Top 11 Books About Space Updated 04 /2024

Oh, the wonders of astronomy, physics, and outer space! Space has fascinated me ever since I was a child. I love learning about our solar system and the galaxies that surround it. Astronomical events and constellation stickers on the ceiling are two things I'm better at keeping track of than my day-to-day responsibilities. If you hadn't guessed, I'm a member of my local planetarium, and I've been there so frequently that I've memorized the museum's layout like the back of my favorite book.

Also, when it comes to space-related novels, there are nearly as many amazing options as there are stars in the night sky. Astronauts like Chris Hadfield, as well as well-known authors and scientists like Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, have a lot more to say about the cosmos than most people realize.

With a wide range of genres to choose from, I'm sure you'll find a book that interests you. While space travel can make you feel insignificant at times, it also reminds you that you're a part of something so huge that it's nearly incomprehensible. Here are eight fantastic books about time and space that will blow your mind.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Hawking's theories still stand up today, despite the fact that this book was published in the 1980s. Hawking examines the manner in which humanity has attempted to understand the stars and how that interest will never diminish from people.. Stephen Hawking is able to communicate complex ideas in a way that is understandable to the general public. All of your unanswered questions will be answered.

Death by Black Hole by Neil DeGras Tyson

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the best-known astronomers of our time. Has things really gotten any better for this guy? He's the host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, and he's best friends with Bill Nye the Science Guy. He also broadcasts a podcast called StarTalk. While researching astronomy for a narrative, I stumbled across this book and it quickly became one of my favorite books on the subject.

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

His mentor Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, was a master at capturing the grand ideas of space and time in his book Cosmos. From extraterrestrial life to science's future, Sagan offers his thoughts on a range of subjects, including human anthropology, cosmology, biology, and history.

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

After reading the first page of this book, you'll be a lifetime admirer of Mary Roach. Her book, Packing for Mars, is a witty, scientific look at what it means to be human while living in space. Is it possible to have sex or even smell flowers while being paralyzed from the waist down for one year? What is it like to live in space? Is it possible for humans to thrive on another planet with our current lifestyle? Roach discovers a technique to enjoy life in outer space without ever leaving the Earth.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

While in orbit around the Earth, Chris Hadfield shot a music video for David Bowie's "Space Oddity." During his time training to live in space, astronaut David Saint-Jacques records his sometimes terrifying, sometimes exciting, and generally insane preparations. What a great book to learn how to think like an astronaut, a talent that comes in handy in your daily life.

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

Sci-fi fans and those with an interest in inventions and innovations will enjoy this book. Invisibility cloaks, force fields, and death rays are all explained using real-world facts by Kaku. He does an excellent job of explaining how these fantastical creations might become a reality in the future. Lasers and atomic bombs were formerly regarded to be impossibilities by scientists and inventors decades ago!

Women in Space by Karen Bush Gibson

In this book, 23 bold, clever, and incredibly great women who have worked in the space science field are profiled in their own right. Each narrative focuses on the protagonists' achievements and setbacks, as well as their memories and ambitions for the future. There is much to learn about space exploration from these pioneering women, and you are sure to be inspired by them.

How It Ends by Chris Impey

This book is Impey's funny perspective on what the universe might look like without humanity, full with interesting information, drawings, and sad reminders of that fact. This book will teach you about the science of the end—the end of individuals and of all life on Earth. This is a book you'll want to read over and over again, despite the fact that it deals with a quite unpleasant subject matter.

The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Terence Dickinson, Alan Dyer

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, now in its fourth edition, is now available. With 48 new pages and five new, completely up-to-date chapters, the 2021 edition of the 1991 original is now available. Astronomy buffs will appreciate the latest edition, which was put together by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer.

A total of 416 pages are devoted to explaining how to get started, pick a telescope, use it, explore the telescopic universe, and take pictures of the night sky. You will learn about the Milky Way, eclipses of the moon, planets and constellations with just your naked eye in each section.

This book is packed with breathtaking photos that will inspire you to get outside. A must-read for anyone considering acquiring their first piece of optical equipment are the chapters on how to pick the best binoculars and how to buy, set up, and use a telescope.

In addition to explaining aperture, power, optical design, and mounts and filters, the guides include helpful photos to help the reader distinguish between Newtonian and Maksutov telescopes or an altazimuth and Go-To mount.

Astronomy communicator Ken Hewitt-short White's Moon tour is featured on one of the many pages of the book.

It's refreshing to hear the writers' candid advise like, "Leave astrophotography to the last," which is a crucial lesson that many beginning astronomers overlook.

Anyone, regardless of expertise, equipment, or location, can benefit from this comprehensive handbook.

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