Through the lens of a microscope or the shaft of a telescope exists a universe of life and beauty that is unknown to many Hidden from sight because of the restricted ability of the human eye，atoms，crystals，grains of pollen．snowflakes，cloud formations，searing comets and showers of stars are born，Iive and die．With an introduction by the well—known astronomer and photographer David Malin，Heaven&Earth charts an awe—inspiring voyage of discovery through this infinite world of science，and celebrates the beauty and boundless mysteries of planet EaAh and the universe．It offers a unique insight into the vastness，complexity and beau~of nature．

For many of US，our experience of the world iS limited to the amount we can see with our own eyes and with our feet planted firmly on the ground-We see dew drops，insects，plants，fields，lakes，mountains．rainbows，planets and stars．However，if the range of matter that exists ln the universe could be measured．only a very small percentage would be visible to us．1t may be too small，too distant or too fast or only visible with ultraviolet light，x—rays or heat detectors．We are in fact blind to alf but the thinnest slice of the universe in which we five．I hls book attempts to forge a path through the intriguing complexities of nature and introduce a world that is normally hidden from view．The most powerfuI microscopes and telescopes reveal to US many of the tundamental workings of the universe．0rganized in sequence according to magnification，size and distance，the book takes US on a Iourney from the smallest elements on the Earth’S surface to the vast galaxies light years away．

To some，the world of science may conjure up images of fact，logic．objectivity and experimentation．We hope that this book wii go some way to showing that it S much more than this．The visual world of science stimulates the imagination with views of nature that can be stirring ln their beauty，composition and texture．There are few things more mspmng than the knowledge that our bodies are made up of millions of complex cells，or that when we look at the night sky we are looking at history—not just a distant memory of the past but a record of how the heavens looked hundreds of thousands of years ago．

Science IS a method of unveiling the beauty of facts as well as a confirmation of our extraordinary capability and intellectual power，our unnerving desire to learn and our ability to comprehend that we，on thiS tiny planet，are minute particles in an infinite universe．

Preface

Introduction

Beneath the SUrface

Introduction

Bubble chamber trails

Gold atom

Uranyl acetate

microcrystals

Silicon crystaI

DNA

X-ray diffraction image

Of DNA

Hepatitis B virus particles

SkeletaI muscle

HIV virus particles

1nfluenza virus particles

Heat-loving bacteria

Pea Ieaf chloroplasts

Sperm at conception

Ecoli

Liver cell

Eyelens

HlV_infected celI

Coccolithophore

Carbon dioxide crystals

Swedish ivy pollen

Snowflake crystal

Moss protoplast

Diatom skeletons

Diatom

Knotweed pollen

Prion proteins

Christmas rose leaf

Snail’s teeth

Blood clot

Human hair

Anthrax bacteria

Conifer wood

Dentine

Spider exoskeleton

Rose petal

Brewer’s yeast

Melanoma

Chromosomes

‘Stone cell’in Ieaf

Human sperm

Tongue surface

Living coccolithophores

Collagen fibres

Blastocyst

Radiolarian skeleton

Kettle Iimescale

Foraminiferan

Butterflywing

Heliozoan amoeba

Beetle exoskeleton

Dustmite

Eggshell

Small intestine

Bee’s eye

Pine charcoaI

Hair foilicle

VorticeIla

Goose feather

Olive leafscales

FuCUS conceptacle

Bone tissue

Root hairs

Leaf hair

Mahogany wood

Dandelion seeds

Skin

Hornblende

Tartaric acid crystals

Vitamin C

Meteorite

Shark scales

lris of an eye

Snowflake crystaI

Eyelashes

An egginthe

FaIlopian tube

Gecko foot pads

Blood vessels

Iguana skin

Rotifer colony

Housefly

Pigment cells

Hydra

Marram grass

Volvox colonies

Narrowed arterv