The Art of the Cosmos: Visions from the Frontier of Deep Space Exploration

by Jim Bell

Overview

Hundreds of deep space missions since the 1960s have captured stunning photographs of the cosmos. Many of these scientific images can also be classified as art. This book highlights more than 100 examples, revealing the splendor of our universe.

This book is a gallery of human accomplishment that celebrates the scientists and engineers who push civilization—including the ways that we produce and experience art—beyond the physical limits of our planet. The photographs, selected by Dr. Jim Bell, represent some of the finest examples of the art of deep space exploration, most of them involving high-tech robotic emissaries. The images are loosely organized by distance from the Earth, so that readers will slowly travel on a journey farther and farther away from home, ultimately voyaging out to vistas of the farthest-known places in the universe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454946083
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	57,819
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Jim Bell is a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, an adjunct professor in astronomy at Cornell University, and a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has been heavily involved in many NASA robotic space exploration missions, including the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR), Mars Pathfinder, Mars Rovers (Spirit, Opportunity, and—ongoing, Curiosity and Perseverance), the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Psyche asteroid orbiter. Bell was president of the Planetary Society from 2008–20 and received the 2011 Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society. He has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic, and the History Channel. He has written numerous books, most recently, Hubble Legacy. He lives in Tempe, AZ.

Editorial Reviews

Breathtaking images, accompanied by Bell’s scientific notes and comments on artistic techniques, make this an attractive choice for art, photography, and science collections.” —Library Journal

“The Art of the Cosmos is … a celebration of the beauty of the cosmos, and a reminder that art and science are not distinct but, rather, intertwined.”  —The Space Review

From the Publisher

05/01/2023

With cameras now orbiting Earth and hurtling through the solar system and robotic landers on Mars, space images are more numerous and accessible. Bell (Sch. of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State Univ.; Discovering Mars: A History of Observation and Exploration of the Red Planet; Hubble Legacy: 30 Years of Discoveries and Images) showcases 125 notable examples, from photos taken by astronauts to dazzling views of the Milky Way and deep space, enhanced with sophisticated computer and artistic techniques. Watercolors, digital art, and glass renditions complement the photographs, roughly arranged by the subject's distance from the sun. VERDICT Breathtaking images, accompanied by Bell's scientific notes and comments on artistic techniques, make this an attractive choice for art, photography, and science collections.

Library Journal