Our writers have read a lot of books on space and astronomy. Here are their favorites.
WWe pride ourselves on the amazing viewpoints and elegant writing of our articles on the site Nautilus. These qualities don't come easy. They arise from the authority of our writers.
In the vast field of space and astronomy, we often turn to Sean Raymond, George Musser, and Corey Powell to find and explain to you the mysteries of the Universe. Their numerous articles for Nautilus include “Planets with giant diamonds inside(Powell), “Roadmap to Alpha Centauri(Musser) and “The stars predict our doom(Raymond).
All three authors were happy to recommend their favorite books about space and astronomy and give personal reasons. Each book indicates who recommended it.
Space Carl Sagan
“The cosmos is immensely rich—in elegant facts, exquisite connections, subtle mechanisms of awe,” Sagan wrote. The importance of the book cannot be overestimated. How many children have had their eyes opened to the wonders of astronomy? I remember it being like an explorer's guide to the solar system. —Raymond
New Solar System J. Kelly Beatty, Carolyn Collins Petersen and Andrew Chaikin
Undoubtedly the best book on planetary science, filled with stunning images and insightful scientific explanations. The authors, leading science journalists, have compiled chapters written by subject matter experts on every aspect of the solar system. —Musser
This book came out when I was 11 years old, and it captivated my young mind, although I didn't fully understand it until several years later. In passionate and crystal-clear language, Weinberg lays out the modern story of the Big Bang creation and explains how we know it's true. The most remarkable part is the detailed description of how the energy soup was transformed into particles, atoms and the nascent universe, and did it in less time than it takes to boil an egg. —Powell
When I read this my freshman year of college, I thought I learned that everything I knew was just the tip of a big, weird iceberg, and that theoretical physics was one way to understand what lay beneath the surface. Reading it definitely helped me pursue a career as an astrophysicist. —Raymond
My copy of this book is filled with Post-it notes so you can bookmark your favorite pages. There are a lot of them, especially when Thorne gets caught up in time travel paradoxes. He has some of the best explanations of Einstein's theories and black holes I've ever read, adorned with charming hand-drawn sketches. — Musser
I admit, I don’t often pick up this book, but I read it surprisingly vividly. Galileo was not only a great writer, but also a great explorer, and the smug satire here shows exactly why he angered the Church. (Hint: The character representing the Pope's point of view is named Simplicio.) Additionally, this book is a useful tonic for anyone who thinks they know who Galileo was and what he said. —Powell
My favorite part of this book, which speaks volumes, is the index. Entries such as “reality, authenticity denied” and “interstellar communications, motives” give you an idea of the scope of this book. If you ultimately accept the authors' arguments about the centrality of life in the universe, this book will make you smarter. —Musser
Foundation the series is like an action-packed psychological mystery set in a galaxy that is very different from ours (but within the limits of extrapolation). Rereading Foundation books, I realized that Asimov had already touched on topics related to my own astronomical research in the 1950s. He discusses what types of stars might host rocky planets like Earth and makes some reasonable claims that are now being directly tested by exoplanet-hunting missions. —Raymond
No one knows what dark matter is, but no one does it better than theoretical astrophysicist Freese. It's funny to read anecdotes about how he refused a margarita before important scientific statements and accidentally offended the Queen of Sweden. —Musser
Hadfield had already gone viral on YouTube in 2013 thanks to performance of “Space Oddity”” aboard the International Space Station. Then came this book, cementing his status as an icon of the new space culture: sincere, slightly ironic and unabashedly nerdy, the polar opposite The right things machismo. Yes, Hadfield will tell you exactly what life is like aboard an orbital tin can. But he also admits that his children play a game called “The Colonel Speaks,” in which they gently mock his candid astronaut-father wisdom. —Powell
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