Light from the Void: Twenty Years of Discovery with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

ight from the Void: Twenty Years of Discovery with NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, by Kimberly Arcand, Grant Tremblay, Megan Watzke, Martin C. Weisskopf, and Belinda J. Wilkes, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 2019, ISBN 978-1-5883-46698, hardbound, $45.00, U.S.Reviewed by Francine JacksonOne of the more wonderful aspects of astronomy is the beauty of the universe. Breathtaking details reveal the mysteries of what can, and often can’t, be seen. Such is the case with this incredible collection of images from the “workhorse” X-ray observatory, Chandra.An X-ray telescope of such proportions was proposed decades earlier, and although this isn’t the first of its kind launched into space, Chandra has shown itself as an excellent complement to the telescopes of other wavelengths: the Hubble Space telescope, the Compton Gamma-Ray observatory, and the Spitzer Space telescope, for infrared.Launched from Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, Chandra has, in its unique orbit that takes it partially to the Moon, been sending a plethora of computer language that translates into incredible information, from the birth and death of stars, to black holes, both from star death and within the center of our own galaxy, to northern and southern lights on Jupiter.Many of us don’t normally think of what is over our heads in anything but the visible, yet there is so much else that we must take into account, and Light from the Void certainly reminds us to think of the sky in another way.The authors have, in addition to introducing the reader to the history of this instrument, shown some of the awesome images that have been downloaded from it. Some of them have also been layered with information from the other telescopes, but they all show the majesty of the X-ray universe. Although some of the images in Light from the Void are familiar to us, such as the Rosette, M42, and the beautiful galaxy M51, many of them are objects that don’t readily come to mind, but are just as incredible in this wavelength. Each image is described, and given its size and distance from Earth, including recognizable objects from the Large Magellanic Cloud, and clusters of galaxies described in beautiful detail.The authors, who all are intimately involved in the workings of Chandra, have introduced the reader to a craft that has very quietly been doing its work and showing such detail for 20 years, reminding us that the universe is much more than what the eye can see. Chandra has been performing for 2 decades; it is believed it can continue its mission for at least another, if not longer.Many will probably just enjoy the vivid details of the images, and keep it as a beautiful coffee table book; however, whether the reader is interested in just looking at the “pictures,” a perfectly good reason to have this book in your library, or actually wants to become familiar with the history of Chandra, this book is an incredible experience.

Gave as a gift to a fellow cosmology fan who absolutely loved it! Then he passed it back to me and he is right - it is fascinating! The images, of course, are, pardon the pun, stellar, and the text is well-written to be understood by the layperson. Delicious!

Book was said to be like new, and it was. Minimal wear to dust cover. That was it.

The photographs in this book are out of this world!I got this coffee table book for a kid who dreams of being an astronaut, something to continue inspiring her and keep the dream alive, and the moment I started flipping through it, my mind was blown. This is so much more... impressive and spectacular than what I was hoping for.

beautiful hard bound book with spectacular photographs from Chandra X-Ray. This is a must for space, astrophysics, theoretical physics or astronomy buffs. Recommended

Beautiful imagery and printing

Light from the Void:Such a fascinating book.Really one worth looking through and reading about each photo. When we look up into the sky all we can see is but a speck from the naked eye.This book shares with the average person photos that have been taken over the past 20 years from Chandra X-Ray Observatory.If you have a child or other family member who is fascinated by the stars or space this would be a great book to share with them as you discover things together.That is what our family has been doing with it.Not only reading about each photo but we like to go back and look up the different names and see what else we can find. Sometimes they have been online as the Astronomy Picture of the Day and have more fun information with them or history behind them.The photos are so interesting and still at the same time mind blowing when you think of how far away these were from out there in the universe.Overall just such a wonderful book and could be used not just at home but in a classroom setting as well.Really is something for everyone in this one.

You know we may never get to the Star Trek promise of the future in space travel, but we can still explore in a lot of ways other than that. High end telescopes that use other waveforms than the visible spectrum are peering all over the galaxy, and exploring things from afar. This book gives a bit of history, then bombards you with a large array of spectacular photos taken through the "eyes" of these devices. You can see constellations, quasars, black holes, dying and new born stars. It might be hard to drag your guest away from that coffee table if you keep them waiting too long for dinner. One of the best coffee table books I've ever gotten. I usually go with anime art or some sort of world marvels picture books. I admit I didn't expect this to be this good, I've never seen a collection of space pictures so comprehensive. Book is high quality, and photographic quality paper so photos are excellent. Hard bound version is a good venue to see these fantastic pictures. Recommended.