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Icon Books Interstellar Tours A Guide to the Universe from Your Starship Window.
Brian Clegg's acclaimed popular science book Inflight Science explored the science experienced on a plane flight. Interstellar Tours takes that concept and goes large. It takes the listener on a tour of our galaxy on the starship Endurance.
That vessel itself is science fiction. But the phenomena you will visit, from the vast nebulae that are birthplaces of stars to stellar explosions in vast supernovas, creating the elements necessary for life—or from the planets of other solar systems to the unbelievably supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way—all reflect the best picture that current science has to offer.
It may never be possible to undertake a voyage through the stars for real. But in listening to Interstellar Tours, you can enjoy the ultimate cruise across the Milky Way galaxy.
That vessel itself is science fiction. But the phenomena you will visit, from the vast nebulae that are birthplaces of stars to stellar explosions in vast supernovas, creating the elements necessary for life—or from the planets of other solar systems to the unbelievably supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way—all reflect the best picture that current science has to offer.
It may never be possible to undertake a voyage through the stars for real. But in listening to Interstellar Tours, you can enjoy the ultimate cruise across the Milky Way galaxy.
288 pages, Paperback
Published August 29, 2024
9 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Brian Clegg
162 books3,173 followersBrian's latest books, Ten Billion Tomorrows and How Many Moons does the Earth Have are now available to pre-order. He has written a range of other science titles, including the bestselling Inflight Science, The God Effect, Before the Big Bang, A Brief History of Infinity, Build Your Own Time Machine and Dice World.
Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.
Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, The Observer, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.
Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.
Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, The Observer, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 7, 2023
It feels like I haven’t read non fiction for ages, so sometimes after reading bouts of soppy romances and steady fantasy books, it can take your brain a while to adjust to non fiction, but not here. I effortlessly slipped into this book and began a journey around interstellar space, with Brian Clegg as my guide!
I’ve read a few books by this author and he never disappoints. With heavy science broken down into easy chapters, explained amazingly well and in a way that’s brought to you the reader as visitor to these worlds whilst the author explains the science behind what you’re seeing makes for an awesome and insightful read.
Also the feature of the QR codes to accompany the text and to back up the writing was an absolutely ingenious feature! I really enjoyed scanning the codes and viewing the pictures / watching the videos that went with the chapters. It certainly ramps up my ebook reading experience. It was great!
Think I pretty much finished it in a sitting and it made my rather ordinary, boring train a bit more exciting!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
I’ve read a few books by this author and he never disappoints. With heavy science broken down into easy chapters, explained amazingly well and in a way that’s brought to you the reader as visitor to these worlds whilst the author explains the science behind what you’re seeing makes for an awesome and insightful read.
Also the feature of the QR codes to accompany the text and to back up the writing was an absolutely ingenious feature! I really enjoyed scanning the codes and viewing the pictures / watching the videos that went with the chapters. It certainly ramps up my ebook reading experience. It was great!
Think I pretty much finished it in a sitting and it made my rather ordinary, boring train a bit more exciting!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
September 26, 2023
In this fun and informative book, Brian Clegg welcomes you aboard his fictional starship Endurance for a tour among the stars, where he introduces the wonders on offer in our galaxy.
The book takes the form of part-travelogue and part popular science text, covering an astonishing array of galactic phenomena for your space tourist delectation. From sinister black holes to a speculatively ballistic Betelgeuse, via all manner of planetary, starry, and satellite surprises, this trip allows you experience our corner of the cosmos in amazing detail. Clegg packs in facts about what we know about our galaxy; the work of the pioneers who have brought this knowledge to us; and the mechanics of space travel. He also conjectures about the things we may yet discover, and how to make this imaginary journey possible in the future.
The physics Clegg covers is challenging at times, and even though he does his level best to explain it in easy terms, these are advanced concepts and theories. As a novice when it comes to the physics of space and time, despite being a fan of a grand space opera, I did struggle with parts of this book. However, if you love to revel in facts and theories and enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of the complex and conflicting notions of conventional and quantum physics, then you will find lots here to get your teeth into. I would recommend taking this book in small bites though, as there is a wealth of information to take on board in one go.
My favourite thing about this book is the way Clegg uses the interstellar voyage concept as a theme, mixing in snippets of humour and references to some of the sci-fi shows we know and love, such as Star Trek. In a clever twist, rather than including illustrations, there are QR codes throughout to access photographs and videos to allow you to 'view' the wonders he is describing too, just as if you actually were sitting comfortably aboard an interstellar spaceship. This is very helpful in understanding the phenomena you are 'seeing through the starship windows'.
This is not my usual kind of read, but it makes for an engaging mix of fact and fiction to dip in and out of. I learned many new things about the galaxy in which we live, and it made me ponder about what might really be possible in the future in terms of space travel. Highly recommended if you are a fan, or writer, of sci-fi space adventures too, as it is a useful resource about many of the weird and wonderful things that crop up in interstellar stories.
The book takes the form of part-travelogue and part popular science text, covering an astonishing array of galactic phenomena for your space tourist delectation. From sinister black holes to a speculatively ballistic Betelgeuse, via all manner of planetary, starry, and satellite surprises, this trip allows you experience our corner of the cosmos in amazing detail. Clegg packs in facts about what we know about our galaxy; the work of the pioneers who have brought this knowledge to us; and the mechanics of space travel. He also conjectures about the things we may yet discover, and how to make this imaginary journey possible in the future.
The physics Clegg covers is challenging at times, and even though he does his level best to explain it in easy terms, these are advanced concepts and theories. As a novice when it comes to the physics of space and time, despite being a fan of a grand space opera, I did struggle with parts of this book. However, if you love to revel in facts and theories and enjoy getting into the nitty gritty of the complex and conflicting notions of conventional and quantum physics, then you will find lots here to get your teeth into. I would recommend taking this book in small bites though, as there is a wealth of information to take on board in one go.
My favourite thing about this book is the way Clegg uses the interstellar voyage concept as a theme, mixing in snippets of humour and references to some of the sci-fi shows we know and love, such as Star Trek. In a clever twist, rather than including illustrations, there are QR codes throughout to access photographs and videos to allow you to 'view' the wonders he is describing too, just as if you actually were sitting comfortably aboard an interstellar spaceship. This is very helpful in understanding the phenomena you are 'seeing through the starship windows'.
This is not my usual kind of read, but it makes for an engaging mix of fact and fiction to dip in and out of. I learned many new things about the galaxy in which we live, and it made me ponder about what might really be possible in the future in terms of space travel. Highly recommended if you are a fan, or writer, of sci-fi space adventures too, as it is a useful resource about many of the weird and wonderful things that crop up in interstellar stories.
September 6, 2023
What an experience ! I used the photos from the website as a 'window' on my tv whilst reading this book. It was so exciting, educational and immersive. It really was just like going on an interstellar tour.
November 8, 2023
Interstellar Tours is a virtual spaceship tour of the local universe, exploring places and phenomena of astronomical interest with plenty of photographs and easy-to-understand explanations. There's even some maths at the back for people who like equations with their astronomy.
A recommended read for interested but intelligent non-experts.
A recommended read for interested but intelligent non-experts.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews