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From Here to Infinity: A Beginner's Guide to Astronomy
Renowned science writers John and Mary Gribbin team up with one of the most historic scientific sites in the world—the Royal Observatory, Greenwich—to take readers on a stunning visual tour of the universe. This riveting journey moves from our home planet outwards to the Moon, Sun, Inner and Outer Solar Systems, Milky Way, and other galaxies. Not only do the Gribbins discuss the always-intriguing topic of alien life, but they divulge little-known facts (Venus is the only planet in our solar system to rotate backwards), as well as all the basics beginning armchair astronomers need to know. Dramatic four-color photographs complement the informative text, giving readers a sense of what it might be like to be an astronaut…and go where no one has gone before.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
John Gribbin
385 books854 followersJohn R. Gribbin is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the origins of the universe, and biographies of famous scientists. He also writes science fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 22, 2019
2019 seems to be the year where I say, “This book wasn’t bad, but…”
If you’re someone who enjoys reading textbook like non-fiction, if you like having fact after confusing fact being thrown at you, if you like trying to comprehend material you don’t understand because you’re not an astronomer, then this book is for you.
Honestly, I would have DNF’d this book but instead decided to read it aloud to my mother. If she liked it, I would continue by reading it to her. She liked it.
Review Continued Here
If you’re someone who enjoys reading textbook like non-fiction, if you like having fact after confusing fact being thrown at you, if you like trying to comprehend material you don’t understand because you’re not an astronomer, then this book is for you.
Honestly, I would have DNF’d this book but instead decided to read it aloud to my mother. If she liked it, I would continue by reading it to her. She liked it.
Review Continued Here
April 5, 2020
I picked this book up for a few dollars in a second hand store as I have been meaning to go back and read more astronomy books. This was written in 2008 so some of the information was a little out-dated especially regarding natural satellites and space missions/technology etc, but it was still a very easy to read book (really well written) with gorgeous pictures scattered throughout.
The problem I usually have with these books is that they are typically too simplistic and that there is nothing new in them - a regurgitating of the same basic ideas. While this book was very simplistic in its approach (especially in the very ambitious task of trying to cover cosmology in a chapter), I was really surprised by how many things in here that were a bit more than base level astronomy. Something for everyone.
So here are a few things that grabbed my attention and while some of it was stuff I knew - I was really impressed by their explanations that I wanted to write them down in case I wanted to refer back to them at a later date:
*Our very thin atmosphere: Starting from London and travelling 200 km across the surface of the Earth takes you as far as Devon, but starting from London and travelling 200 km straight up takes you into space.
*Why we look for planets with atmospheres rich in Oxygen: If there was no life on Earth, the oxygen in the air world soon react with other material to make stable gases such as CO2.....An atmosphere rich in reactive gases like Oxygen is unstable....it can only stay in the same state for a long time if oxygen is constantly being manufactured.
*Poles at the Equator: Over periods of tens of millions of years the tilt of Mars varies between zero (upright) and 60 degrees (almost lying on its side). These changes do not have a regular cycle, but occur unpredictably, in a chaotic fashion.
*Thank-you Carbon Cycle!: On Earth, CO2 has been taken out of the atmosphere and laid down in rocks rich in carbonate by the action of water and life. There is almost exactly the same amount of CO2 in the rocks on the Earth's crust as there is in the atmosphere of Venus. But because Venus is closer to the Sun, it was never cool enough for oceans to form, so the CO2 stayed in the atmosphere.
*Jupiter's Heat Source: Jupiter radiates into space twice as much heat as it receives from the Sun, because it has an internal store of warmth left over from the time it formed.....Jupiter was probably twice its present size when formed, and it is still shrinking by about 2 cm each year.
*Early gen stars vs later gen stars: In order to collapse under their own weight and form stars, clouds of gas have to radiate heat away into space. Otherwise gravitational energy released as heat by the collapse builds up pressure that stops the collapse (Why first gen stars were so large - and why later gen stars are smaller as there are heavier elements in the clouds of gas allowing heat to be radiated away as IR).
While the later chapters are very ambitious in the book space given, overall this was a really good read.
The problem I usually have with these books is that they are typically too simplistic and that there is nothing new in them - a regurgitating of the same basic ideas. While this book was very simplistic in its approach (especially in the very ambitious task of trying to cover cosmology in a chapter), I was really surprised by how many things in here that were a bit more than base level astronomy. Something for everyone.
So here are a few things that grabbed my attention and while some of it was stuff I knew - I was really impressed by their explanations that I wanted to write them down in case I wanted to refer back to them at a later date:
*Our very thin atmosphere: Starting from London and travelling 200 km across the surface of the Earth takes you as far as Devon, but starting from London and travelling 200 km straight up takes you into space.
