, textures, and sensations that comprise the fabric of everyday life.

Author(s): Annie Griffiths

ISBN 13: 9781426213922
Pages: 400

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Title: The Hubble Cosmos

Here are the major challenges and triumphs, the key scientific findings, the brilliant scientists behind the scenes, and the public's love affair with a space telescope. To celebrate NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and its 25 years of accomplishments, let The Hubble Cosmos fill your mind with big ideas, brilliant imagery, and a new understanding of the universe in which we live. Relive key moments in the monumental Hubble story, from launch through major new instrumentation to the promise of discoveries to come. With more than 150 photographs including Hubble All-Stars—the most famous of all the noteworthy images—The Hubble Cosmos shows how this telescope is revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.

Author(s): David H. DeVorkin;Robert W. Smith

ISBN 13: 9781426215575
Pages: 224

Title: Norman Mailer. MoonFire

It has been called the single most historic event of the 20th century: On July 20, 1969, after a decade of tests and training, supported by a staff of 400,000 engineers and scientists, and with a budget of billions, the most powerful rocket ever launched brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon. Nobody captured the men, the mood, and the machinery like Norman Mailer, hired by LIFE magazine to cover the mission in a dazzling reportage he later enhanced into the brilliantly crafted book, Of a Fire on the Moon. Rediscover this epoch-making event with TASCHEN’s adaptation of Mailer’s account, now in our popular Reader's Edition so you can really curl up and travel not just back in time, but into outer space. The text is accompanied by hundreds of photographs from the NASA vaults, the archives of LIFE, and other leading magazines of the day, documenting the development of the agency and the mission, life inside the command module and on the moon’s surface, as well as the world’s jubilant reaction to the landing. Captions by leading Apollo 11 experts explain the history and science behind the images, citing the mission log, publications of the day, and postflight astronaut interviews, while an evocative introduction by Colum McCanncelebrates Mailer’s incomparable skill at transforming “the science of space...the weight of history...the breadth of mythology” into prose.

Author(s): Norman Mailer

ISBN 13: 9783836556224
Pages: 624

Title: Hubble: Imaging Space and Time

Offers a look at the history of the Hubble telescope, its controversial early days, the dramatic images it has captured of outer space, and what it has revealed about the origins and history of our own solar system and the universe beyond. In the spirit of National Geographic’s top-selling Orbit, this large-format, full-color volume stands alone in revealing more than 200 of the most spectacular images from the Hubble Space Telescope during its lifetime, to the very eve of the 2008 final shuttle mission to the telescope. Written by two of the world’s foremost authorities on space history, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time illuminates the solar system’s workings, the expansion of the universe, the birth and death of stars, the formation of planetary nebulae, the dynamics of galaxies, and the mysterious force known as "dark energy." The potential impact of this book cannot be overstressed: The 2008 servicing mission to install new high-powered scientific instruments is especially high profile because the cancellation of the previous mission, in 2004, caused widespread controversy. The authors reveal the inside story of Hubble’s beginnings, its controversial early days, the drama of its first servicing missions, and the creation of the dynamic images that reach into the deepest regions of visible space, close to the time when the universe began. A wealth of astonishing images leads us to the very edge of known space, setting the stage for the new James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled to launch in 2013. Find the stunning panoramic of Carina Nebula, detailing star birth as never before; a jet from a black hole in one galaxy striking a neighboring galaxy; a jewel-like collection of galaxies from the early years of the universe; and a giant galaxy cannibalizing a smaller galaxy. Timed for the 2008 shuttle launch and coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first telescope, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time accompanies a high-profile exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum and will be featured on the popular NASM website.

