Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide

This is not only an awesome and wonderfully presented visual masterpiece, it is a reasonably priced book as well. For anyone with at least a casual interest in Astronomy, I would put this book at or near the top of the list for one to purchase without reservation. This is a large approximately 10" by 12" book of over 500 pages. Every page contains interesting and useful information, most of it with accompanying pictures, illustrations and graphs. I found the section on our solar system alone to be worth the price of this book, but you get much, much more than that. There is a fantastic two page photograph of one of the detectors of the large hadron collider which makes you wonder "how in the world do you even begin to build something like this?" There is another beautiful two page spread of the planet Jupiter and a full ten pages devoted to this magnificent planet and it's major moons. The entire section devoted to the solar system is just a thing of beauty. For the average person, there are many complex things explained simply. This work includes a section on telescopes and their setup, a whole bunch of star charts and the constellations beautifully depicted. The only possible bit of negative I could find regarding the production of this book is that it is printed in China. This is nothing against China and the book is physically produced of high quality and this is probably a factor in it's relatively low cost, but it is a bit sad that even book production is something being moved out of the United States and offshore.

Lots of good info, some of it has been updated by now. But a good addition to the library after a year on the coffee table.

What a great book this is! I'm a beginner on the cosmos and was looking for a book that wouldn't get me bogged down in pages of text and that would keep my interest up. This book fitted the bill perfectly! It is very well structured starting from the introduction section through to the sky guide. Each section is well explained and goes into detail (so it's not just for beginners). There are hundreds of fantastic photographs and well laid out diagrams that support the text and really bring the book to life. There are also many articles on related topics - the history of the study of the cosmos, famous astronomers, equipment. This is a great coffee table book which can easily be read in small bites. This book has really ignited my interest in the cosmos and I am thoroughly enjoying reading it. I would recommend the book to those starting off on their educational journey of the cosmos like myself or just as a great reference book. If you already have a good understanding of the cosmos and how it works then perhaps a text book at the next level would be better. Overall a highly recommended read!

A better title for this book is EVERYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE UNIVERSE, BUT AFRAID TO ASK. In a nutshell, this is an authoritative encyclopedia of the universe. The information is just astounding. Everything is presented in detail: stars, nebula, planets, comets, meteorites, star clusters, telescopes, the Big Bang Theory, and other subjects. As an illustration, other similar publications just cover stars in general. This book goes beyond by providing an individual picture and a detailed textual discussion on every major star ever studied. . The textual information is supplemented by beautiful colorful pictures. Unfortunately, many famous photographs are not adequately displayed or presented. For example, THE PILLARS OF CREATION in the Eagle Nebula occupies a tiny 2.5" x 2.5" square. The crashing of the remnants of Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet on Jupiter is completely omitted. The WMAP map that shows the microwave background radiation from the Big Bang is an insignificant 3" x 1.5" figure. Such omissions are inexcusable. Each deserves a full two-page enlargement!

Wonderful book. Spectacular images throughout. Detailed information great for its time.

This is the most interesting, most well organized book on astronomy I have ever read. The photos are amazing. The graphics and charts that explain concepts are extremely well done and lead the reader through a gentle learning curve, where one thing builds to another until a full picture comes to light. The methods astronomers use are extremely well explained, visually, to make complex ideas easier to remember than just text. The whole presentation is wonderful. The book is a worthy learning tool. For what it is worth, I had just begun to develop an interest in the universe this year (I am retired) and had recently read The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene and also Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, both highly recommended books, very well written but a bit hard to grasp since the visual helps were sparce. They stirred my interest, however. Now, as I read through Universe by Robert Dinwiddie, and as I study each set of graphics, I am led through the ideas in ways I can comprehend and remember. The book is sophisticated enough for science-oriented people to get a lot out of it if they study each page fully, but I think it also has much to offer those who might simply wish to scan through the marvelous images of planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, etc. A breathtaking journey.

This is the most amazing book in the world!! Bought it for my grandson, who is totally obsessed with space, the universe etc. Had a sneak-peek without creasing the spine & was totally gob-smacked! Saw two photos in the Mail on Sunday last week & just had to get it for him. Can't wait to se his face when I give it to him! Thanks SO much for fast delivery and VERY cheap postage cost. Also fancy the oceans book in the series for ME.

Aggiornato, immenso, ricco di informazioni. Foto splendide, a mio avviso superiore al tomo con i soli pianeti: ci vuole uno sfondo scuro, non bianco per apprezzare i giganti gassosi ! L'ultima sezione con le costellazione è un po' ripetitiva ma utile sul campo.

SUUUPER ! Also diese Buch sollte in jedem Haushalt stehen ! In diesem Mammutwerk wird man sich als Person erst richtig bewusst auf welchem kleinen Stein mag wirklich lebt und wie unbedeutend die ganze Menschheit für das Universum ist...Das Buch spricht auch fast jedes Thema der Physik kurz an, so dass man als Leser schnell und in in leicht verständlicher Form die einzelnen interessanten Themen nachschlagen kann...Atome, Weltraumfahrt, Planeten, Sonnen, Galaxien, Unendlichkeit ! Selbstverständlich wird dem Leser der sogenannte "Big bang" anschaulich auf mehreren Seiten erklärt...Und am Ende des Buches gibt es in diesem Bildband dann auch noch Sternenkarten für das ganze Jahr...Leute, KAUFEN !

What an incredible find this book has been! As we continue to enjoy a constant, and richly varied flow of discoveries, thanks to those ever-arriving images from both the Hubble and Webb sites, how nice to have this treasury of spatial portraits and descriptors to give these discoveries a home! Indeed, this beautifully illustrated and lucidly written book fulfills the timely role of showing us the true content of these ever-arriving discoveries. Hats off to the remarkable Smithsonian Team and to Amazon for making it so readily available!

Es una gran libro con mucha información interesante del universo, la calidad de las hojas y la impresión valen la pena, y se disfruta mucho leer la información viendo esas fotos de gran calidad