Alien Skies A Travelogue Of The Universe

Alien Skies: A Travelogue of the Universe gives readers the opportunity to travel through the universe, visiting a series of celestial destinations carefully chosen to span the extraordinary limits of space and time that bound our amazing cosmos. The destinations in Alien Skies reveal the unusual skies seen from throughout the solar system, nearby stars, nebulae, and star clusters, and during a series of voyages exploring the structure and content of our home galaxy. The itinerary includes nearby 'normal' galaxies, exotic active galaxies, as well as galaxy groups, clusters and cosmic voids. The final destinations of the journey traverse space and time to view the evolution of galaxies and cosmic structure, and of the universe as a whole. Alien Skies provides a broad, factual overview of modern astronomy, while instilling interest and enthusiasm of how science reveals the wonders of our universe. This book can serve as the text for introductory courses aimed at non-science majors or as background for courses geared to astronomy and astrophysics majors. It is also suitable for advanced courses at the high school level. Mario Mateo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and is currently a professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Michigan with over 20 years of experience teaching introductory astrophysics courses. He is an active observational astronomer who has published extensively in professional journals on such diverse topics as stellar evolution, cataclysmic variable stars, gravitational lensing, dwarf galaxies, blue stragglers, stellar streams in the Galactic halo, pulsating stars in extragalactic systems, black holes, and the dark matter phenomenon. He has led the construction of large-scale astronomical instruments for use at observatories in Arizona and Chile.

A Financial Times Best Science Book of 2023 • A Science News Favorite Book of 2023 • A Scientific American 2023 Staff Recommendation "The next-best thing to traveling through space and time." —Laura Helmuth, editor in chief of Scientific American A rip-roaring tour of the cosmos with the Bad Astronomer, bringing you up close and personal with the universe like never before. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel the universe? How would Saturn’s rings look from a spaceship sailing just above them? If you were falling into a black hole, what’s the last thing you’d see before getting spaghettified? While traveling in person to most of these amazing worlds may not be possible—yet—the would-be space traveler need not despair: you can still take the scenic route through the galaxy with renowned astronomer and science communicator Philip Plait. On this lively, immersive adventure through the cosmos, Plait draws ingeniously on both the latest scientific research and his prodigious imagination to transport you to ten of the most spectacular sights outer space has to offer. In vivid, inventive scenes informed by rigorous science—injected with a dose of Plait’s trademark humor—Under Alien Skies places you on the surface of alien worlds, from our own familiar Moon to the far reaches of our solar system and beyond. Try launching yourself onto a two-hundred-meter asteroid, or stargazing from the rim of an ancient volcano on a planet where, from the place you stand, it is eternally late afternoon. Experience the sudden onset of lunar nightfall, the disorientation of walking—or, rather, shuffling—when you weigh almost nothing, the irritation of jagged regolith dust. Glimpse the frigid mountains and plains of Pluto and the cake-like exterior of a comet called 67P. On a planet trillions of miles from Earth, glance down to see the strange, beautiful shadows cast by a hundred thousand stars. For the aspiring extraterrestrial citizen, casual space tourist, or curious armchair traveler, Plait is an illuminating, always-entertaining guide to the most otherworldly views in our universe.

A rip-roaring tour of the cosmos with the Bad Astronomer, revealing the sky as never seen before—from everywhere but Earth. How would Saturn’s rings look from a spaceship sailing just above them? If you were falling into a black hole, what’s the last thing you’d see before your spaghettification? What would it be like to visit the faraway places we currently experience only through high-powered telescopes and robotic emissaries? Faster-than-light travel may never be invented, but we can still take the scenic route through the universe with renowned astronomer and science communicator Philip Plait. On this lively, immersive adventure through the cosmos, Plait draws ingeniously on the latest scientific research to transport readers to ten spectacular sites, from our own familiar Moon to the outer reaches of our solar system and far beyond. Whether strolling through a dust storm under Mars’ butterscotch sky, witnessing the birth of a star, or getting dizzy in a technicolor nebula, Plait is an illuminating, entertaining guide to the most otherworldly views in our universe.

THEY SAY UFOS ARE REAL! Humanity's biggest mystery, the alien presence on Earth, continues! For thousands of years to the present "modern-era," people have been obsessed with the idea that we' ve been visited by intelligent beings from elsewhere, whether extraterrestrials, interdimensionals, or maybe even denizens from our future. The U.S. Pentagon admits not only are we not alone but that we need to revive our study and knowing of what is really going on in our skies. UFOs, aliens, and the paranormal have received renewed coverage in the media. No longer do we need fear the ridicule of the past; these subjects are not only worthy of continued study, they in fact demand it! In this book, we examine UFOs and the paranormal with an expanded look at the lives of people who not only have had at least one major UFO or paranormal experience, but who have even had a lifetime of such experiences. We examine in depth what more we can learn from people who have multiple, repeat experiences of the strange and the unknown. "Michael Brein's latest offering in his Road To Strange book series is every bit as fascinating and compelling as his earlier offerings to the reading public. This inveterate world traveler, paranormal investigator, and raconteur does not disappoint in any respect, and I am happy to recommend this book without reservation." --Peter Robbins, author and UFO researcher

