Study the Universe

I keep saying to anyone who cares to listen, or read, if you study the universe, for 1 month, you'll see that many of the Islamic stories that appear in the Qur'an, and many of the Christian stories that appear in the Bible, don't have an ounce of truth in them. We are not the only intelligent beings in the universe and we are not the most advanced beings in the universe. A Bible or Qur'an apologist will tell you, "the Qur'an/Bible speaks about other planets and extra-terrestrials." However, what little is mentioned is convoluted, esoteric, and laced with so many double-entendre's, it could mean darn near anything; whatever you want it to mean, but the truth is no where to be found.

Cosmos

The author of Cosmos is Giles Sparrow. The foreword was written by the writer of Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel. She provides an awe-inspiring account of the ultimate journey - a 13.7 billion-light-year voyage from our home planet to the edge of the universe and the beginning of time. The magnificent vault of stars emblazoning Earth’s night skies are but an infinitesimal fraction of the hundreds of billions that inhabit our galaxy, and there are at least as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in the Milky Way.

This collection of images of staggering beauty makes sense of this dizzying celestial panorama by exploring it one step at a time, illustrating the planets, moons, stars, nebulae, white dwarfs, black holes, and other exotica that populate the heavens, with some of science's most spectacular photographs.

The book opens with an orbital survey of planet Earth, before venturing into the solar system heading for interstellar space and the heart of our galaxy. As the journey unfolds, the rhythms of stellar life emerge: we pass through dark clouds of dust and gas ablaze with newly smelted stars and we witness dying stars bloom and fade as planetary nebulae, or tear themselves apart as supernovae.

After crossing the Milky Way, we enter intergalactic space, where we watch the hidden lives of galaxies: we see them flock and cluster, forming massive conglomerations that span millions of light years, visibly warping space with their tremendous gravity. After covering an almost unimaginable 13.7 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 the universe was born, and how it might die.

Amazon Review

Giles Sparrow's 'Cosmos' is a fantastic journey through space. From the innermost objects in our solar system, to the outermost limits of known space, and everything in between, Sparrow brings us in depth descriptions and amazing pictures of our universe.

This is the best book about space and astronomy that Ive ever purchased. This book is a perfect introduction to the universe for beginners, yet provides fascinating information and pictures even for veteran and professional astronomers.

The book is huge physically, which is appropriate considering the contents inside it. And at the price its going now, it is a huge value. Highly recommended. 

Review by Aaron Kinney