Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time [Hardcover]

Edward Weiler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0810989972 | ISBN-13: 978-0810989979

NASA's first book on the Hubble Space Telescope marks the 20th anniversary of one of history's most important scientific tools. Here is Hubble's great visual legacy to humanity in stunning images that are benchmarks of astronomy and photography. Of the more than 100 classic Hubble images that were selected by NASA's experts, the 20 most significant are accompanied by commentaries by notable scientists. Veteran astronauts from NASA's five remarkable manned missions to maintain the telescope also contribute to this volume, making it an authoritative account of a magnificent scientific achievement.

 

Beyond its scientific contributions, twenty years of Hubble research and imagery--ranging from our planetary neighbors to the edge of time and space--have had a profound impact on the world's imagination and spiritual growth, as documented in this inspiring book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward J. Weiler is an astrophysicist and a leading scientist at NASA. He served as Chief Scientist of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 until 1998. He is currently the Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate of NASA. He has published widely in scientific journals. Hubble was created by the team that has worked on Abrams’s previous NASA books: Robert Jacobs, Connie Moore, and Bertram Ulrich, with the addition of Dwayne Brown and JD Harrington, all NASA staffers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Abrams (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810989972
• ISBN-13: 978-0810989979
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That's a nice 20th birthdate, April 21, 2010

By 

J. A. Verhoofstad (Nijmegen, Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time (Hardcover)

This is the first Hubble photobook I ever bought. Probably because it's still operational snapping and capturing amazing pictures. Thus I figured it wouldn't be a wise thing to do; buying a static book while each month new and stunning images are being released. But because it's Hubble's 20th anniversary I figured I'd break the habit and buy this special NASA authorized book.

I live in Holland so it took a couple of weeks for the book to arrive, but finally here it is. First impression: a nice sleek hardcover book with absolutely high quality picture resulution and colour. There's a fine balance between the amount of photo's and text, though in essence it's a photo-book. You won't be disappointed.

Upon first reading I was really impressed by the image quality. Black is really deep-black instead of dark-grey and the resolution is just that high I felt compelled to take a magnifying glas to zoom in on all those beautiful pictures... And so I did, but I have to disappoint you: it's a book. If you want that zoom-in experience; go to the Hubble website.

Anyway, the written contribution is impressive. Edward J. Weiler was Chief scientist for the Hubble telescope from 1979 till 1998, among other functions, he now is the current associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA. Pretty impressive, but that doesn't mean you have to fear thick and tiresome bureaucratic writing. The texts are accessible yet detailed, image captions detail the scientific essence without losing it's clarity, and there are quotes from actual astronauts who were out there deploying, repairing and servicing Hubble. That's just cool.

Many pictures from the actual Hubble missions are there as well. Many of which were made before the digital camera age. So you would expect some graininess, especially with the 1990 and 1993 missions. But it's not there. The scans are crisp and compelling. They absolutely capture the beauty and awe of manned spaceflight.

Verdict. This is a beautifully published book, ideal for coffee-table reading. The images are just straight out amazing! You'll spend hours peering over all the crisp details, it's just incredible. Downside are the images spanning two pages... It's annoying to see the luminous center of an amazing galaxy being buried in the central gutter; but hey surprise! It's a book. And that's the main downside of this book: it's a book. There will be many more beautiful Hubble images and discoveries for years to come and eventually those will end up in book-form as well. An until that day "Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time" will be an impressive, graphic and up-to-date testimonial to Hubble's amazing service. Just don't forget to read the text, you will learn a lot.

Last words: In his april 2010 NASA speech, President Obama told he had a Hubble picture of Jupiter hanging at the oval office wall. If that is so: I recommend him to put this book on his desk as well.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing & Beauiful, April 6, 2010

By 

SharlzG "Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller, Comedy fan" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time (Hardcover)

Amazing and Beautiful - it's is hard to say anything less.

I could not wait to receiv this and when I received it I couldn't put it down. Not only are the pictures incredible, but it is packed with interesting facts not only about the data it obtains, but about how it came into being, and each of the missions that have served to give it the ability to provide those amazing images.

this will become a treasured tennant of my bookshelf.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The latest Hubble Images, May 30, 2010

By 

P. H. Tung MD - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hubble: A Journey Through Space and Time (Hardcover)

Short of actually going into space and seeing with your own eyes through a powerful telescope such as the Hubble, this is the next best thing.

This publication is for your library of Astronomy, bar none.