What's out there? wonders author William Harwood early in this book, and--drawing upon the latest advances in astronomy and space technology--he depicts the state of our current knowledge. With a mounting sense of wonder, he guides us through the cosmos, beginning with our own solar system. Gradually he ventures farther into space, to the realms of nebulae and star clusters, of white dwarfs and "endlessly dying" black holes, of spiraling galaxies and neutron stars.

But if today's universe excites, tomorrow's odyssey surely dazzles. Ever larger optical and radio telescopes will peer into the most distant reaches of space; engineers will devise ever faster and more efficient rockets, greatly expanding our range throughout and possibly beyond the solar system; solar power plants on the Moon might one day beam energy to Earth, even as astronauts explore and perhaps colonize Mars. Meanwhile, heady phenomena such as wormholes, space-time warps, and cosmic strings continue to beguile theorists. Even now, researchers seeking extraterrestrial life are methodically searching 1oo,ooo stars for Earth-like planets...

Introduction

PART1 WHAT'S OUT TH ERE

The Solar System in Perspective

The Gas Giants

Visitors from the Depths of Space

One Star Among Many

The Milky Way

Nebulae and Star Clusters

How Stars are Born

Stars Dying Endlessly

Searching for Other Worlds

Galaxies and the Distant Universe

PART II TH E N EXT DECADE

Returning to Mars

Piercing Europa's Skin

Destination Saturn,

Laying Bare the Sun

Homing in on Tiny Targets

Fire and Ice: Mercury and Pluto

Sp.ace Telescopes Come of Age

Making Big Telescopes fi'am Small

PART Ill THE NEXT C ENTU RY

Technology Leads the Way

Seeing the Unseeable

Reshaping the Moon and Mars

SETI, Interstellar Travel, and Beyond

Glossary

About the Author, Acknowledgments, lllustratioll Credits

Index

StaffCredits and Copyright