From Here to Infinity The Royal Observatory Greenwich Guide to Astronomy

"John and Mary Gribbin's journey takes us from Earth to the distant reaches of the cosmos in nine fascinating chapters." "Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, and the book starts by setting the subject in its historical context. The stories of some of its most famous practitioners, such as Galileo and Isaac Newton, are woven in alongside lesser-known but important characters such as Robert Bunsen (of Bunsen burner fame) and Christian Doppler (of the Doppler effect)." "From the wonders of our home planet, Earth, we are taken to the Moon. Familiar and clearly visible to everyone, the Moon is one of the most remarkable objects in the solar system and affects our everyday life in all sorts of surprising ways. The same is true of the Sun, without which life on Earth could not exist, and which is by far the biggest - and hottest - thing we all know well." "Fabulous photographs accompany the descriptions of our neighbouring planets, whose names may be familiar but whose individual characteristics are less well-known. Our home galaxy, the Milky War, holds an unimaginable number of stars and provides us with a dazzling night-time spectacle. Here the authors explain how stars are born and the way in which they die, as well as the perils they produce - notably in the form of black holes. The Milky Way is also placed in context as one of hundreds of billions of other galaxies, but even this immensity pales in the light of recent speculation that an infinite number of universes may exist." "The science behind these discoveries and the latest ideas of how the Solar System was born, and how life began, concludes this engaging and essential introduction to astronomy."--BOOK JACKET.