New astronomy and space titles reviewed
Phænomena
Giles Sparrow
Thames & Hudson £50 HB
Johann Doppelmayr’s original Atlas Coelestis was first published in 1742, bringing together (as the introduction to this new volume explains) astronomical theories and areas of interest important to the European Enlightenment. Phænomena, Giles Sparrow’s wonderful tribute to Doppelmayr’s important work, is stunning, enormous and filled with the most amazing illustrations.
The book is broken down into 30 sections – one for each plate of Doppelmayr’s original atlas – each giving a brief history of the ideas presented therein. Often these contain explanations of Doppelmayr’s astronomy and are full of terms included in a glossary at the back of the book. To take one as an example, plate 27 shows the paths of various comets superimposed onto a map of the Northern Hemisphere. The preceding text describes, with illustrations, the history of comet observations and theories about their orbits and composition. The plate is reproduced across a double page, with the subsequent pages showing close-ups of different parts of the plate and explaining them. There then follows some historical illustrations of comets. The whole book concludes with a ‘legacy’ section, discussing what came next in European astronomy in the years that followed. The very back of the book contains a linear history of the ‘milestones of astronomy’ and a table of significant people (although only one woman).
This book is wonderful to look at. The plates are large enough that you can see a tremendous amount of detail, making it truly fascinating. The detailed explorations of each plate are excellent too, explaining each aspect and its purpose, giving a visual understanding of the astronomy involved. If we were to be picky, however, the text perhaps attempts to do too much. It tries to teach the reader astronomy, outline a linear progressive history of astronomy and ultimately link these threads back to Doppelmayr, which makes it rather dense.
Phænomena is not only an expanded and annotated reproduction of a historic astronomy text, it could also appeal to those interested in astronomy, history or art. This is a beautiful book that anyone could pore over for hours.
★★★★
Interview with the author
Giles Sparrow
Why is Doppelmayr such a big figure?
He isn’t a name in the same league as Copernicus or Kepler, probably because he doesn’t have a particular ‘discovery’ to his credit. But he should be better-known for his promotion of the idea of a Sun-centred Solar System and vast cosmos beyond. His Atlas helped cement this by showing how accurate it was for predicting the motions of stars and planets. It’s also a fascinating summary of all the competing theories of the day.
How accurate was his work?
The Atlas’s star maps and depictions of the planets drew on the best observations at that time: they’re a time capsule of the ‘state of the art’ in the early 18th century. But the theory he promoted still stands up.
Isn’t it a shame all star charts don’t look like his?
Absolutely! As someone who has worked on a lot of illustrated astronomy books, it’s fascinating to see how Doppelmayr and his team faced similar challenges, finding ways of illustrating their view of the cosmos that were not just instructive but beautiful. They even found room for the occasional joke!
What did you learn writing the book?
I was surprised how much space he dedicated to rival theories, and how protracted the shift to a Sun-centred model was. We think Copernicus had the idea, Galileo proved it and everyone sensible accepted it. But rival theories weren’t just based in dogma: they were often better, more ‘scientific’ explanations for the evidence available at the time.
Giles Sparrow is the author of several astronomy titles
The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries
Jillian Scudder
Icon Books £12.99 HB
The media loves sensational headlines. When ‘Oumuamua visited our Solar System briefly in 2017 and seemed to speed up slightly as it departed, the press had a field day. It could only be an alien spacecraft! It wasn’t. To make such a claim you need to prove that all other possible explanations have been discounted and, with only two weeks to observe this visitor from space, that was certainly not the case.
This book digs into this and many other weird facts about our Universe, and drills into the science behind such outlandish phenomena as diamonds raining down on Neptune, supermassive black holes that can sing, that the Universe is beige and the centre of our Galaxy smells like a cocktail bar. It’s a guided tour of some of the most bizarre places in the Universe. Each short chapter explains how such discoveries were made and researched. The writing is light-hearted and chatty, with jokey footnotes scattered throughout, but the science is rock-solid. There are useful links to published research papers at the back of the book to support the claims.
We learn that the Milky Way is thinner than a credit card, some galaxies look like jellyfish, that Europa may glow in the dark and that you could grow turnips on Mars but, sadly, not potatoes.
This book is for anyone who likes to astound their friends with amazing facts, backed up by science. Our Universe may be beige, on average, but it is definitely not boring.
★★★★
Observing Our Solar System: A Beginner’s Guide
Tom Kerss
Collins £8.99 PB
After reading Observing Our Solar System, it was hard to believe that the main text is just 100 pages long. This thin paperback by popular astronomer Tom Kerss is such an informative and concise read that any beginner would be wise to grab a copy. Within seven chapters he has packed each page, covering topics from the history of Solar System observation to how you can tackle imaging the night sky. The chapter on observing the Moon and planets is crammed with information about what to look for and how. Use this in conjunction with the brief but informative chapter on what software to use for planning your observations and you’ll be well on the way to finding your way around the Solar System.
For a closer look at the planets, Kerss introduces the use of optical aids, including the types and uses of binoculars and telescopes. If you fancy a stab at imaging the planets, even with a smartphone, he reveals what to use and how to process your images. High praise must be given for the photographs and diagrams that appear on each page: beautifully clear, accompanied with simple but to-the-point text.
Kerss knows that our Solar System isn’t just about the planets, and he explores this in later chapters, describing the sights and special events you can look out for, including comets, Earth’s shadow and satellites orbiting overhead. How he has packed so much in I do not know, but whatever his secret, it works.
★★★★★
The Cosmic Diary of Our Incredible Universe
Tim Peake
Hachette £12.99 HB
One of the first things a writer decides when writing a book is the point of view. This is the first book you may have read written from the point of view of the Universe – and the Universe with the voice of a 10-year-old child at that!
Tim Peake’s Cosmic Diary is a chronicle of the cosmos from the Big Bang onwards. Its playful diary format, with interjections from experts and cosmic curiosity fact boxes, makes for a fun read. It covers topics – including cosmic inflation, nuclear fusion and dark matter – that might be tough for a young audience, but does so with ease.
The book uses perfect analogies to illustrate difficult concepts. To explain cosmic expansion it asks the reader to imagine themselves in a ball of dough with raisins rising in an oven; “wherever you sit, the raisins would seem to be moving away from you in all directions.”
It knows how to draw kids in. What links the Cosmic Microwave Background with pigeon poo? It turns out that a ‘hiss’ astronomers in 1964 attributed to pigeon ablutions on their antennae was actually the first light of the Universe from 13.8 billion years ago. At times, though, I struggled with the childlike personhood bestowed on the Universe. “I got into a massive fight today,” starts the diary entry at ‘Less than 1 second old’. “I got caught up in this crazy battle between two rival gangs: matter and antimatter.” I sought a second opinion from my 11-year-old. It turns out I’m just a stuffy adult. “It’s entertaining,” she said. “It’s what kids want – it makes you want to read.” Enough said.
★★★★