How did the Earth get to be the way it is? Just like all of us, it's a product of its ancestors.
Jillian Scudder is an astrophysicist and assistant professor at Oberlin College, Ohio. She has been writing 'Astroquizzical', a blog answering space-related questions from the public, for over four years. Her writing has also been published in Forbes, Quartz, Medium, and The Conversation. This is her first book.
A wonderful jaunt through the universe at every scale, and a great
way to fill in every gap in knowledge you have about astronomy.
*Zach Weinersmith, creator of SMBC, and co-author of the NYT
bestselling book, Soonish.*
Astroquizzical from Dr Jillian Scudder is a superb astronomy book,
written with a distinctive tone which is both pragmatic and poetic
at the same time. It's perfectly attuned to the kind of awestruck
curiosity we feel whilst taking in the majesty of a clear, starlit
night sky. This book intelligently decodes those profound
astronomical topics without swamping us in confusion. It also
explains the intriguing importance of many astro and space
exploration matters we might have underestimated or never even
considered before. Dr Scudder's book brings the perfect blend of
fact and fascination to help us feel a greater sense of our place
within the clockwork of the universe. Astroquizzical is a most
informative and highly engaging astronomy book.
*Jon Culshaw*
Scudder's mission is to provide the lay reader with a thorough
grounding in the basics of astronomical knowledge. ... The writing
is fluid and direct with the subject material brought vibrantly to
life. ... For astro novices this book ... will bring a welcome
depth to their appreciation of the night sky and the wonders it
holds.
*BBC Sky at Night magazine*
genuinely entertaining ... well-written ... fascinating ... quirky
... an excellent balance of enthusiasm and facts ... a good balance
of illustrations ... Scudder is particularly good at explaining how
the stunning colour images are multi-layered black and white images
from different coloured filters. This is the kind of book that
would be excellent to get either a teenage reader or an adult with
limited exposure to astronomy interested in the field. It reads
well and gives basic details without being patronising. It's a
cosmic journey that I enjoyed.
*popularscience.co.uk*
Scudder is an astrophysicist who studies star formation in very
distant galaxies but takes time out to passionately engage in
outreach, getting into schools and the community as often as she
can. This, her first introductory book on astronomy, benefits from
that outreach. ... The narrative form that Scudder employs is an
imaginary cosmic journey that begins on our home planet and takes
us in seven steps to the furthest galaxies. This simple format has
been tried countless times before by big-name astronomers. What's
different here is an intense level of engagement between writer and
reader. Vivid storytelling explains the physics without equations.
... Her aim is to get people to think issues through for
themselves, and that works. The clarity of Scudder's writing is
impressive.
*Simon Mitton, Times Higher Education*
[Jillian Scudder's] excellent debut book is all about making
complex concepts, if not exactly easy to understand, then at least
a little easier to grasp. ... In her enthralling cosmic journey
through space and time, astrophysicist Jillian Scudder discusses
our home planet's place in the universe. ... The result is a highly
readable primer for a basic understanding of phenomena such as
shooting stars, black holes, galaxies and the origins of the
universe. Beyond the flawless presentation of known facts and
current thinking, Scudder explores further by positing
counterfactuals and thought experiments. ... The real triumph of
Scudder's Astroquizzical is that it brings high-altitude,
notionally abstract ideas to the general reader, presented in an
entertaining and accessible way. For those more familiar with the
universe it will also help to fill some of the knowledge gaps
created by advancements in current thinking. In short, it should be
required reading for every engineer and technologist.
*Engineering & Technology magazine*
Astroquizzical approaches astronomy at a unique angle. It begins by
stating that we are all distantly related to the stars; everything
we're made of can be traced back to when they explode. By making
this comparison at the start of the book, you instantly become
intrigued and involved and from then on, the author ¬- Jillian
Scudder - does a fine job of covering a variety of topics and
interests in space science. The book starts at our home planet and
the universe expands as the story unfolds, explaining the
intricacies of our Solar System, the variety and evolution of
stars, galaxies and finally the broader universe. These areas are
well explained and accompanied by a series of illustrations,
thought experiments and images. This is a welcome element to the
book, particularly when it comes to explaining difficult concepts
such as the behaviour of particles travelling at the speed of light
and other more in depth, complicated topics.
*All About Space*
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