Author(s): David H. DeVorkin;Robert William Smith

ISBN 13: 9781426203220
Pages: 223

Title: Hubble's Universe: Greatest Discoveries and Latest Images

Presents an overview of the Hubble Space Telescope, describing its initial launch in 1990 and impact on our understanding of the universe, along with some of its latest images of galaxies, stars, planets, and nebulas. The Hubble Space Telescope. No other telescope combines instant name recognition with the production of consistently spectacular images. Yet few people outside of the astronomy community realize that Hubble is now at the apex of its imaging capabilities. A collection of stunningly detailed pictures, made possible by the new Wide Field Camera 3, has yet to be incorporated into a popular-level book. Until now. Hubble's Universe will be the premier venue for the Hubble Telescope's most recent visual splendors. Bestselling astronomy writer Terence Dickinson showcases extraordinary late-breaking pictures, many of which have yet to receive wide distribution as news stories or in publications outside scientific papers, and presents a breathtaking portfolio drawn from an archive of over 500,000 existing Hubble images. The accompanying text balances accuracy with accessibility, Dickinson's hallmark. And thanks to the author's familiarity with Hubble's history and discoveries and his access to top Hubble scientists for insight and accuracy, the text includes facts and tidbits not found in any other book. Combined with hundreds of brilliant images, the clear, succinct and illuminating narrative brings to life the fascinating forces at work in the universe.

Author(s): Terence Dickinson

ISBN 13: 9781770854338
Pages: 300

Title: Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time

Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. NASA's first book on the Hubble Space Telescope marks the 20th anniversary of one of history's most important scientific tools. Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. Of the more than 100 classic Hubble images that were selected by NASA's experts, the 20 most significant are accompanied by commentaries by notable scientists. Veteran astronauts from NASA's five remarkable manned missions to maintain the telescope also contribute to this volume, making it an authoritative account of a magnificent scientific achievement. Beyond its scientific contributions, twenty years of Hubble research and imagery--ranging from our planetary neighbors to the edge of time and space--have had a profound impact on the world's imagination and spiritual growth, as documented in this inspiring book.

Author(s): Edward John Weiler

ISBN 13: 9780810989979
Pages: 144

Title: Astronomy Photographer of the Year: Prize-winning Images by Top Astrophotographers

A showcase of the latest astronomical phenomena at its finest. This stunning collection of images from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition assembles the very best astrophotography from around the world. Organized by the Royal Observatory, the photographs capture an astounding range of astronomical phenomena both within our solar system and far into deep space. The book features four sections: Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space, and Overall Winners. The images are from the first six years of the competition (2009-2014), and include all the winners from each year along with a carefully curated selection from the shortlists. They are accompanied by notes from the judges and photographer, with background information and camera specifications. From giant storm systems in Jupiter's atmosphere to the colorful, wispy remnants of a supernova explosion and the dazzling green curtain of the Northern Lights, Astronomy Photographer of the Year will appeal to both astrophotographers and beginners who simply enjoy gazing at the night sky.

Author(s): Terence Dickinson;Royal Observatory Greenwich

ISBN 13: 9781770854734
Pages: 288

Title: The New Cosmos: Answering Astronomy's Big Questions

Over the past decade, astronomers, planetary scientists, and cosmologists have answered - or are closing in on the answers to - some of the biggest questions about the universe. David J. Eicher presents a spectacular exploration of the cosmos that provides a balanced and precise view of the latest discoveries. Detailed and entertaining narratives on compelling topics such as how the Sun will die, the end of life on Earth, why Venus turned itself inside-out, the Big Bang Theory, the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, and the meaning of life in the universe are supported by numerous color illustrations including photos, maps and explanatory diagrams. In each chapter the author sets out the scientific history of a specific question or problem, before tracing the modern observations and evidence in order to solve it. Join David J. Eicher on this fascinating journey through the cosmos!

Author(s): David J. Eicher

ISBN 13: 9781107068858
Pages: 295

Title: Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time

Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. NASA's first book on the Hubble Space Telescope marks the 20th anniversary of one of history's most important scientific tools. Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. Of the more than 100 classic Hubble images that were selected by NASA's experts, the 20 most significant are accompanied by commentaries by notable scientists. Veteran astronauts from NASA's five remarkable manned missions to maintain the telescope also contribute to this volume, making it an authoritative account of a magnificent scientific achievement. Beyond its scientific contributions, twenty years of Hubble research and imagery--ranging from our planetary neighbors to the edge of time and space--have had a profound impact on the world's imagination and spiritual growth, as documented in this inspiring book.

