All Other: The Invisible Universe

4.0 Seeing The Invisible

Over 50 Stunning color and b&w photos.
Ancient celestial charts.
Poetry and lore about celestial objects.

Size may be a little intimidating.

The first thing that grabs your attention about The Invisible Universe is its sheer size. This book is HUGE! Measuring a little over 14"x16", the visual impact gives a hint of what is to be expected between the covers. From this standpoint I was not disappointed. Astrophotographer David Malin has assembled over 50 stunning color and black and white photographs of various celestial objects, some well known, others obscure, but all are spellbinding in their presentation.

The photographs are arranged by constellations, with the targets being stars, nebulae, and galaxies. They are accompanied by classical celestial charts, quotations from Shakespeare, Dante, Donne, Tennyson, and others. The combination of science, poetry, and ancient lore only adds to the delight of taking in these magnificent photographs. The photos themselves are unique in that they were shot using a process that uses three different exposures that may have been shot years apart, then combined later to reveal the invisible gases, light, and dust that escapes our normal vision. The results are truly beautiful and astounding!

The book ends with an appendix that lists the Messier Objects, along with coordinates, object type, constellation, and common names. In addition there is "A Southern Extension to The Messier Catalog" (What Messier Might Have Included If He Had Lived At The Latitude Of Sydney). Very interesting indeed.

This is a great book to read on those cloudy nights, and a visual feast worth seeking out.