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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Apr 2023, 336 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2024, 384 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Katharine Blatchford
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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.
ONE SMALL STEP
THE MOON
It's midnight, local time—not that that's useful; everyone goes by Coordinated Universal Time anyway, for convenience—and you're outside, lying down on a specially built chair. It's more of a chaise longue, to accommodate the bulky suit and support you in the correct position: basically, looking straight up. The other tourists in your group surround you in their own chairs, but there were over a dozen others already here when you arrived. Their spacesuits identified them as members of the south polar mining teams; apparently, all the space agencies and companies gave nonessential personnel special dispensation for this event. After all, no one would want to be working the ice mines now of all times.
This particular wide pad outside the big group airlock of Alpha was specially designed as an exterior observation deck for just this purpose. The chairs are adjustable but permanently mounted into fixtures embedded in the pad. They're made of some sort...
The tone is warm and friendly, and often quite funny. Each chapter includes sections of fictionalized descriptions of what it would be like if the reader could actually visit these alien worlds. These are charming, but also might be considered the weakest part of the book. The descriptions of what the hypothetical "you" is seeing and doing are fascinating, but "your" responses to these experiences start to feel a bit repetitive. Under Alien Skies allows readers to connect with astronomy in a very personal way. It not only makes difficult science understandable, but also helps to translate that science into an amazing voyage it's unlikely anyone alive today will get to see firsthand...continued
Full Review
(620 words)
(Reviewed by Katharine Blatchford).
Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society
Philip 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. John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed
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. Laura Helmuth, editor-in-chief of Scientific American
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.
In Under Alien Skies, Dr. Philip Plait takes readers on a tour of the universe, including discussing what it might be like to live on planets in a variety of different star systems. A major factor to consider for this thought exercise is the mass of the star or stars involved, and what point they are at in their life cycles.
Stars are formed out of nebulae, huge clouds of dust and gas drifting in space. When areas of these clouds become dense enough, gravity will begin to pull them together. Once this process has begun, large clumps of raw material will condense. The center of these clumps heats up, forming protostars, while material that develops an orbit around them without being drawn in may eventually become a planet or other ...
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