The Zoomable Universe

An accessible epic, full-color visual journey through all scales of the universe.

“A beautifully illustrated survey of the universe and its constituent parts, from quarks to galaxies and beyond. . . . A superb composite of scientific knowledge that will no doubt inspire readers of all ages to learn more about our enigmatic universe.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In The Zoomable Universe, the award-winning astrobiologist Caleb Scharf and the acclaimed artist Ron Miller take us on an epic tour through all known scales of reality, from the largest possible magnitude to the smallest. Drawing on cutting-edge science, they begin at the limits of the observable universe, a scale spanning 10^27 meters—about 93 billion light-years. And they end in the subatomic realm, at 10^-35 meters, where the fabric of space-time itself confounds all known rules of physics. In between are galaxies, stars and planets, oceans and continents, plants and animals, microorganisms, atoms, and much, much more. Stops along the way—all enlivened by Scharf’s sparkling prose and his original insights into the nature of our universe—include the brilliant core of the Milky Way, the surface of a rogue planet, the back of an elephant, and a sea of jostling quarks.

The Zoomable Universe is packed with more than 100 original illustrations and infographics that will captivate readers of every age. It is a whimsical celebration of discovery, a testament to our astounding ability to see beyond our own vantage point and chart a course from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to its subatomic depths—in short, a must-have for the shelves of all explorers.

“A fantastic journey from the fringes of the visible universe to the heart of the atom . . . [A] book of wonders.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A heaping dose of dazzle . . . readable, delightful prose with infographics that explain everything from types of matter to types of exoplanets . . . Will take your breath away.” —Ars Technica