Moon:An Illustrated History: From Ancient Myths to the Colonies of Tomorrow

Description

From the moon's formation, to its potential for future exploration, this richly illustrated volume presents 100 milestones in lunar history. With dazzling images on every spread, and illuminating text by astrobiologist Dr. David Warmflash, Moon: An Illustrated History chronologically presents 100 milestones in the Moon's development and exploration. Starting 4.5 billion years ago when the Moon formed, this stunning volume moves from the hypotheses of the Moon's formation (4.5 billion years ago) to sixth-century BCE predictions of solar eclipses, from the twentieth-century Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union to private space companies and possible future lunar colonies. Find out about lunar calendar systems and cults in the Bible; how lunar brightness was used to estimate stellar distances; how advancing telescopes in the seventeenth century allowed us to eye the Moon more closely; how author Jules Verne inspired the Father of Astronautics; the originals of the Saturn V Moon Rocket; the Apollo missions, and so much more. 'Through the course of human history, the sight of the Moon has captivated humanity's wildest imaginations, while its nightly presence has been a centerpiece of mythic and scientific hypotheses. Dr. David Warmflash has beautifully chronicled our fascination with - and discoveries from - our nearest neighbor in Moon: An Illustrated History. This fine book should be considered required reading for armchair lunar explorers, young and old.' - Scott Parazynski, MD, NASA Space Shuttle astronaut (STS-66, 86, 95, 100, 120) and author of The Sky Below 'This book addresses just about everything you might want to know about the moon and the intricate ways it's been intermingled with mankind's existence throughout time. The easy-to-read chapters are short and concise and cover a lot of ground in lunar science, ancient perspectives, past and present lunar explorations, and visions of future endeavours. Each chapter is accompanied by colourful full-page illustrations, diagrams, ancient artefacts, and historic photos, making it all the more engaging. I'm so pleased to include this delightful book in my collection.' - Lucy West, International Space & Science Artist

Dr. David Warmflash is an astrobiologist and prolific science writer. He was in the first cohort of NASA astrobiology postdoctoral trainees and served as a member of NASA's Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter Science Definition Team. He has collaborated with The Planetary Society on three experiments that have flown in space, including "the peace experiment" that involved an Israeli and a Palestinian student working with Dr. Warmflash as co-investigators. He has published in scientific journals and popular science publications including Wired UK, Scientific American, Discover, Air and Space, Astronomy Magazine, and others. He contributed to the book George and the Blue Moon by Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking, and was interviewed for an article in the Kansas City Star concerning the accuracy of the science in the sci-fi TV series Orphan Black. He has 14,000 Twitter followers.

"Through the course of human history, the sight of the Moon has captivated humanity's wildest imaginations, while its nightly presence has been a centerpiece of mythic and scientific hypotheses. Dr. David Warmflash has beautifully chronicled our fascination with--and discoveries from--our nearest neighbor in Moon: An Illustrated History. This fine book should be considered required reading for armchair lunar explorers, young and old." --Scott Parazynski, MD, NASA Space Shuttle astronaut (STS-66, 86, 95, 100, 120) and author of The Sky Below