To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery

by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lindsey Nyx Walker

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From Earth, to the solar neighborhood, and into the galaxy, Neil deGrasse Tyson, the ever irrepressible astrophysicist and author of Welcome to the Universe, launches readers on a rolicking interstellar voyage charting the arc of humanity's long reach into the cosmos... and beyond. Filled with fascinating illustrations, photographs, and side bar details. Hold on tight and enjoy the journey!

This enlightening illustrated narrative by the world’s most celebrated astrophysicist explains the universe from the solar system to the farthest reaches of space with authority and humor.

No one can make the mysteries of the universe more comprehensible and fun than Neil deGrasse Tyson. Drawing on mythology, history, and literature—alongside his trademark wit and charm—Tyson and StarTalk senior producer Lindsey Nyx Walker bring planetary science down to Earth and principles of astrophysics within reach. In this entertaining book, illustrated with vivid photographs and art, readers travel through space and time, starting with the Big Bang and voyaging to the far reaches of the universe and beyond. Along the way, science greets pop culture as Tyson explains the triumphs—and bloopers—in Hollywood’s blockbusters: all part of an entertaining ride through the cosmos.

The book begins as we leave Earth, encountering new truths about our planet’s atmosphere, the nature of sunlight, and the many missions that have demystified our galactic neighbors. But the farther out we travel, the weirder things get. What’s a void and what’s a vacuum? How can light be a wave and a particle at the same time? When we finally arrive in the blackness of outer space, Tyson takes on the spookiest phenomena of the cosmos: parallel worlds, black holes, time travel, and more.

For science junkies and fans of the conundrums that astrophysicists often ponder, To Infinity and Beyond is an enlightening adventure into the farthest reaches of the cosmos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426223303
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	2,148
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Legendary astrophysicist NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON is the host of the acclaimed podcast StarTalk Radio and Emmy award-winning National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos. He earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia. The author of more than a dozen books, Tyson is the first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children. Facebook: Neil deGrasse Tyson. Instagram: @neildegrassetyson. Twitter: @neiltyson.

Editorial Reviews

07/31/2023

Astrophysicist Tyson (Starry Messenger) and Walker, senior producer of Tyson’s StarTalk podcast, provide a vivid look at the universe and the scientists who have changed how humans understand it. Though Galileo’s observations confirming that the Earth isn’t the center of the cosmos and Isaac Newton’s work on planetary orbits receive expected mentions, the focus is on the contributions of lesser known scientists, such as physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who in 1964, while working on improving satellite communication, detected a constant microwave signal throughout the universe that turned out to be the remains of “the first light ever emitted,” confirming the big bang theory. The abundant trivia surprises; for instance, Venus, at 900 ˚F, has a hotter surface temperature than Mercury (which can reach temperatures as low as -300 ˚F “inside its deep shadowed valleys”), despite being farther from the sun, because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in Venus’s atmosphere. The authors also provide amusing corrections to “Hollywood science,” noting that the devastating dust storm on Mars that traps the astronaut protagonist of the 2015 film The Martian would in reality “feel like a gentle breeze” because of the planet’s low atmospheric pressure. Buoyed by eye-popping photos of supernovas and distant galaxies, this is equal parts entertaining and informative. Photos. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 2023-07-19
A synthesis of the latest thinking and research on space exploration, it sets out the meaning for humanity.

Tyson is the presenter of the award–winning StarTalk podcast and author of numerous books on popular science, including Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, and Walker is the senior producer of the series. This book, linked to a special mini-season of the podcast, features astonishing astronomical photographs as well as useful explanatory illustrations. The theme is how humanity began to explore space, although there are many interesting detours into questions, including the real color of the sun, the difference between a vacuum and a void, and the formation of black holes. The authors examine each of the planets in the solar system, drawing on novel research material gathered by the Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft, as well as orbital telescopes. Many of these subjects have been discussed in-depth elsewhere, but deGrasse and Walker find new things to say, and they have a knack for using anecdotes to explain complex phenomena and scientific issues. They have a good time deconstructing the technology that appears in various sci-fi movies and TV shows, pointing out the problems of faster-than-light travel, the real effects of a lack of gravity, and the dangers of unregulated excursions through time. Worrying matters, certainly, but the tone is generally optimistic, and the authors clearly love the concept of space exploration. They also note that things once considered beyond the bounds of plausibility are now commonplace, and they conclude this engaging, accessible work with further optimism: "Scientific thinking always leaves the door ajar for the seemingly impossible. So perhaps we exaggerate—but only just a little—when we declare that infinity is only a moment’s pause on the way to unlimited destinations that await us.”

This is a book that makes you want to go out and look up at the night sky. Buzz Lightyear would be proud.

Kirkus Reviews