Unseen Universe: New Secrets of the Cosmos Revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope

A nice, well-put-together book about the amazing James Webb Space telescope and the discoveries it's enabling, featuring stars, galaxies, black holes, and planets in our solar system and beyond. There are lots of beautiful pictures taken by the telescope itself, as well as images taken by Hubble and other instruments for comparison, images combining multiple wavelengths from multiple instruments, and a few artists' conceptions of things we're not able to see directly yet. It's all lovely to look at, and the text does a great job explaining the science behind the images, as well as the engineering behind the telescope, in a wonderfully clear way that should be completely accessible no matter your level of astronomical knowledge going in. show more Definitely the sort of thing to spark one's sense of wonder, both at the universe itself and at humanity's ability to explore and understand that universe.

Although it is something of a bittersweet read right at the moment, especially the final chapter, which looks at proposed or in-progress future missions aimed at adding to that understanding. Right now, the US budget proposal calls for NASA's science budget to be slashed in half, which, if it goes through, would mean not only that most of that won't happen, but that missions already built, paid for, and out there doing good science would be abandoned, too, for lack of funds and personnel to keep operating them. And the contents of this book are an excellent showcase for all the reasons why that would be a goddamned tragedy. show less

The James Webb Space Telescope is the foundation for this amazing book. Launched on 25 December 2021, the space telescope is helping astronomers and scientists answer some of the biggest questions in space science.

Explore our own solar system. Learn about the life cycle of stars. Study deep space images that allow us to look back in time. Investigate the formation of galaxies. Look into exoplanets. Investigate black holes. Discover how future missions will explore the unseen universe.

Filled with breath-taking photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope, this book is also a feast for the eyes. In addition, scientists and astronomers reveal how these stunning photographs are helping them learn about the science of the show more universe.

Readers who have an interest in astronomy and space exploration will find much to appreciate in this difficult-to-put-down treasure trove of information and photography.

Highly recommended. show less