Search Results for: space

Other Worlds: Images of the Cosmos from Earth and Space

Recently there’s been a run of coffee-table books combining elegant astronomical photographs with brief, friendly exegeses of the science behind them (e.g., Ken Croswell’s Magnificent Universe, Forecasts, Sept. 6). But for adults and young people who enjoy brilliant, striking imagesAhere, of lunar craters, of Neptune’s Great Dark Spot, of distant galaxies, of mysterious, color-coded gas cloudsAthe more space photos the better, and this collection furnishes plenty of splendid ones. Trefil (The Moment of Creation), a professor of physics at George Mason University, does a fine job of making available to readers what astronomers know about Saturn, supernovas and so on, while finding room for colorful tidbits: Uranus’s slim rings, for example, “reflect light about as poorly as charcoal,” and circle that giant planet in just eight hours. Astronomy students use a cute mnemonic (“O Be a Fine Guy, Kiss Me”) for the seven-letter codes that denote a star’s brightness, from O (quite hot) to M (cool, for a star). Each planet (Earth included) gets its own photos and its own prose; other topics include the sun, the moon, “The Birth of the Solar System,” quasars, black holes and SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). The photographs themselves, many of them color-enhanced, are stunning. Stars in the Sagittarius cluster gleam like gems from a decadent tiara; a planetary nebula called the Egg looks more like a purple-winged tropical bird, while the Antennae galaxies in collision lend themselves to a magnificent two-page spread of lavender and taupe, white, gold and amethyst. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Details:

Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages

Published: 1999

ISBN: 0-7922-7491-1

Condition: Used

View From Above: An Astronaut Photographs The World

A NASA astronaut and distinguished space photographer who spent more than seven months off the planet presents the infinite wonder of his astonishing aerial images of Earth, along with captivating tales of life at the edge of the atmosphere.

Astounding photographs of our world from outer space and edge-of-your-seat stories of survival in orbit–including close collegiality with Russian cosmonauts–make this a dazzling, personal account of living on the space shuttle. Few people get the experience of seeing the world from outer space–and no one has taken as many pictures of Earth from above as Terry Virts. Celebrated NASA astronaut, pilot of the space shuttle, crew member on Soyuz, and commander of the International Space Station, Virts has spent more than 200 days in space–and very few of those days went by without his reaching for his camera.

Now as never before, Virts shares the astronaut’s view of the world, offering stunning aerial views of our planet and the vastness that surrounds it. The colors, shapes, details–and the stories they tell–are endlessly fascinating. Virts’s book marries his exquisite photographs with glimpses of everyday life in orbit, including candid shots of fellow astronauts Scott Kelly and Samantha Cristoforetti. Amid this amazing show of Earth spectacles, he reflects on how the astronaut’s point of view has shaped his life and spirit. Filled with magnificent photographs that will astonish and inspire, this book–and its intrepid author–becomes our guide to a new way of looking at the world.

Details:

Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages

Published: 2017

ISBN: 1426218648

Condition: Used