*Why we look for planets with atmospheres rich in Oxygen: If there was no life on Earth, the oxygen in the air world soon react with other material to make stable gases such as CO2.....An atmosphere rich in reactive gases like Oxygen is unstable....it can only stay in the same state for a long time if oxygen is constantly being manufactured.
*Poles at the Equator: Over periods of tens of millions of years the tilt of Mars varies between zero (upright) and 60 degrees (almost lying on its side). These changes do not have a regular cycle, but occur unpredictably, in a chaotic fashion.
*Thank-you Carbon Cycle!: On Earth, CO2 has been taken out of the atmosphere and laid down in rocks rich in carbonate by the action of water and life. There is almost exactly the same amount of CO2 in the rocks on the Earth's crust as there is in the atmosphere of Venus. But because Venus is closer to the Sun, it was never cool enough for oceans to form, so the CO2 stayed in the atmosphere.
*Jupiter's Heat Source: Jupiter radiates into space twice as much heat as it receives from the Sun, because it has an internal store of warmth left over from the time it formed.....Jupiter was probably twice its present size when formed, and it is still shrinking by about 2 cm each year.
*Early gen stars vs later gen stars: In order to collapse under their own weight and form stars, clouds of gas have to radiate heat away into space. Otherwise gravitational energy released as heat by the collapse builds up pressure that stops the collapse (Why first gen stars were so large - and why later gen stars are smaller as there are heavier elements in the clouds of gas allowing heat to be radiated away as IR).
While the later chapters are very ambitious in the book space given, overall this was a really good read.
January 6, 2024
Very educational book with great artistic pictures and spectacular Hubble/etc telescope photos. The only improvement I would make is to add women's cosmology and astronomy discoveries. A lot of women have made discoveries that were either taken for credit by a man or they were never mentioned along with it. Neil Tyson talks about this in his books. Such as, Henrietta Leavitt, who played a HUGE SIGNIFICANT role in spotting dim stars that were too far way for the naked eye and basic telecopes. Her design gave a piece to the universal ladder.
April 2, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and all the stunning images. It is a bit older now and we have made some big key discoveries since this was published, but still a great book for the basics or as an introduction to the cosmos.
December 17, 2010
More or less hot off the press, John & Mary Gribbin's 'From Here to Infinity', published by The Royal Observatory in 2008. Here is a guide to Astronomy that is a nice size,(almost a pocket book) yet is packed with superb colour photographs and artist impressions of stellar objects. Each chapter is concise and up to date covering The Earth, Moon, Sun, Inner and Outer Solar System, Stars, Milky Way and Other Galaxies, Cosmology and Life in the Universe.
I don't think it matters at what level the reader enters this Guide, there is certainly something for every reader, and can be recommended for all ages. If I wish to be pedantic, I would wish a Royal Observatory Guide to Astronomy to refer to the constellation of Ursa Major as 'The Plough', (ye Olde Anglo Saxon) and not 'The Big Dipper', which is some 19th century term slapped onto the great bear that originates from 'ahem' overseas.
I don't think it matters at what level the reader enters this Guide, there is certainly something for every reader, and can be recommended for all ages. If I wish to be pedantic, I would wish a Royal Observatory Guide to Astronomy to refer to the constellation of Ursa Major as 'The Plough', (ye Olde Anglo Saxon) and not 'The Big Dipper', which is some 19th century term slapped onto the great bear that originates from 'ahem' overseas.
June 4, 2021
This is a very good introduction to astronomy, as the subtitle suggests. It’s a good resource to have on hand while learning about space or simply look up random, but well-known facts and figures. By far, the biggest strength of this book is the beautiful, high-quality color photos of different planets, moons and other astronomical bodies. Some of the information is, unfortunately, outdated since this was published in 2009 and a number of discoveries have been made since then.
December 17, 2010
This book is exactly what it claims to be, a beginner's guide to astronomy. I'm no expert in the subject but the book sums up my last 10 years of watching science tv shows. It doesn't go into any detail so there's no worry for anyone unfamiliar with the Cosmos. Overall, a pretty good read!
April 16, 2012
Skip it! Simon Singh was MUCH better! But the color pictures are worth having around as a reference!
March 22, 2012
A good introduction to astronomy, it moves along the solar system and beyond. It wouldve bee nice if this book hadn't changed languages in the middle of a chapter and contiued on for ten pages.
September 14, 2012
It was very informative, and taught the basics of astronomy
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews