Heaven & Earth: Unseen by the naked eye - Hardcover

Roucoux, Katherine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 071484280X ISBN 13: 9780714842806

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2002

Synopsis

Through the lens of a microscope or the shaft of a telescope exists a universe of boundless life and beauty, that is entirely invisible to the naked eye. Atoms, ice crystals, grains of pollen, snowflakes, butterfly wings, cloud formations, searing comets, and showers of stars are born, live and die. The unprecedented scope of Heaven & Earth offers an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery through this infinite world that is science - from the smallest particles on the earth's surface to tiny dots in galaxies that are billions of light years away.

Revealing the extensive range of matter contained in the cosmos, this book navigates a fascinating trajectory through an unexplored world, to celebrate the immeasurable beauty and countless mysteries of planet earth and the universe. It charts - chapter by chapter - intricate landscapes of increasing scale and distance, captured by microscope, x-ray, satellite and telescope. Each magnificent photograph is accompanied by an extended caption that explains it in detail, offering a dose of scientific information that enables us to associate with it on a human scale.

This volume presents a unique and richly illustrated insight into the momentous relation between aesthetics and nature, in the light of nature's magnitude and its complexity of life. The result is the ultimate fusion of art and science, through a sequence of images that are as subtle as they are stupendous.

About this title

Review:

"Amazing pictures, a fascinating text... A book of utmost value."―Sir Patrick Moore, Astronomer

"Unambiguously beautiful."―The Saturday Mercury

"These pictures help us appreciate that we are part of something truly immense and yet beautifully and minutely detailed."―Metro

"Each photo is accompanied by a concise and informative caption, which elucidates but never lessens the impact of these breath-taking, bizarre, miraculous revelations of an unseen world... You are guaranteed many happy interludes of reflection and instruction with this visually hypnotic book."―Judith Bumpus, The Art Newspaper

"Once you've seen a snowflake magnified 6500 times or an x-ray image of the sun, you will never look at the world in quite the same way. This beautifully illustrated book reveals the startling, hidden beauty of our universe."―The Good Book Guide

"For transcendendant beauty, buy Heaven & Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye."―Evening Standard

"Visually, the book is a work of art but the subject is scientifically fascinating... An exceptional book."―Focus

"An immaculately presented source of information... A unique exploration of the boundless relationship between science and art."―Creative Review

"Heaven and Earth sends us back with renewed vision to the heaven and earth in which we live, more able, as the poet William Blake wrote: 'To see a world in a grain of sand/And a heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/And eternity in an hour."―Times Education Supplement

"Both educational and inspirational... A breathtaking journey."―Geographical Magazine

Synopsis:

Through the lens of a microscope or the shaft of a telescope exists a universe of life and beauty that is unknown to many. Hidden from sight because of the restricted ability of the human eye, atoms, ice crystals, grains of pollen, snowflakes, butterfly wings, cloud formations, searing comets, and showers of stars are born, live and die. This text charts an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery through this infinite world that is science - from the smallest particles on the Earth's surface to tiny dots in galaxies that are light years away. Featuring the extensive range of matter contained in the cosmos, the book navigates a trajectory through an unfamiliar world and celebrates the beauty and boundless mysteries of Planet Earth and the universe. The images are presented in sequence according to scale and distance within distinct chapters. All the images are taken with some form of camera or instrument used to view these fragments of life and nature - microscope, X-ray, satellite, telescope, etc - and nothing can be seen with the naked eye. Presented as art, these beautiful but unfamiliar images are accompanied by extended captions.

The captions explain what we are looking at, how small or far away it is, how it was photographed and where it can be found, as well as offering an interesting snippet of scientific information that enables us to associate with it on a human scale.

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 071484280X
• ISBN 13: 9780714842806
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384