WHY SPACE WILL FREAK YOU OUT

Two astro-experts explain that there’s nothing to be afraid of in outer space (bwa ha ha).

Among the many astronomical wonders modern observers have discovered in our solar system and beyond, no few have turned out to be deadly—not to mention, as Arcand and Watzke point out with some relish, downright creepy or terrifying. Airless Mercury, “a two-faced world of suffering” that can hit +800⁰ F on the sun side and -290⁰ in the shade, kicks off a grand tour of select moons, planets, exoplanets, supernovas, and even farther-flung phenomena, from black holes and magnetars to colliding galaxies that will leave unprotected visitors burnt, frozen, flayed, poisoned, spaghettified, or otherwise obliterated. Meanwhile, on the way to a (theoretical) universe-ending “Big Rip,” background information on types of telescopes and galaxies, on space probes, how distant exoplanets reveal themselves, and other astronomical topics put all the thrillingly fatal scenarios on a sound scientific footing. Echoing the tone of the melodramatic headings (“Eta Carinae: An Expanding, Exploding Brain in Space”), Ball’s images of eerily grimacing planets and other fancies add lurid highlights to the visuals, which also include actual space photos provided by NASA.

A substantive introduction to the universe with an unusually rousing approach.