In the almost 15 years since the original release of the fifth edition of Terence Dickinson’s The Universe and Beyond, our understanding of the universe has advanced exponentially. Previous editions guided readers through the intriguing world of black holes, dark matter and dark energy, toured the planets of other stars and plumbed the mysteries of quasars, pulsars, supernovas and the accelerating universe.
The astronomy community lost one of its icons when Dickinson died in early 2023 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. However, he did continue his legacy with this new edition of The Universe and Beyond, which he produced with his longtime editorial partner Susan Dickinson. During the latter stages of Terry’s illness, Susan oversaw the production of new editions of two of Terry’s bestsellers, The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide and NightWatch. After his death, she turned her focus on The Universe and Beyond from Firefly Books (6th edition), a book that reflects Terry’s appreciation of a universe that captivated him for a lifetime.
The updates include the latest new information on the origin and evolution of the universe, the birth of planets, life on our solar system’s outer moons, runaway black holes, the first gravitational waves, an enigmatic interstellar visitor and more. These recent discoveries have spawned a host of questions about the universe that couldn’t even be imagined a decade ago.
Illustrating this voyage are breathtaking photos captured by the groundbreaking Hubble Space Telescope during the later phase of its mission and by the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope, which has already allowed us to observe first stars and the formation of first galaxies and has provided information about potentially habitable exoplanets.
The fully updated content of The Universe and Beyond showcases late-breaking science that has emerged since the last edition. Key topics include:
– The search for and discovery of thousands of new exoplanets
– New ideas on the origin and evolution of the universe
– The evolving distant universe as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope
– New theories about life on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and the outer moons in our solar system
– New results from the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter
– The first direct image of a monstrous black hole
– New telescopes and missions for the 2020s and 2030s.
The sixth edition of The Universe and Beyond is completely redesigned, and the photos and illustrations have been updated with awe-inspiring new images of the cosmos.
About Terence Dickinson
For those who are not familiar with Terence Dickinson, here is a background of one of the world’s most famous amateur astronomers.
Terence became fascinated with astronomy at age 5, when he saw a brilliant meteor from the sidewalk in front of his home in Toronto. This early interest soon became the defining characteristic of Dickinson’s life and eventually led him to a career as an astronomy writer and editor, renowned for unraveling and explaining the mysteries of the cosmos.
His down-to-earth style made him a best-selling author of over 14 astronomy books and hundreds of articles on the subject. In 1994, he cofounded SkyNews, Canada’s national astronomy magazine, and was the editor for two decades. That same year, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid 5272 Dickinson in his honor.
He received several national and international awards, among them the Royal Canadian Institute’s Sandford Fleming Medal for outstanding contributions to science communication, the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Klumpke-Roberts Award.
A recipient of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor, he also received honorary doctorates from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Sadly, Terence died in early 2023 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease but his legacy lives on through his many publishing efforts and contributions.
You can learn more about The Universe and Beyond here.
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