Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer's Guide to the Universe

by Philip Plait Ph.D.

Overview

A Financial Times Best Science Book of 2023 • A Science News Favorite Book of 2023 • A Scientific American 2023 Staff Recommendation

A rip-roaring tour of the cosmos with the Bad Astronomer, bringing you up close and personal with the universe like never before.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel the universe? How would Saturn’s rings look from a spaceship sailing just above them? If you were falling into a black hole, what’s the last thing you’d see before getting spaghettified? While traveling in person to most of these amazing worlds may not be possible—yet—the would-be space traveler need not despair: you can still take the scenic route through the galaxy with renowned astronomer and science communicator Philip Plait.

On this lively, immersive adventure through the cosmos, Plait draws ingeniously on both the latest scientific research and his prodigious imagination to transport you to ten of the most spectacular sights outer space has to offer. In vivid, inventive scenes informed by rigorous science—injected with a dose of Plait’s trademark humor—Under Alien Skies places you on the surface of alien worlds, from our own familiar Moon to the far reaches of our solar system and beyond. Try launching yourself onto a two-hundred-meter asteroid, or stargazing from the rim of an ancient volcano on a planet where, from the place you stand, it is eternally late afternoon. Experience the sudden onset of lunar nightfall, the disorientation of walking—or, rather, shuffling—when you weigh almost nothing, the irritation of jagged regolith dust. Glimpse the frigid mountains and plains of Pluto and the cake-like exterior of a comet called 67P. On a planet trillions of miles from Earth, glance down to see the strange, beautiful shadows cast by a hundred thousand stars.

For the aspiring extraterrestrial citizen, casual space tourist, or curious armchair traveler, Plait is an illuminating, always-entertaining guide to the most otherworldly views in our universe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393867305
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/18/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	27,669
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Philip Plait, PhD, is an astronomer, sci-fi dork, TV documentary talking head, and all-around science enthusiast. The author of Bad Astronomy and Death from the Skies!, he writes the Bad Astronomy newsletter and lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/05/2022

Astronomer Plait (Death from the Skies!) takes readers on an awe-inspiring tour of the cosmos in this dazzling outing. He describes what readers would see if they could visit, for instance, Mars, a nebula, or a black hole, detailing the astrophysics involved at each destination. Visitors to the moon’s surface, he notes, would have to adjust to a lunar day that lasts about as long as a month on Earth and during which the “sky will be utterly black.” Traveling to Saturn, he adds, would be complicated by the fact that the only solid ground to land on is the gas giant’s core, which is “hotter than the surface of the Sun” and lies under thousands of miles of atmosphere. Plait provides accessible overviews of the strange and exciting science involved in the otherworldly scenes, as when he explains that the behavior of light waves interacting with rusty dust in the atmosphere on Mars gives its skies a butterscotch color, except at sunset when the sky and sun appear blue. The text is laced with humor, as when he offers a detailed account of the annihilation readers would face if they flew too close to a black hole and quips that “you probably should’ve read the small print in the guidebook before signing your Rent-a-Starship contract.” Diagrams and vivid color photos enhance the presentation. This will change how readers think about space. Photos. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Reading Under Alien Skies is the next-best thing to traveling through space and time. Philip Plait is a funny, warm, and welcoming guide to the most marvelous places in the universe.… You’ll experience what it would be like to actually be there, while learning some of the most mind-expanding science humans have ever figured out. When you look up at the night sky, you’ll think of this book and smile."

Laura Helmuth

"Thanks to advances in astronomy, we now know a lot more about our local cosmic neighbourhood, and even beyond it. Under Alien Skies: A Sightseer’s Guide to the Universe is your ticket to these stars. With author and astronomer Philip Plait as your guide, this book will transport you across the universe, with many wonderful stops along the way."

Physics World - Clár-Bríd Tohill

"Plait could dance circles around what most of us know about space . . . [yet] finds ways to talk about how an everyday person would experience space. . . . [He] doesn’t just look up at the sky and dream but really envisions what it would be like to spend a summer among the stars."

