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The Astronomy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

by DK

A visual guide to astronomy’s big ideas

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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner

    Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.

  • Editorial selection

    Shortlisted for a YALSA Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners list

    Shortlisted for an Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners list selection.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A visual guide to astronomy’s big ideas

Organized as a timeline of discoveries, this illustrated guide ranges from early efforts to explain the heavens through the development of modern astronomy. Its nearly 100 topics include measuring the universe, dark matter, black holes and the Big Bang, alongside profiles of astronomers such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble and Hawking. Diagrams and flowcharts help break down the concepts, giving the book both a historical thread and a reference-friendly structure. The scope connects individual scientific ideas with changing ways of observing and understanding the cosmos.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults exploring astronomy or space science
  • Readers who appreciate visual explanations and diagrams
  • Learners interested in the history of astronomical ideas and discoveries

Themes

Astronomy and the universeScientific discovery through historyVisual science learning

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Since the dawn of humankind, people have looked upward to the heavens and tried to understand them. This encyclopedia takes you on an expedition through time and space to discover our place in the universe.

We invite you to take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Explore the cosmos, from planets to black holes, the Big Bang, and everything in-between!

Get ready to discover the story of the universe one page at a time! This educational book for young adults will launch you on a wild trip through the cosmos and the incredible discoveries throughout history.

Filled to the brim with beautifully illustrated flowcharts, graphics, and jargon-free language, The Astronomy Book breaks down hard-to-grasp concepts to guide you in understanding almost 100 big astronomical ideas.

Big Ideas

How do we measure the universe? Where is the event horizon? What is dark matter? Now you can find out all the answers to these questions and so much more in this inquisitive book about our universe!

Using incredibly clever visual learning devices like step-by-step diagrams, you'll learn more about captivating topics from the Copernican Revolution. Dive into the mind-boggling theories of recent science in a user-friendly format that makes the information easy to follow.

Explore the biographies, theories, and discoveries of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking.

To infinity and beyond! Journey through space and time with us:

- From Myth to Science 600 BCE - 1550 CE
- The Telescope Revolution 1550 - 1750
- Uranus to Neptune 1750 - 1850
- The Rise of Astrophysics 1850 - 1915
- Atom, Stars, And Galaxies 1915 - 1950
- New Windows on The Universe 1950 - 1917
- The Triumph of Technology 1975 - Present

The Series Simply Explained

With over 7 million copies sold worldwide to date, The Astronomy Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series from DK Books. It uses innovative graphics along with engaging writing to make complex subjects easier to understand.

Shortlisted:

A Young Adult Library Services Association Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners list selection

A Mom's Choice Awards(R) Honoring Excellence Gold Seal of Approval for Young Adult Books

A Parents' Choice Gold Award winner
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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.