Author(s): Edward John Weiler

ISBN 13: 9780810989979
Pages: 144

Title: Earth and Space: Photographs from the Archives of NASA

Featuring a preface by Bill Nye, this engaging volume offers up-close views of our remarkable cosmos, and sparks wonder at the marvels of Earth and space. Take a tour of the universe with this breathtaking collection of photographs from the archives of NASA. Astonishing images of Earth from above, the phenomena of our solar system, and the celestial bodies of deep space will captivate readers and photography lovers with an interest in science, astronomy, and the great beyond. Each extraordinary photograph from the legendary space agency is paired with explanatory text that contextualizes its place in the cosmic ballet of planets, stars, dust, and matter—from Earth's limb to solar flares, the Jellyfish Nebula to Pandora's Cluster. Featuring a preface by Bill Nye, this engaging volume offers up-close views of our remarkable cosmos, and sparks wonder at the marvels of Earth and space.

Author(s): Nirmala Nataraj

ISBN 13: 9781452134352
Pages: 176

Title: Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time? Have you ever wished you could travel back in time? Or visit a galaxy light-years away? Or see a star being born? The Hubble telescope has allowed scientists to do just that. The Hubble’s dazzling images have transformed astronomy, shedding light on the deepest mysteries of the cosmos, sparking new discoveries and turning speculation into fact. Its gaze has helped astronomers find new galaxies, look back in time almost to the Big Bang, and verify the existence of dark energy, the mysterious force that is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Through the eye of the Hubble, Elaine Scott skillfully guides readers along the evolution of our universe, investigating a question that was once unanswerable: “Where did we come from?”

Author(s): Elaine Scott

ISBN 13: 9780547241890
Pages: 72

Title: Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963-1972

Space expert David West Reynolds takes you on a historical journey through the world’s most renowned space program. Featuring a wealth of rare photographs, artwork, and cutaway illustrations, Apollo recaptures the excitement of the USA’s journey to the moon. From the adventurous astronauts to the scientists and engineers who designed and built the state-of-the-art spacecraft, Reynolds covers every aspect of this epic voyage. Through concise description, he introduces the uninitiated to this thrilling episode in U.S. history while also providing engaging details for the space aficionado. All of the key events and personalities are presented, creating a clear picture of how we got to the moon and what happened along the way. The detailed and meticulously labeled diagrams and maps give the reader an in-depth understanding of the technology that carried the astronauts to the moon and what they accomplished while they were there. In addition, the book includes a foreword by Wally Schirra, the only astronaut to fly in all three of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, and an afterword by Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963-1972 is truly the most comprehensive account of the Apollo program ever written.

Author(s): David West Reynolds;Wally Schirra;Gene Cernan

ISBN 13: 9780760344521
Pages: 272

Title: Cosmos

The largest ever (42 cm x 35 cm) fully illustrated guide to the universe from our home planet to the edge of space and time. Our view of the universe covers at least 130 billion trillion kilometers (80 billion trillion miles) in every direction around us. We know that the magnificent vault of stars emblazoning Earth's night skies are an infinitesimal fraction of the hundreds of billions that inhabit our galaxy, and we know there are at least as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in the Milky Way. "Cosmos" makes sense of this dizzying celestial panorama by exploring it one step at a time and by illustrating the planets, moons, stars, nebulae, white dwarfs, black holes and other exotica that populate the heavens with over 450 of the most spectacular and up-to-date photographs and illustrations. We begin at home, with an orbital survey of planet Earth, before venturing deeper into the solar system via the Moon, Venus, Mercury, the Sun and Mars. Crossing the asteroid belt takes us into the outer solar system and the realm of the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Beyond Neptune's orbit we encounter a graveyard of icy debris left over from the solar system's formation that marks the outer limits of the Sun's sphere of influence. Emerging in interstellar space, we head for the heart of our galaxy as the rhythms of stellar life unfold before our eyes: we pass through dark clouds of dust and gas ablaze with clusters of newly smelted stars, we watch dying stars bloom and fade as planetary nebulae, or tear themselves apart as supernovae. Navigating through thick swarms of stars, we reach the galactic core, a gravitational maelstrom of exotic stars in the thrall of a supermassive black hole. Having crossed the Milky Way, we enter intergalactic space. Out here we watch the hidden lives of galaxies: we see them tear their companions apart or devour them whole, we see them flock and cluster, forming massive conglomerations that span millions of light years and warp space with their tremendous gravity. As we press ever deeper into the cosmos, so we travel further back in time. After covering an almost unimaginable 13.4 billion light years, we approach the edge of space and the dawn of time where our voyage must end, but not before we consider how our universe was born, and how it might die.

