A sweeping tour of the infrared universe as seen through the eyes of
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
Astronomers have been studying the heavens for thousands of years, but
until recently much of the cosmos has been invisible to the human eye.
Launched in 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope has brought the infrared
universe into focus as never before. Michael Werner and Peter Eisenhardt
are among the scientists who worked for decades to bring this historic
mission to life. Here is their inside story of how Spitzer continues
to carry out cutting-edge infrared astronomy to help answer fundamental
questions that have intrigued humankind since time immemorial: Where did
we come from? How did the universe evolve? Are we alone?
In this panoramic book, Werner and Eisenhardt take readers on a
breathtaking guided tour of the cosmos in the infrared, beginning in our
solar system and venturing ever outward toward the distant origins of
the expanding universe. They explain how astronomers use the infrared to
observe celestial bodies that are too cold or too far away for their
light to be seen by the eye, to conduct deep surveys of galaxies as they
appeared at the dawn of time, and to peer through dense cosmic clouds
that obscure major events in the life cycles of planets, stars, and
galaxies.
Featuring many of Spitzer's spectacular images, More Things in the
Heavens provides a thrilling look at how infrared astronomy is aiding
the search for exoplanets and extraterrestrial life, and transforming
our understanding of the history and evolution of our universe.
