The Oxford Handbook of the History of Modern Cosmology

  • Helge Kragh &
  • Malcolm S. Longair
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS: 2019. 640PP. £95.00

Over the past 100 years, cosmology has transformed from a more-or-less philosophical endeavour to a precise measurement-based field of science. This textbook, edited by a historian of science, Helge Kragh, and an astrophysicist, Malcolm Longair, recounts this transformation by following scientific developments from the start of the twentieth century to today. Notable discoveries dotting this timeline include Einstein’s general theory of relativity, other galaxies, the cosmic microwave background and an evolving Universe with dark matter and dark energy. It is a fascinating journey to follow.

More Things in the Heavens: How Infrared Astronomy Is Expanding Our View of the Universe

  • Michael Werner &
  • Peter Eisenhardt
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS: 2019. 304PP. £27.00

NASA’s Great Observatories play a key role in our understanding of the Universe. This book focuses on Spitzer, the space telescope that has been observing the infrared Universe since 2003. With instruments performing photometry and spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 3–180 µm, in its lifetime Spitzer has tackled everything from near-Earth objects, our Solar System, the interstellar medium, exoplanets and their atmospheres, to external galaxies, quasars and beyond. With JWST and SPICA on the (distant) horizon, Spitzer’s continuing scientific legacy is immense.

Data Visualization: A Practical Introduction

  • Kieran Healy
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS: 2019. 296PP. £77.00

Plots can make or break a talk or a scientific publication. A picture is worth a thousand words and often a plot has even more data points. Every scientist learns how to graphically represent data, but making a plot that communicates these data accurately, effectively and in service of the author’s point is a science of its own. Kieran Healy has produced a guide on scientific data visualization that both explains the motivation behind and basic principles of good plotting practices and teaches the reader how to implement these practices in practical terms, using the programming language R.