The Secret Life of Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone

by Lisa Harvey-Smith, Eirian Chapman (Illustrator)

In The Secret Life of Stars , award-winning astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith takes us on a cosmic journey to meet some of the weirdest, most extreme, and enigmatic stars in the universe. We all know the Sun, the powerhouse of our solar system, but what about Luyten’s Flare, the Rosino-Zwicky Object, or Chanal’s variable star? For those whose curiosity takes them far beyond Earth’s atmosphere, The Secret Life of Stars offers a personal and readily understood introduction to some of the Galaxy’s most remarkable stars. Written by award-winning astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith, each chapter explains various different and unusual stars and their amazing characteristics and attributes, from pulsars, blue stragglers, and white dwarfs, to cannibal stars and explosive supernovae. With beautiful chapter illustrations by Eirian Chapman, this book brings to life the remarkable personalities of these stars, reminding readers what a diverse and unpredictable universe we live in and how fortunate we are to live around a stable star, our Sun. Illustrated Chapter Openers

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Astronomy

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astronomers are curious creatures always on the lookout for new evidence of weird and unusual objects in the universe.

Astronomy has interested me since I was a kid. I remember wanting to be an astronaut and being traumatised alongside Punky Brewster as she sat in class and watched the Challenger disaster. I’d read anything I could about stars, planets and all of the other cool things in our universal backyard. I Google images of nebulas. When I got sick of the job I fell into shortly after university, I started researching (that’s book nerd code for reading textbooks) other areas I might retrain in; one of the ideas on my shortlist was astrophysics.

This astrophysics book is accessible whether you have a background in science or not. There are no complicated mathematical equations and all you need to bring with you is your interest. It’s written in a down to earth way (😜) and uses all manner of earthly things to help explain things that are out of this world.

I wasn’t always a huge fan of giving the stars names and talking about them as though they were people but it did help to get the author’s point across. Especially when a star with a name like 2MASS J18082002−5104378 B can be called Ethel instead.

There are plenty of extraordinary facts for you to enjoy in this book. A few that stood out to me were:

* The Huge - 1.3 million Earths would fit inside the Sun. VY Canis Majoris, a red hypergiant star, is so big that 300 million Suns would fit inside it.
* The Speedy - S5-HVS1, the fastest star in the universe, travels at over 6 million kilometres per hour (1755 kilometres every second!). No wonder HVS means “hyper-velocity star”.
* The Awesome - There is a star classification, Ap, where the p stands for “peculiar”. Peculiar is a legitimate astrophysics word! I love it!

While we now know so much about the universe, it’s also clear just how much we don’t know. Yet. There were plenty of instances of ‘might be’, ‘we don’t know’, and ‘maybe when telescopes are more powerful’.

It’s tantalising thinking that at any time someone could discover something entirely unheard of. There’s also something strangely satisfying about imagining the team meetings where astrophysicists bounce theories around, especially the one about Przybylski’s star.

It might have gone something like this (my astrophysicists are Australian):

Astrophysicist 1: So, what do we all reckon is causing the composition of Przybylski’s star to be so weird?

Astrophysicist 2: Hmm … Could be some heavy radioactive elements we haven’t discovered yet.

Astrophysicist 3: Yeah, or it could be aliens.

Astrophysicist 1: …

Astrophysicist 2: … How do you figure?

Astrophysicist 3: The way I see it, mate, aliens could be pouring strontium and curium into the star.

Astrophysicist 1: Yeah, nah.

Astrophysicist 2: Seriously? But why would they be doing that?

Astrophysicist 3: To get our attention.

Astrophysicist 1: … You know what? You could be onto something!

Astrophysicist 2: Well, I suppose we can’t prove that it’s not aliens. Let’s add that to our list of theories.

Astrophysicist 3: Science for the win!

Now, that’s science I can get behind.

I would recommend you Google images of each star as you learn about it so you can put a stellar face to the name. Lest you read about the Stingray nebula and imagine this

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when you really should be imagining this.