BookPage - Kelly Blewett

"Plait takes us on a cosmic journey—a vivid guidebook for space tourists in the distant future."

Financial Times - Clive Cookson

"[Plait’s] realistic depictions, grounded in human senses, awaken a feeling of wanderlust and make the esoteric feel real…It’s a remarkable journey."

Booklist - John Keogh

"A bewitching cosmic ride through the solar system and beyond . . . Plait is the perfect captain on this expedition, vividly bringing these alien worlds to life while deftly weaving in the science to support the scenery."

Science News - Ashley Yeager

"Phil Plait takes us to nearby worlds and star systems far, far away, where we do plenty of exploration, a bit of astronomical science, and a lot of marveling. But it’s the descriptions of your spaceships and suits that will keep you strapped in and reading on. His flights of science fiction fantasy are scientific—and absolutely spectacular. Enjoy the rides."

Bill Nye

"As charming and personal as it is detailed and accurate, Under Alien Skies is a wonderful guide to what we know about the universe and how we know it."

Zach Weinersmith

2023-01-12
A lively, technically accurate account of what future tourists would experience at various interesting parts of the universe.

Astronomer Plait, author of Bad Astronomy and Death From the Skies, chooses 10 places and begins with the familiar, describing what we would encounter on the moon and Mars. With no atmosphere, the sun heats the moon to 250 degrees at noon. It may drop to minus 200 at night, but the scenery is beautiful. Moving slowly across the sky, the huge Earth occupies 14 times the area of the moon seen from our planet and appears about 40 times brighter. Possessing air and weather, Mars seems tolerable, but this is deceptive. With less than 1% of Earth’s atmosphere, breathing “isn’t really an option.” More distant from the sun, Mars gets only 40% of the heat that the Earth does, making it a barren desert with nights so cold that carbon dioxide freezes out of the air. Long ago, however, it was warm, with a thick atmosphere, rivers, and oceans, so optimistic readers look forward to a visit, which could happen by the middle of the century. As the author shows, beyond Mars, matters are increasingly complex. A small asteroid is probably a pile of rubble, so rather than walk on it, “you’d plunge right through the surface,” and Saturn “has no land to land on.” Readers expecting an easy science-fiction romp will discover that Plait teaches serious astronomy. Provided they pay attention, they will learn why Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, remains motionless in the sky. All other moons move. How do stars and planets form? A visit to a gigantic nebula answers that question. Gravity from a black hole is so great that light cannot escape, but a black hole isn’t invisible. As in the rest of this entertaining book, Plait shows us why. The book includes an eight-page full-color insert and other illustrations.

Amusing experiences of a space armchair traveler and a good astronomical education.

Kirkus Reviews

"[Plait’s] realistic depictions, grounded in human senses, awaken a feeling of wanderlust and make the esoteric feel real.… It’s a remarkable journey."

Booklist

"Plait has a well-deserved reputation as a lively and accurate communicator of cutting-edge science, and this universal tour guide offers a great opportunity for him to flex his explanatory muscles…This is a hugely enjoyable read that brings a new perspective to the cosmos."

BBC Sky at Night - Giles Sparrow

"In his new book, Under Alien Skies…Plait brings his usual curiosity and humor to exploring 10 fascinating spots in our solar system and beyond. Plait delves into the science—and science fiction—of these space destinations, going beyond what telescopes and space photography can tell us about these strange worlds, and what it would actually be like to visit them in person."

Wired - Ramin Skibba

"Plait is a skilled, resourceful and, on occasion, downright visionary guide to the far reaches of outer space."

New Scientist - Simon Ings

"Plait could dance circles around what most of us know about space…[yet] finds ways to talk about how an everyday person would experience space.… [He] doesn’t just look up at the sky and dream but really envisions what it would be like to spend a summer among the stars."

BookPage

"A rollicking, wondrous, and awe-inspiring introduction to the universe. Philip Plait’s writing transports us to other worlds and in the process helps us to appreciate our own world."

John Green