Well-illustrated with celestial maps, diagrams, drawings and photographs, this survey traces our growing understanding of the stars and planets. Beginning with the beliefs ancient civilizations held about the heavens, it records the rise of Islamic astronomy; the discoveries of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo; the theories of Einstein and Lemaitre; and the latest images from terrestrial and orbiting telescopes, building a sense of how differently, but determinedly, humankind has mapped the sky across time and cultures.
'Beautiful ... endless, brilliant unforgettable stories' Cerys Matthews, BBC Radio 6
'Combining myth and science, this breathtaking book [is] packed with stunning images' Daily Mail
After the enormous international success of The Phantom Atlas and The Golden Atlas, Edward Brooke-Hitching's brilliant book unveils some of the most beautiful maps and charts ever created during mankind's quest to map the skies above us.
This richly illustrated treasury showcases the finest examples of celestial cartography - a glorious genre of map-making often overlooked by modern map books - as well as medieval manuscripts, masterpiece paintings, ancient star catalogues, antique instruments and other appealing curiosities.
This is the sky as it has never been presented before: the realm of stars and planets, but also of gods, devils, weather wizards, flying sailors, medieval aliens, mythological animals and rampaging spirits. The reader is taken on a tour of star-obsessed cultures around the world, learning about Tibetan sky burials, star-covered Inuit dancing coats, Mongolian astral prophets and Sir William Herschel's 1781 discovery of Uranus, the first planet to be found since antiquity. Even stranger are the forgotten stories from European history, like the English belief of the Middle Ages in ships that sailed a sea above the clouds, 16th-century German UFO sightings and the Edwardian aristocrat who mistakenly mapped alien-made canals on the surface of Mars.
As the intricacies of our universe are today being revealed with unprecedented clarity, there has never been a better time for a highly readable book as beautiful as the night sky to contextualise the scale of these achievements for the general reader.
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https://www.psbooks.co.uk/the-sky-atlas543722The Sky Atlashttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722_media-0.jpg12.9912.99GBPInStock/Gift Ideas/Gift Ideas/Categories/Gifts Under £20/Gift Ideas/Categories/Reference & Humour Gift Books/Gift Ideas/Categories/Gift Ideas/Categories/View All Gift Books/Non-Fiction/Categories/Reference & Languages/Non-Fiction/Categories/Reference & Languages/Reference/Non-Fiction/Categories/Science & Nature/Non-Fiction/Categories/Science & Nature/Maths & Science/History/Highlights/Maps & Atlases/Campaigns/Beautiful Books/Campaigns/Beautiful Books/Categories/Non-Fiction/Stationery/PPC Gifts & Stationery/Campaigns/Bookseller Favourites<p>Well-illustrated with celestial maps, diagrams, drawings and photographs, this survey traces our growing understanding of the stars and planets. Beginning with the beliefs ancient civilizations held about the heavens, it records the rise of Islamic astronomy; the discoveries of Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo; the theories of Einstein and Lemaitre; and the latest images from terrestrial and orbiting telescopes, building a sense of how differently, but determinedly, humankind has mapped the sky across time and cultures.</p>Hardback00https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722_media-1.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722a.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722b.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722c.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722d.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/543722_media-2.jpgadd-to-cartrrp_info:£25.00productId:179764bic_code:HBTP1, RGVHBTP1, RGV£25.00Edward Brooke-HitchingGeneral251x198mmSimon & SchusterNoHardbackMaps & Atlases