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So, having read this book, do I think I can now talk confidently about astrophysics? Not a chance, but I can point you in the direction of a book that will entertain you while teaching you some fascinating things about the universe. And like any good non fiction book, I’m leaving this one satisfied with what I’ve learned but eager to investigate further.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been utterly captivated by stars, it’s just so fascinating to me that the night sky is so endlessly expansive with an infinite vastness of stars, some that the human eye can’t even ever set their eyes on for they’re so far away! Yet, there are a lot that any one human can gaze and admire, something which I think should be appreciated in itself.
This book is just such a pleasure to read, it’s equally educational, I’m so excited to have read it and learnt about the infinite plethora of stars that occupy the night sky, learning about the genesis within them and how some have thrived all by themselves for millions upon millions of years, while some live within family like clusters together and some paired, fated to dance around one another in such close proximity for a long, long time.
Whilst I might be utterly fascinated by everything starry, unfortunately my general science knowledge is almost completely non-existent. Was I initially weary that this book might be packed to the brim with Science lingo and jargon, but I really needn’t have worried!
That’s one of the many things I appreciate about this book, it’s written in such a descriptive (yet not overly so) manner, the stars that are being written about given such bright personalities (if you’ll pardon the inevitable space pun), honestly, this book was just written so vibrantly and passionately, Lisa Harvey-Smith’s enthusiasm and love and dedication for her chosen field of work is so apparent and really carries through her writing, making it shine and making me smile! Lisa Harvey-Smith’s writing has definitely made me want to explore the stars more, as it were!
I’m really excited that this book was written, I feel like it’s everything an educational book on such a vast subject should encompass, there’s nothing forced about Lisa Harvey-Smith’s writing, it’s brimming with excitement and expansive knowledge about these bright personalities that occupy the night sky, and I’m so glad to know more about some of them having read this book! I completely recommend to all ages, it’s just a (one more space pun!) stellar resource to have!

Thank you Thames and Hudson AU for gifting me a review copy for the AusYABloggers blog tour :)

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having always found astronomy fascinating, I thoroughly enjoyed this book where I was able to immerse myself into a non-fiction text that triggered my imagination and showed me just how much more there are to the twinkles we see in the night sky. Entertaining, simultaneously educational, this book is suitable for readers young and older. I could feel the passion the author has with astrophysics when reading this book and believe there should be more resources like this in libraries and schools. It's a fun and easily accessible way to learn about the universe around us and honestly I probably would have paid more attention in science class if there were more books like this to read in school. Highly recommended. With special thanks to Thames & Hudson Australia and Aus. YA Bloggers for having me on board this blog tour and for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars are born, they age before slowing succumbing to the inevitable, their ashes returned to the cosmos. Anaximander and Aristotle, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton and Neil Degrasse Tyson, composers and artists, our universe captivates humankind, our sense of wonder and curiosity has inspired generations of scientists and amateur astronomers. Written in engaging and accessible language, The Secret Life of Stars, Astrophysics for Everyone is fascinating and entertaining, a wonderful reference infused with humour, wonder and whimsy.

[thelibraryofalexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Kelly Sedinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and breezy tour of various anomalies of astrophysics! Worth a read if you need a brush-up on the nature of stars, and you might learn a thing or two here...I hadn't heard of magnetars, for example. I liked Harvey-Smith's approach of discussing specific stars and stellar objects, right down to their specific names so you can go look them up if you wish. The book reads like the spiel of a talented planetarium show host (and that's a compliment).

[Sarah Fairbairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book on Astrophysics aimed at teens, yes please! Science was one of my favourite classes in high school (that and Art & Drama, yes, yes, strange mix I know).

From the moment Lisa introduced herself at the start, just the vibe I got from reading her introduction, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. What I didn’t anticipate was how much I was going to love this book or the intense pull it would awaken in me to stop, slow down, and gaze up at the stars with a reinvigorating sense of wonder.

Before taking a stroll around the known universe one Star at a time, The Secret Life of Stars kicks off close to home, talking about the bringer of our life, the marvel that is our sun.

“At around 6 billion years old, the sun is in the middle age of her life. And before you ask, yes, the sun is a woman. How do I know? She holds down a steady job (heating and lighting the solar system), provides for a family of eight and hasn’t taken a holiday in 4.6 billion years.”

