Secrets of the Universe: How We Discovered the Cosmos - Hardcover

'Excellent value for money, this book would be a marvellous addition for any secondary school or college library' - The School Librarian 'Beautifully produced ... an up-to-date picture of astronomy and just how we got where we are today ...delightfully illustrated with a stunning array of images, crammed with fascinating facts and figures' - Observatory Magazine 'This book will not be read in a day or even a week but it will provide good reading for some considerable time ... and I can do no more than strongly recommend it' - Astronomy Now 'I recommend it to all astronomers - amateur and professional - and interested general readers' - Journal of the British Astronomical Association

For anyone who has ever been fascinated by the night sky, this beautifully designed introduction to astronomy and its history reveals the compelling story of mankind’s quest through the ages to unlock the scientific secrets of our universe.With over 400 stunning illustrations, including the latest satellite photography, historic prints and paintings, and artists’ impressions of phenomena known to exist but never photographed, Murdin presents 65 discoveries that demonstrate how human ingenuity, technological innovation and occasionally pure serendipity have expanded our knowledge of the Universe beyond anything our ancestors – even a generation ago – could have imagined.

Table of Contents

Introduction · Discoveries Before the Telescope · Discoveries in the Solar System · Discoveries of the Dynamic Universe · Discoveries of Our Galaxy and Its Stars · Discoveries of the Universe and Its Galaxies Future Discoveries