Galaxy: mapping the cosmos

by James Geach

Each night, we are able to gaze up at the night sky and look at the thousands of stars that stretch to the end of our individual horizons. But the stars we see are only those that make up our own Milky Way galaxy―but one of hundreds of billions in the whole of the universe, each separated  by inconceivably huge tracts of empty space. In this book, astronomer James Geach tells the rich stories of both the evolution of galaxies and our ability to observe them, offering a fascinating history of how we’ve come to realize humanity’s tiny place in the vast universe.
           
Taking us on a compelling tour of the state-of-the-art science involved in mapping the infinite, Geach offers a first-hand account of both the science itself and how it is done, describing what we currently know as well as that which we still do not. He goes back one hundred years to when scientists first proved the existence of other galaxies, tracking our continued improvement in the ability to collect and interpret the light that stars in faraway galaxies have emitted through space and time. He discusses examples of this rapidly accelerating research, from the initial discovery that the faint “spiral nebulae” were actually separate star systems located far beyond the Milky Way to the latest observations of the nature of galaxies and how they have evolved. He also delves into the theoretical framework and simulations that describe our current “world model” of the universe.
           
With one hundred superb color illustrations, Galaxy is an illuminating guide to the choreography of the cosmos and how we came to know our place within it that will appeal to any stargazer who has wondered what was beyond their sight.  

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Space, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2014

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the bits where the text necessarily swerves into dense technical jargon, this is a pretty awesome book about space. I love space! Maybe it's a sign of maturity, pooh-poohing the fathoming of the unfathomable and basking in the glory of how fucked-up and wonderful the universe is! Who cares about dust motes and human perspective and religion and all that crap. This book will show you vast filaments of galaxy clusters, dark structures and energies weaving weirdly in and out of everything, black holes devouring galaxies, the what and the how and the whafuck? all rolled into one, because the study of galaxies and what-not is an evolving science. There is much unknown and just enough known to blow your mind. What more do you need, assholes?
The added bonus is the many, many awesome photographs that you can stare at for hours. get off your damn phones and stare up. After reading this book. Perhaps on an electronic device. Never mind.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This heavily illustrated tour of modern astronomy starts with a rather painful analogy of looking at distant cities from a tall hill on the outskirts of a great city. To be honest, I found the analogy significantly harder to envisage than the galaxies it is supposed to represent - but once we're past it, James Geach settles down to a more straightforward informative style.

If you want to absorb a wide range of facts about galaxies and the universe, this is a great source. Geach incorporates a lot of colour images - I must admit, after a while starfield after starfield got a bit similar, though there are always new and interesting structures to discover. As a reader, you will find out plenty of information on current astronomy, with a surprising amount of depth on some aspects of astronomy and cosmology for an illustrated title. Whether you are interested in the tools used to explore the galaxies or the latest findings, you will find something impressive here.

Overall, for me, though, it wasn't a book I could really get on with. It provides a relentless procession of facts - more a simplified textbook than a popular science title. There's not much in the way of narrative, so for someone who is interested but not deeply involved in the subject Galaxy can get a little heavy going. I was disappointed, given the relative depth of some of the content, that there was very little on what dark matter and dark energy might be and the efforts to discover this. Similarly, given their assumed importance in galaxy formation, I was disappointed that 'black hole' doesn't even appear in the index.

It's certainly a hugely informative book, just not one I particularly enjoyed reading.

[Kadri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of pictures, long descriptions. Main focus is on galaxies, how they're observed in various wavelengths, how galaxies evolve, etc.
The thing I liked the most is how Geach went to great lengths to bring out the connection between the observations of the 21cm Hydrogen line and quantum physics .

[Wes Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technical enough to satisfy my inner geek, but no scary math, in fact, no math at all except for some pretty big numbers (understatement!). The photos are incredible - at least look at them even if you don't want to read the text. If you are religious, this will underscore the power and glory of your deity's creative abilities. If you're not, it will support any feeling you might have that no deity could be more complex than this place we call the cosmos. If you are in the mood to have your ego crushed into nothingness, this book can do it. Yet, it assures us that although the universe is vast almost beyond measure, human intellect may someday comprehend what our instruments reveal to us.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

not-dumbed-down astronomy book.

This book stands out from the popular astronomy catalogue for offering something new: its focus is to show readers how professional extragalactic astronomy research is conducted, through an emphasis on the processes of observational astronomy, spectrography, and the like. Contrast this with the usual books that hope to gain readers' money be releasing yet another biography of Einstein or Bohr and an inaccurate, simplified, dumbed-down portrayal of the science in their work.

If your interest is of a scientific travelogue exploring our galaxy, read Nigel Henbest's "A Guide to the Galaxy" in tandem with this book. Both books have gorgeous pictures also.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never have I been so interested in a topic, but struggled so much to read the book. I found myself mostly scanning the text and focusing on the photos and captions. Mostly, it was an overwhelming sense of insignificance that did me in, realizing that I am so very, very, very small, and the galaxy is so very, very, very large. A beautiful book that is a pleasure to rifle through, just remember to do so with a dog by your side, who will keep you grounded and remind you that, while you may be a speck in the eyes of the universe, you are the universe in the eyes of your pet.

[Warren Gossett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by a working galactic astronomer has well written introductions to the science. He avoids mathematical explanations in favour of clear prose with historical insight. The many colour illustrations work as part of the science. These pictures deserve to be pondered and carefully considered. How many of us are going to be able to otherwise observe and try to appreciate the fabulous world of galaxies in which we live and love?

[Daniel Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It's really pretty and provides an approachable explanation of galaxy formation that I had never seen elsewhere before. The only complaint I had was how the paragraphs were sometimes broken up by several pages of pretty pictures, which made it easy to lose one's train of thought.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, very chatty style, but that makes it wordy!

Lots of words, but pictures are lovely. But sometimes it is difficult to work out what are captions and what is text.

Too wordy for now, but perhaps I will read it another time.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable slightly more entry level cosmology with a focus on galactic formation. beautifully illustrated.