All hail the sun!!! and a high five and hug to Lisa, a woman showing up for girls in Science!

The pure love and worship of the universe around us and all the infinite number of stars in existence shines through in Lisa’s sometimes humous, always fascinating words.

Lisa has written an informative and interesting delve into the universe around us in an easily accessible way. Ha, maybe if they wrote textbooks like this more kids would be entranced by not only Astrophysics and Astrology, but Sciences as a whole!

I have been in a reading funk lately, struggling to focus on fictional tales and The Secret Life of Stars was a like an invigorating dip in the ocean, or use a different analogy, like a breath of fresh air. It is a perfect conversation starting coffee table book, a perfect read a little here and there book, and it is also engaging enough to read in a cover to cover marathon. I kept finding myself reading passages out loud to my other half Shane. The Secret Life of Stars has rekindled a stargazing passion for us both. And has us intending to save up for a decent telescope and muck around with some Astro-Photography to make use of our old SLR in the meantime.

Who would like this book: This book may have been aimed at teens in its conception, but at 33 I can tell you it’s not just for teens. Maybe you know a stargazer, a dreamer, a sci-fi lover, a lover of all things science, or even a lover of travel – maybe it’s you – then The Secret Life of Stars would make a fantastic special treat, birthday or Chrissy gift.

There isn’t much more I can say, so I will leave you with this:
“Every atom of iron on planet Earth was made inside a star. That goes for every atom of iron in your blood, too… Next time you look at your veins, or use a compass, or don’t die in a shower of lethal cosmic radiation, be grateful to the unnamed relic of a cosmic behemoth who gave its life that we might live. Our ancestor star, our gentle giant of the skies.”

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book about stars starts with the star that everybody knows and loves, the sun. The author describes the sun as having one big atmosphere all the way through which is an analogy i hadn't considered before. She then describes the process of nuclear fusion and answers questions like, why doesn't it explode? The answer: Gravity keeps it in. Still, solar storms can cause problems with satellites in our atmosphere and other human processes and we are overdue for a big solar event which happens every 100-200 years.

Moving beyond the sun, we find out that red dwarfs are the smallest stars and are apparently the most common type of star in the Milky Way but we can't see them without a telescope. They are too faint. There are also brown dwarfs which didn't quite make it to being a full star because they are not quite big enough or hot enough to turn hydrogen into helium via nuclear fusion. It was interesting to learn that the categories of stars can be a little blurry. What is a planet vs a brown dwarf? It's not always clear.

Some stars change in brightness from our view and the author explores the possible reasons for this. The star could be changing on it's own. Or something could be passing in front of it, like a planet or another star. There could be space dust dimming the light. And if none of that strikes your fancy, some people think it might be alien space craft.

The biggest star in the universe (that we know of) is so hot that we can't even see it because it's light peaks beyond blue into the ultraviolet range. Fortunately, we can see the other light emitted by this star because stars emit a range of colors (even if it peaks in the ultraviolet). So we see this biggest star as blue.

There are also wandering stars. One star in particular is wandering through our galaxy at super high speeds for the past 11 billion years. Astronomers have determined that she must have come from somewhere outside The Milky Way.

I liked the chapter about families of stars because the author describes the relationship of their movements in such a way that you feel like you can actually see it.

There are also chapters dedicated to supernovas, planetary nebula, neutron stars and black holes.

As I read this book, I realized that I have read a lot of books about space travel and the astronomy of the planets in our solar system and even a couple books about cosmology but I have neglected to read a book specifically about stars. This book was a great introduction to the subject for me. It only took a chapter or 2 for the author's sense of humor to grow on me. That made for a light and entertaining read.

[Readaholic Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Life of Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone had the honour of being my first ever arc, and I am truly honoured to have read it. With that in mind, please let me send a huge thank you to AusYABloggers and Thames and Hudson for my copy.

Lisa Harvey-Smith painted the universe in a beautifully humanised way, making the stars feel like old relatives or family friends you talk about over the dinner table. Lisa made the stars humorous and (somewhat) relatable. I can now joke that I know couples that are as dangerous to each other as some of the star couples we read about in this book.

