Pillars of Creation by Richard Panek
10/22/24; 256 pages
Little, Brown and Company
Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos by Richard Panek is a very highly recommended overview of some of the known advances to science and future potential discoveries due to the James Webb Space Telescope.
"For the past four hundred years, each new generation of astronomers has inhabited a new universe." As each generation makes advances more of the universe is revealed and the Webb Space Telescope is transforming the universe right before our eyes. It was launched in 2021 as a successor to the long-serving Hubble Telescope but the planning for it began even before the Hubble was launched. This is the inside account of how the mission originated, how it performs its miracles of science, and what its revolutionary images are revealing.
All the new images capture the imagination and interest of many amateur
astronomers around the world who anticipate even more incredible. For those who follow the pictures released, many of us marveled at seeing the rings of Neptune. The new Pillars of Creation and deep space images showing innumerable galaxies.
This is not a comprehensive collection of all the known discoveries to date, but instead is an overview making the material comprehensible and digestible for the more casual reader who is interested. The chapters are composed of three components: personal experiences of scientist or scientists, a sampling of the scientific breakthroughs Webb has achieved, and the inclusion of a historical context. Included are notes, an appendix, charts explaining the science and technology, and sixteen pages of awe-inspiring, full-color photos.
Pillars of Creation is a great choice for those interested in the potential scientific discoveries of the Webb Space Telescope as well as a brief history of astronomy. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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