I first encountered James Gladstone's unique way of presenting science in his book Journey Around the Sun. This time he presents the scientific facts of a supernova within a narrative that links various cultures around the world and their shared experience of seeing the light from the explosion. From those sightings in 1054, he traces the advances in astronomy that allowed us to identify the origins of supernovas and to see the nebulas that were left afterward. Circling back to the shared experience at the start of the book, he explains that new stars and planets may form from the elements spread by the supernova - "just as star remains from long ago are part of all things on our world." Back matter goes into more detail about what a supernova is, about Supernova 1054, and a stunning image of the Crab Nebula with a description of how quickly it is expanding.
The watercolor and ink illustrations support the poetic style of the text, showing the light travelling across the galaxy (with a timeline underneath) and then appearing as a "guest star" in the sky over Earth after thousands of years. A spread shows people from different cultures around the world all looking up at the night sky to see the display. Another spread captures the glowing colors of the Crab Nebula against the blackness of space. And a second timeline traces the growth of the nebula to the present day.
This is a book that would make a wonderful introduction to supernovas for a class, or could be the perfect gift for a young astronomer who is curious about various phenomena and the history of their observation over time.
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