The book itself was broken down in easy-to-digest portions where each chapter was broken down further to have headings that relate to the stars being talked about in that paragraph. It made it an easy evening read when I was sitting by the open blinds before bed.

The only negative I found with this book could be completely personal. I found that it was sometimes quite difficult to be able to remember and/or read the names of stars. Names such as “KIC 9832227” and “EPIC 204376071” for instance became a blur to my brain (though it is worth mentioning numbers are not my fort). On the other hand though, I found that these names were interesting and the long numbers that Lisa showed us (one being the actual number for 100 trillion trillion trillion) just made me sort of giddy in knowing, as if it were some sort of secret not shared by the masses. In this case, it was just my inability to procure such numbers in my brain.

In the whole, this book is beyond brilliant for those who have a rudimentary interest in the stars above like I do, and it is also brilliant for anyone wanting to read something to feel like you understand some science. Lisa creates a brilliantly written, humorous explanation of the stars and the science behind them that makes me crave a second book on this matter from her. It was a straight 5/5 stars from me.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
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I have thoroughly enjoyed making my way through this book. The Secret Life of Stars is a nonfiction book about astrophysics. If you think that means it’s boring, or too difficult to understand... think again! Lisa Harvey-Smith’s writing is engaging and she has produced a book that is fascinating and very readable. To be honest, she writes the way I talk, only better.
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I suppose it’s frowned upon in some scientific circles, but I love the way she has ‘humanised’ the stars she’s writing about. From stars as gassy babies (so relatable right now) to ‘Barbara’ the Milky Way matriarch, her way of explaining things is funny and relatable.
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The subject matter is entirely mind blowing though. Harvey-Smith has done a wonderful job of conveying the sheer scale of our universe, from teeny tiny to... well... astronomical. She also conveys the beauty and wonder of it all incredibly well.
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The Secret Life of Stars is still information dense, so it’s probably the kind of book you might read a chapter at a time, rather than all in one sitting. It’s targeted at ‘everyone’, and I certainly enjoyed it as a 30-something with a scientific background. I think it would also be wonderful for a parent or teacher to read aloud and discuss with upper primary kids. To be honest, I think ‘everyone’ is probably pretty close to accurate!

[Nadia King · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you, like me, want to better understand stars, then The Secret Life of Stars by Lisa Harvey-Smith is the book for you. Covering the life of our Sun, red dwarfs, brown dwarfs, gravitational waves, giant stars, cannibalistic stars, black holes, and much more, The Secret Life of Stars is a fascinating account of how stars behave in relation to each other.

Told in a conversational style and using human relationships as metaphors for the behaviour of stars, The Secret Life of Stars gave this STEM-challenged reader a rudimentary understanding of astrophysics. I never realised how chaotic, how messy and how imperfect some stars can be. They are perfectly relatable to our own lives.

The Secret Life of Stars is a fascinating, entertaining and informative book with wide accessibility. I loved learning about the stars in our heavenly night skies and beyond. Highly recommended for everyone.

Many thanks to AusYABloggers and Thames & Hudson Australia for the opportunity to be a part of this book blog tour

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our galaxy is an astoundingly beautiful and enigmatic place but the gentle twinkling of the earths night sky is just the start."- Lisa Harvey. Space the final frontier the cosmos interstellar space the universe is chaotic unpredictable and extremely complex. This book is really good at simplifying the universe comparing the universe to the ocean and the deeper we get the more interesting and mysterious objects we discover for example we start with the sun and we end with black holes and as she describes it "black holes are the most mysterious and exiting astronomical objects in the universe. This book does a great job of making astronomy entertaining by personifying the celestial objects. Even though this book seems to be intended for kids I highly recommend it to anyone as it has information that you never knew about.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will have to admit to being disappointed. The author's love of the stars comes through very well. However, I was put off by the constant need to anthropomorphize astronomical objects. Calling them "she", giving them names and relationships in human terms diluted the science. Astronomy and astrophysics are both fascinating subjects and the oddities of stars etc well worth discussing. The science itself is very basic and I would mostly recommend this for younger readers. The folksy tone might be good for a younger audience. I would have given this a 2 star but I do think the intent was credible and because a younger reader might become very enthused in astronomy after reading this, I bumped it up.

