Now billions of light years from Earth, we can discern the large-scale structure of the universe: massive conglomerations of galaxies gather like grains of dust on a veil of cobwebs,warping space with their tremendous gravity. Having crossed an almost unimaginable 13.4 billion light years, we encounter a wall of radiation. Here our voyage into the cosmos must finally end, for we have reached the very edge of the visible universe: what stands before us is the afterglow of the Big Bang itself.

Embark on the most astounding of odysseys, a voyage into realms both stranger and more beautiful than we ever imagined. Universe: A Journey from Earth to the Edge of the Cosmos leads us into a celestial panorama that extends for 130 billion trillion kilometres (80 billion trillion miles)in every direction and allows us to explore nearly 200 of the most extraordinary astronomical views ever uncovered.Complementing these up-to-date and spectacular images are enlightening descriptions of the planets, stars, nebulae,white dwarfs, supernovae, black holes and other exotica that populate our universe.

Setting off from planet Earth and travelling at the speed of light, we cross the 385,000 kilometres (240,000 miles) to the Moon in just 1.3 seconds. At this velocity Mercury, Venus,Mars and the Sun are reached in minutes, and we are only hours from the edge of the solar system. But having crossed this rubicon, over four years of travel separate us from our next landmark, the star Proxima Centauri.

As we press deeper into the Milky Way distances are measured in hundreds and even thousands of light years: On this scale, the rhythms ef stellar life unfold before our eyes:we pass through dark nebulae afire with newly smelted stars,watch dying stars bloom and fade and skirt the debris clouds of supernovae. Navigating through thick swarms of stars,we approachthe galactic core, a gravitational court of white dwarfs, neutron stars and hypergiants in the thrall of a supermassive black hole.

Hundreds of thousands of light years must be covered to reach the Milky Way's companion galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, and millions more devoured before we cross true intergalactic space. Out here we watch the hidden lives of galaxies: we see them locked in gravitational combat, tearing each other apart or swallowing their companions whole.

Now billions of light years from Earth, we can discern the large-scale structure of the universe: massive conglomerations of galaxies gather like grains of dust on a veil of cobwebs,warping space with their tremendous gravity. Having crossed an almost unimaginable 13.4 billion light years, we encounter a wall of radiation. Here our voyage into the cosmos must finally end, for we have reached the very edge of the visible universe: what stands before us is the afterglow of the Big Bang itself.

Contents

Into the Light

Solar System

Galaxy

Magellanic Clouds

Intergalactic

The Edge

Glossary

Picture credits

Index

Copyright