Under Alien Skies

Starred review from December 5, 2022
Astronomer Plait (Death from the Skies!) takes readers on an awe-inspiring tour of the cosmos in this dazzling outing. He describes what readers would see if they could visit, for instance, Mars, a nebula, or a black hole, detailing the astrophysics involved at each destination. Visitors to the moon’s surface, he notes, would have to adjust to a lunar day that lasts about as long as a month on Earth and during which the “sky will be utterly black.” Traveling to Saturn, he adds, would be complicated by the fact that the only solid ground to land on is the gas giant’s core, which is “hotter than the surface of the Sun” and lies under thousands of miles of atmosphere. Plait provides accessible overviews of the strange and exciting science involved in the otherworldly scenes, as when he explains that the behavior of light waves interacting with rusty dust in the atmosphere on Mars gives its skies a butterscotch color, except at sunset when the sky and sun appear blue. The text is laced with humor, as when he offers a detailed account of the annihilation readers would face if they flew too close to a black hole and quips that “you probably should’ve read the small print in the guidebook before signing your Rent-a-Starship contract.” Diagrams and vivid color photos enhance the presentation. This will change how readers think about space. Photos.

February 1, 2023
A lively, technically accurate account of what future tourists would experience at various interesting parts of the universe. Astronomer Plait, author of Bad Astronomy and Death From the Skies, chooses 10 places and begins with the familiar, describing what we would encounter on the moon and Mars. With no atmosphere, the sun heats the moon to 250 degrees at noon. It may drop to minus 200 at night, but the scenery is beautiful. Moving slowly across the sky, the huge Earth occupies 14 times the area of the moon seen from our planet and appears about 40 times brighter. Possessing air and weather, Mars seems tolerable, but this is deceptive. With less than 1% of Earth's atmosphere, breathing "isn't really an option." More distant from the sun, Mars gets only 40% of the heat that the Earth does, making it a barren desert with nights so cold that carbon dioxide freezes out of the air. Long ago, however, it was warm, with a thick atmosphere, rivers, and oceans, so optimistic readers look forward to a visit, which could happen by the middle of the century. As the author shows, beyond Mars, matters are increasingly complex. A small asteroid is probably a pile of rubble, so rather than walk on it, "you'd plunge right through the surface," and Saturn "has no land to land on." Readers expecting an easy science-fiction romp will discover that Plait teaches serious astronomy. Provided they pay attention, they will learn why Charon, Pluto's largest moon, remains motionless in the sky. All other moons move. How do stars and planets form? A visit to a gigantic nebula answers that question. Gravity from a black hole is so great that light cannot escape, but a black hole isn't invisible. As in the rest of this entertaining book, Plait shows us why. The book includes an eight-page full-color insert and other illustrations. Amusing experiences of a space armchair traveler and a good astronomical education.

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March 15, 2023
What would it be like to stand on Mars or experience sunset on a world with multiple suns? To visit a stellar nursery or orbit a black hole? What would you see? How would it feel? Plait takes readers on a tour of the cosmos, from the moon to the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and paints vivid descriptions of what these objects are like, using the best observations and theories we currently have. It's an effective framing device to explore what we know about the strange and wonderful things we've discovered, from exoplanets to nebulae. His realistic depictions, grounded in human senses, awaken a feeling of wanderlust and make the esoteric feel real. What elevates this above similar books about our universe is Plait's sense of wonder and joy. He clearly never lost his childhood glee for discovery, and it's refreshing for a scientist to be so open about it. He shows that science requires creativity and imagination and rewards curiosity and the urge to explore. It's a remarkable journey.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.