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars, or 3.49 because I feel like rounding down)
This book… hmmm. I have a complicated relationship with this book. I’m fascinated by it and found it funny but I guess I felt like the humor was too much at times? At times I forgot the correlation to the actual astrophysics concept because the funny metaphor went into way more detail than it’s actual relation to the stars. I think it really depends on who you are and your interest level in the topics to determine whether this is a good or bad thing. I think for “astrophysics for everyone” this book really hit the mark at avoiding making the subject boring or overcomplicated, but I personally felt like depth could have been added without ruining that aspect.

[James P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance, this book looked like it would be easy to read. It's about astrophysics, so that can sometimes be a tall order.

The problem I had with this book is that the author seemed to assign--how to say it?--anthropomorphic values to, among other things, distant stars. This was irritating.

Perhaps the author was writing for young people. That's okay...but resorting to dumbed down language in order to make allusions to how stars resemble families, couples and individuals--and that they somehow share attributes of human-like behavior--does a disservice to the subject and to the audience.

[Shreyas Gokhale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested in Astronomy as a kid and then as school work increased, somewhere down the line, I forgot about my interest in the sky, planets, stars, etc. After almost 2.5 decades, this book has helped renew my interest! It gives a good glimpse into the different types of stars & star systems and briefly talks about various phenomena (related to stars of course) that can occur in space. Overall, a good book!

[Alan Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three thousand stars on a dark night for this book. Lisa knows how to simplify astrophysics without loosing the richness of the knowledge. It’s fascinating how unaware we are of all the changes and motions happening above our heads when we look at a static uneventful sky every night, at least that’s how it seems. Things are too slow or too fast to be observed sometimes. This book takes us out of our unawareness and brings us to the light of how alive stars are.

[Garry Aydon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my shelf for 2 years and then finally read it in 3 days. Very enjoyable read, and has a wealth of information for all about the stars we can see and cannot see. Lisa’s easy writing and explanation would be good for anyone to read, and should be a text at secondary schools as may spark someone’s interest.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book, entertaining, and explained a lot about astrophysics in a way that was easy to understand. I didn't like how the astronomical objects the author wrote were assigned genders and given false names. I know lots of things have complicated names in astronomy, just a weird pattern of letters and numbers, but calling a star "Fred" gave me icky feelings.

[Isabella Latimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a way to start 2026!
this book was really easy to read. i liked the authors fun quips and jokes; it made astronomy and astrophysics feel a little less daunting (though i’ve got a long way to go before i truly comprehend a lot of the material). i loved the historical journey as well, learning about past astronomers who have helped map our skies!

[Brad Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily the most accessible book on astrophysics i've read. It's adorable to read and I'd say could be given to school kids to help them fall in love with science a little more. Great illustrations throughout as well!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cant stop her now, this one adds onto my prized collection of astronomy books, three so far. Gota like this girls work. Knowledgeable and one of the prime ambassadors of STEAM for those with a thirst for knowledge

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the subject with excellent information. But more headings and better organization would have been useful and beneficial. And I would have loved to see photographs of the night sky in the book.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Astrophysics for Everyone' is quite accurate for a subheading. While I found this book hard to read at times due to my incompetence at understanding astrophysics, I found this book really engaging and informative.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adored it. A fun, accessible description of so many wonderful facts about the stars in the universe. I was constantly gobsmacked by all the things I never knew about stars. I will never look at the night sky the same again.

[Louise Tong (shadybookdragon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5/5

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video review coming tomorrow!

[Ashley Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great intro to what stars are, all the different kinds we know about, what their lives are like. Lisa has an obvious love and sense of humour that comes through.

[James Easterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative enough, but often didn’t go quite far enough. Also written very anthropomorphicly and rather junior, which was distracting.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if I only remember like 5 percent of what this book taught me, it’ll be 5 percent more than I knew before. This was great!