Alien Skies: The Saga of the AnnunakiLong ago, life was peaceful and well-ordered on their home world.The Annuna were a God-fearing and space faring people.Thanks to their preservation-chambers called "Mu," they enjoyed very long lives, and they knew how to teleport into Hyperspace which they called "Abzu."Then, three hundred explorers under the leadership of Lord Ea Anki leave home and undertake the long, dangerous journey to an alien planet, Ki, which circles around a sun that is too bright for them.They adapt to their new world: they plant crops, and mine for the planet's ores. But just when they have achieved a comfortable living-standard, the royal pair, King Anu and Queen Antu, arrive with more settlers. Ea Anki's younger brothers, Iti En-Lil and Shin, are among them. This is the story of three brothers: Anki, Iti, and Shin, of the twins Anta and Akenor, of Anzu, governor of the sixth planet, and of Utu, son of Iti En-Lil.When Anzu, Anta's lover, discovers a conspiracy headed by Mar-Duk, his second in command, a planetary catastrophe is triggered on Lahmu, the neighbouring planet, with dire consequences for the future...And, they know no longer how to teleport.They cannot get away in time when monstrous meteorites are heading towards Ki... Earth has become a trap!

Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials? In this second, significantly revised and expanded edition of his widely popular book, Webb discusses in detail the (for now!) 75 most cogent and intriguing solutions to Fermi's famous paradox: If the numbers strongly point to the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, why have we found no evidence of them? Reviews from the first edition: "Amidst the plethora of books that treat the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, this one by Webb ... is outstanding. ... Each solution is presented in a very logical, interesting, thorough manner with accompanying explanations and notes that the intelligent layperson can understand. Webb digs into the issues ... by considering a very broad set of in-depth solutions that he addresses through an interesting and challenging mode of presentation that stretches the mind. ... An excellent book for anyone who has ever asked ‘Are we alone?’." (W. E. Howard III, Choice, March, 2003) "Fifty ideas are presented ... that reveal a clearly reasoned examination of what is known as ‘The Fermi Paradox’. ... For anyone who enjoys a good detective story, or using their thinking faculties and stretching the imagination to the limits ... ‘Where is everybody’ will be enormously informative and entertaining. ... Read this book, and whatever your views are about life elsewhere in the Universe, your appreciation for how special life is here on Earth will be enhanced! A worthy addition to any personal library." (Philip Bridle, BBC Radio, March, 2003) Since gaining a BSc in physics from the University of Bristol and a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester, Stephen Webb has worked in a variety of universities in the UK. He is a regular contributor to the Yearbook of Astronomy series and has published an undergraduate textbook on distance determination in astronomy and cosmology as well as several popular science books. His interest in the Fermi paradox combines lifelong interests in both science and science fiction.

'It is strongly biased towards the author's speciality of galaxy morphology, and particularly to bars and rings. To be fair, these are often given fairly short shrift in other textbooks, so this is a useful source of detail on such topics from an expert. In addition, references to original technical papers are given throughout which makes the book a handy introduction to the literature (which students may well find useful).'The Observatory MagazineThe main goal of the book is to introduce the reader to the world of spiral galaxies, how spirals were discovered, what they represent from a physical point of view, and what people have learned about the universe and the nature of galaxies in general from the study of spirals. Topics include early discoveries of nebulae, the island universe concept, the structure of spirals as seen both visually with telescopes and in images obtained with different filters, the role of spirals in the discovery of interstellar dust and dark matter, the different kinds of spiral galaxies and the importance of bars and rings, how different non-spiral galaxy types such as elliptical galaxies and S0 galaxies connect to spirals, and how spirals have contributed to our understanding of star formation and evolution, galaxy formation and evolution, the cosmological distance scale, and the universal expansion. The Milky Way as a spiral galaxy is also discussed.The book is profusely illustrated and not only a discourse on the spirals, but is also a personal reminiscence based on the author's studies of spiral galaxies over the past 45 years.

This book explores the science of extraterrestrial life, with a particular emphasis on the existence of intelligent alien civilizations. It introduces the reader to the basic chemistry associated with life on Earth and describes the planetary and stellar environments that allow us to exist. It also discusses the likelihood of alien life developing at other locations in our galaxy, along with the possibility that we will meet or communicate with them. This book is suitable for use as a text in an introductory "Life in the Universe" course. REVIEWS: Blog Critics Magazine written by Regis Schilken http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/03/16/082715.php