BLOGPOST as part of National Non-Fiction November
Experience the explosive and colourful future of the cosmos, zooming trillions of years ahead in time with Professor Raman Prinja, published in association with Royal Observatory Greenwich.
The Future of the Universe starts the future clock NOW and rockets readers along a forward time line to discover what scientists predict will happen to the universe, including a shiny new ring on Mars, Earth’s axis flip and a dramatic galaxy crash!
This is the first book of its kind for this age – putting all the future events into one place along a clear timeline, from the return of famous comets in a few decades, to the dark end of the Universe a nonillion years from now.
Professor Raman Prinja is the international, multi-award-winning Head of Department for Physics and Astronomy at University College London and a celebrated children’s author of many books, including Planetarium and Wonders of the Night Sky.
Illustrator Jan Bielecki’s action-packed, vivid artwork plucks these astonishing phenomena out of the distant future, and explodes them on the page – sizzling red giant stars and deep, mysterious dark energy; doomed moons and trailing comets – they’re all inside The Future of the Universe!
Professor Prinja pens this unique look at the Universe’s future as his follow-up to the definitive and exciting Wonders of the Night Sky, which introduces anyone with a patch of sky and a curious mind to exploring the marvels on display in today’s Universe. The next generation of Universe explorers can easily engage with astronomy through these stunning books, no expensive equipment needed.
I absolutely loved this, from cover to cover and start to finish! What captured me most was the premise, which was not one I've encountered in a book such as this before, and which made me instantly curious! Whilst most of the books I've read and shared around this topic look back at the 'Big Bang' and attempt to explain the mysteries of the origins of the universe, or look at what we currently know at present, here Raman Prija looks at where the universe is going and what will happen next (well....in a nonillion years if you call that 'next'!). It's a brilliant and novel twist on the usual 'stargazing' fare I've seen, and accompanied by Jan Bielecki's beautiful, stunning illustrations, makes this a brilliant and engaging text that will spark many a discussion and curious mind, I have no doubt.
I was already a fan of this author's (from the 'Planetarium' books), and this has further cemented Professor Prinja as a planetary guru in my mind...the clear but detailed and concise explanations are easy and enjoyable to read: even a non-academic like myself was able to understand some of the more complex and abstract ideas that were raised - axis flips/wobbles (see below), galactic crashes and more!
Highly recommended as a classroom resource that will be read as much for pleasure in the interesting details and illustrations as for scientific research! The Future of The Universe is a great follow-up to Raman's previous book about the stars: 'Wonders of the Night Sky' and is published in association with Royal Observatory Greenwich.
You can listen to Raman talk about his previous book here:
And find out more via the publisher's website: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/raman-prinja-2/the-future-of-the-universe/9781526322258/
My thanks to Chris and Hachette for the copy of the book and including me as part of the book blogs in National Non-Fiction November. Find out more via the Federation of Children's Book Groups at @FCBGNews.
Review and post by Rich Simpson (@richreadalot), November 2022
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