Author(s): Giles Sparrow

ISBN 13: 9781905204298
Pages: 224

Title: Planetfall: New Solar System Visions

Collects the best astronomical photographs from the various interplanetary spacecraft that have traversed the solar system, including images of the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Thanks to the photographic output of a small squadron of interplanetary spacecraft, we have awakened to the beauty and splendor of the solar system. Since Michael Benson’s masterful book Beyond: Visions of the Interplanetary Probes, new, more powerful cameras in probes with greatly improved maneuverability have traversed the wheeling satellites of Jupiter; roamed the boulder-strewn red deserts of Mars; studied Saturn’s immaculate rings; and shown us our own ravishing Earth, a blue-white orb with a disturbingly thin atmosphere, as it plunges deeper into ecological crisis. These new images are the subject of Benson’s Planetfall, a truly revelatory book that uses its large page size to reproduce the greatest achievements in contemporary planetary photography as never before.

Author(s): Michael Benson

ISBN 13: 9781419704222
Pages: 204

Title: Beyond: Visions Of The Interplanetary Probes

Presents photographs from the history of robotic space exploration, providing a visual narrative of the solar system's planets, moons, and asteroids. Michael Benson has spent years compiling images collected by the unmanned probes that NASA has been sending into space to explore the solar system since the 1960s. The resulting book consists of two parts: the first is a visual tour of the solar system; and the second is a series of essays that explain the how and why of these photographs - the history of the journeys of the probes, how they work and why they were built. The volume has a foreword by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and an afterword by Lawrence Weschler.

Author(s): Michael Benson

ISBN 13: 9780810945319
Pages: 320

Title: Beyond: A Solar System Voyage

Presents the solar system from the perspective of the space probes sent to explore the heavens. Discover what the solar system looks like up close in this definitive collection of space exploration images. Since the 1960s, NASA has been sending unmanned satellites to explore the planets, moons, and sun. These probes have amassed a stunning visual record of other worlds, revealing not one but scores of new frontiers, from rust-red Mars to Saturn with its ethereal rings. Michael Benson has pulled together the most spectacular of these images into a volume that focuses on the awesome appearance of these celestial bodies. He discusses what the photos actually reveal about the places in simple language children will understand. The book includes a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.

Author(s): Michael Benson

ISBN 13: 9780810983229
Pages: 128

Title: Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond

An illustrated grand tour of the universe, beginning in our own solar system before moving on to the Milky Way galaxy and finally on to the building blocks of the universe, including dark matter and dark energy. Filled with lavish illustrations, this book is a grand tour of the universe. Three ever widening domains are presented--the planets, the stars, and the large scale universe itself--each including the ones before it and extending outward. The tour starts close to home within the first domain, our own solar system. There is a tremendous variety here, from the sun scorched rocks of Mercury to the icy vastness of the Kuiper Belt beyond Pluto. We see the sun and planets born from the collapse of an interstellar dust cloud whose atoms were themselves created in long dead stars. Since many of these planets have been visited by space probes or landers, we are able to benefit from the incredible technology of exploration developed by NASA and its counterparts in other countries. The second domain is made up of the billions of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. We walk in the steps of the American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who first established that the universe is made up of discrete galaxies, then go on to examine the fundamental constituents of those galaxies--the stars. We see stars not as eternal lights in the sky, but as objects born out of a desperate struggle between pressure and gravity. We trace the life cycle of our own sun, from its birth 4.5 billion years ago to its quiet end 6 billion years in the future. We see the galaxy not as a serene and placid place, but as a giant factory, where primordial material is taken up into stars, then returned to the galaxy enriched with the heavy elements necessary for life. Finally, we move to the ultimate domain--the large scale structure of the universe itself in which galaxies are the building blocks. We discover the most amazing fact, that the solid stuff of stars and planets on which we have been concentrating up to this point make up only a few percent of the mass in the universe, with the rest being composed of two mysterious entities called, respectively, dark matter and dark energy. We descend into deep caverns to see scientists trying to detect dark matter as it sweeps by the Earth, and we talk to theorists trying to solve the riddle of dark energy. This quest brings us to the frontier of knowledge, the edge of the unknown. To conclude, two ultimate questions remain: How did the universe begin? How will the universe end? We trace our theories back to the first fraction of a second of the life of the universe and listen to the speculations of cosmologists about how it might all have started.

