Images of the Universe

Images of the Universe is a special collection of essays written to celebrate astronomy and the centenary of the British Astronomical Association. Colin Ronan opens the book with a fascinating account of the developments over the last hundred years. For the first time in history astronomers can detect radiation emanating from the Universe across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Space probes have visited the planets and various missions have beamed back to Earth historically and scientifically important images, many of which appear in this book. Astronomy is a science where the amateur and the professional interact constructively. This book is a testament to this relationship. The work of amateurs is presented alongside that of the professional and in each chapter the future discoveries are anticipated. Each planet is explored and beautifully illustrated. The stars, birth place of the elements are examined. Paul Murdin, gives an account of the brightest supernova to be seen from earth since 1604. Iain Nicolson, explores G2 the single dwarf called the Sun. Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest look at the Milky Way, the hazy band of light that is the edge on view of our galaxy. Malcolm Longair looks beyond our own galaxy into the deep sky. Paul Davies gives an account of the first one second of the existence of our expanding Universe. How did it all happen? Martin Rees, the cosmologist, speculates on the origin of the Universe.