October 2023 MBR The Science Shelf

The Science Shelf

To Infinity and Beyond
Neil deGrasse Tyson, author
Lindsey Nyx Wallace, author
National Geographic Press
www.nationalgeographic.com
9781426223303, $30.00, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Beyond-Journey-Cosmic-Discovery/dp/1426223307

Synopsis: No one today can make the mysteries of the universe more comprehensible and fun than Neil deGrasse Tyson. With the publication of "To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" and drawing on mythology, history, and literature (alongside his trademark wit and charm) Tyson and StarTalk senior producer Lindsey Nyx Walker have effectively collaborated to bring planetary science down to Earth and principles of astrophysics within reach.

"To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" is entertainingly informative book, illustrated with vivid photographs and art, readers travel through space and time, starting with the Big Bang and voyaging to the far reaches of the universe and beyond. Along the way, science greets pop culture as Tyson explains the triumphs (and bloopers) in Hollywood's blockbusters -- all part of another of Tyson's entertaining rides through the cosmos.

"To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" begins as we leave Earth, encountering new truths about our planet's atmosphere, the nature of sunlight, and the many missions that have demystified our galactic neighbors. But the farther out we travel, the weirder things get. What's a void and what's a vacuum? How can light be a wave and a particle at the same time? When we finally arrive in the blackness of outer space, Tyson takes on the spookiest phenomena of the cosmos: parallel worlds, black holes, time travel, and more.

For science junkies and fans of the conundrums that astrophysicists often ponder, "To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" is an enlightening adventure into the farthest reaches of the cosmos.

Critique: Fun, informative, fascinating, and an inherently compelling read from start to finish, "To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" by the team of Neil deGrass Tyson and Lindsey Nyx Walker is a highly prized, unreservedly recommended, and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, highschool, college, and university library Astronomy/Cosmology science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and the legions of Tyson fans that "To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note #1: Neil deGrasse Tyson (https://neildeGrassetyson.com) is the host of the acclaimed podcast StarTalk Radio and Emmy award-winning National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos. He earned his BA in physics from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia. The author of more than a dozen books, Tyson is the first Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. He can be followed on: Facebook: Neil deGrasse Tyson. Instagram: @neildeGrassetyson Twitter: @neiltyson

Editorial Note #2: Lindsey Nyx Walker (https://lindseynyxwalker.com) is the senior producer and head writer at StarTalk - - a popular science podcast and a four-time Emmy nominated television show on the National Geographic Channel. Before co-authoring To Infinity and Beyond she was editor of Cosmic Queries, the second book in the publishing collaboration between StarTalk and National Geographic.

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