The Universe is the ultimate in extremes and superlatives. The biggest. The heaviest. The oldest. The most powerful explosions. Even black holes - which can literally lead to regions beyond our infinite Universe! In this truly mind-blowing book, we use cutting edge infographics to illuminate - in a new a unique way - the most amazing places and objects that modern science has laid bare. Starting with the Big Bang itself, we explore the secret lives of galaxies and stars, and examine the thousand new planets now discovered beyond the Solar System - checking out their viability for alien life. And we chronicle the incredible instruments and machines are that are discovering the hidden secrets of the Universe, from 'telescopes' deep under the Antarctic ice to robotic explorers on distant worlds. And we investigate the astounding technology used by human astronauts as they push out beyond the Moon to Mars - and on towards the stars .

Author Biography

DR STUART LOWE has previously worked at Jodrell Bank Observatory where he helped build astronomical instruments used on radio telescopes in the UK and Poland. At the University of Manchester, he worked on the European Space Agency's Planck satellite, which was launched in 2009 to look at the echoes of the Big Bang. He co-founded the UK's longest running, regular, astronomy podcast - The Jodcast.