Author(s): James S. Trefil

ISBN 13: 9781426209710
Pages: 335

Title: Sizing Up the Universe: The Cosmos in Perspective

Sizing Up the Universe reveals an ingenious new way to envision the outsize proportions of space, based on the work of Princeton University professors Richard Gott and Robert Vanderbei. Using scaled maps, object comparisons, and beautiful space photographs, it demonstrates the actual size of objects in the cosmos —from Buzz Aldrin's historic footprint to the visible universe and beyond. The authors offer visual comparisons with astonishing precision and maximum reader-friendliness, conveying clear and understandable explanations of unimaginable vastness. Plus, as an unprecedented bonus, their 1.5-million-selling Map of the Universe is published here for the first time ever in a book—presented on an oversize foldout page that maximizes its eye-popping presentation of satellites, planets, stars, and galaxies. Based on the popularity of the map and of Richard Gott's Time Travel in Einstein's Universe, and offering innovative ways to appreciate the majesty of the universe, this new title should soar.

Author(s): J. Richard Gott;Robert J. Vanderbei

ISBN 13: 9781426206511
Pages: 246

Title: Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle

In Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle, author and filmmaker Michael Benson assembles an outstanding collection of astronomical images from observatories around the world and in space. We live in a golden age of astronomical observation. Some of the resulting images are well known and have inspired millions of people; others, equally breathtaking, have never been published before. For this book, Benson has culled the very best, and organized them into a thrilling journey through space and time to the universe's great places, ranging from "nearby" nebulae in our own Milky Way galaxy to the light of the Hubble Deep Field that has traveled billions of light-years.   Every bit as innovative and beautiful as the author's successful Beyond: Visions of the Interplanetary Probes but far grander in conception, Far Out is an inspiring work of art and science on the cutting edge of human perception.

A Guide to the Cosmos, in Words and Images Dazzling and True ­–New York Times Book Review

 

[With Far Out] Take a good long look into space-time. –Los Angeles Times

 

Far out by Michael Benson proves that putting the photographable universe into a book doesn’t dampen its beauty. – Men’s Journal

 

An exquisite picture book of outer space. –San Diego Union Tribune

 “2001: A Space Odyssey and Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle: both are inspirational moving pictures. Far Out punches deep into space, like a series of jump cuts. It is a truly cinematic experience to see these magnificent images in rapid succession. Like the Star-Child in Stanley Kubrick’s vision of a Mankind evolving to a higher level, Far Out inspires me again to imagine a Universe filled with life, and each of those billions of pinpoints being orbited by worlds and beings of breathtaking beauty. Very moving pictures.”
—Douglas Trumbull, Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisor, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek, The Motion Picture
 
“The inventive, imaginative Michael Benson here unfolds the universe in its multiple dimensions.”
—Dava Sobel, author of Longitude, Galileo’s Daughter, and The Planets
 
“That the images in Michael Benson’s latest book, Far Out, are completely mind-blowing goes without saying. What’s especially dazzling about this volume, though, is the way Benson’s text takes the shards of those blown minds and completely reconfigures them into such a startlingly new and fresh awareness: a trembling awe all its own.”
—Lawrence Weschler, author of Everything That Rises and Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees
 
“First he gave us the beauty of our solar system’s neighbor worlds in Beyond: Visions of the Interplanetary Probes, but Michael Benson hasn’t stopped there. In this spectacular new offering he gives us the universe itself, presented in such stunning and vivid detail that I am awed by every page. Open this book, take the journey, and be amazed.”
—Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon and A Passion for Mars

Author(s): Michael Benson

ISBN 13: 9780810949485
Pages: 328