Considering it’s only been 66 years since NASA set up shop, and only 121 years since the first ever human-piloted flight, humankind has come a long way in terms of space exploration.
Well, in some respects, at least. In others, there’s still so much to understand.
It’s what makes the subject of space so thrilling, intoxicating and overwhelming all at once. You might feel as though your brain is melting from absorbing the complexities of it all, but don’t worry: that’s part of the attraction.
If your understanding of space is drawn largely from the science section of newspapers and media outlets, it’s a mere drop in the ocean of knowledge that scientists, cosmologists and other starry-eyed experts can tell you. And what they can tell you is too dwarfed by the vast unknown that’s still waiting to be discovered, or that may never be revealed to us.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t have a stab at it and marvel at the ingenuity, guile and sheer daring of humankind. The best place to start? By adding mind-twisting non-fiction space reads to your bookshelf.
From the groundbreaking Apollo missions to accounts of life on the ISS from the people who have been there and what might go down at the end of the universe, we’ve drawn up an edit of the best space and astronomy books to expand your mind in ways you never knew it could stretch.
Every option dismantles complex concepts into clear, engaging and often funny, explanations, helping to deepen your appreciation of space science and adding weight to your ponderings of the universe.
We’ve included rockstar space communicators from Prof Brian Cox, Tim Peake and Carl Sagan plus other leading experts to give you sound information you can trust.
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Space: A thrilling human history by Britain's beloved astronaut Tim Peake
From Britain’s best-known astronaut comes this book looking at history’s brave star sailors, the 656 men and women who paved the way for human space exploration.
As well as insightful and entertaining stories on some of the biggest names in space - think Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and of course, Neil Armstrong - Peake gives us an astronaut’s POV on the entire, thrilling adventure, from NASA protocol to new perspectives and the huge dangers involved in being hurled towards the stars. There’s also a section on the challenges in returning to life on Earth, and a look at what the future holds for humans and space travel.
Buy now £9.49, Amazon
Pale Blue Dot: Vision of the Human Future in Space
Carl Sagan spent most of his career imploring NASA to continue space exploration and became the feted science communicator du jour in America - and beyond.
Pale Blue Dot, written after Voyager I beamed the famous picture back to Earth, and for which Sagan wrote the famous poignant caption, unites philosophy with facts about our Solar System while laying out a map for the future of humankind in space.
The book is a sequel to his first offering Cosmos and, despite the passing of some 30 years, is still as inspiring and compelling as ever. So much so that the audiobook version has been preserved in the US National Recording Registry for safekeeping for future generations.
Buy now £30.33, Amazon
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Universe: And Our Place Within It
There’s a lot to know about our universe, and author and astronomer Professor Andrew Newsam tries to unpack as much of it as possible over 224 pages in this book.
All those niggly questions that pop into your head when you’re in the shower, on the commute or if you’re anything like us, just as you’re about to nod off to sleep.
What goes on inside black holes? What happens when an asteroid collides with Earth? Can human life be sustained beyond our home planet? And of course the biggie: what - and who - else is out there?
Engaging, clear and crucially, never patronising, Newsam decodes complex theories to give readers of all scientific knowledge levels a better understanding of the sky above.
Buy now £7.99, Amazon
The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking)
Time travel, sadly, is still not available at the time of publishing, but if you’re itching to know what will happen at the end of the Universe, this book breaks down all the possible outcomes.
Astrophysicist Katie Mack pulls readers along on a swift, mindbending forecast of the cosmos’ possible finales, making intricate concepts, like string theory and quantum mechanics, easier to digest.
Despite the content, it’s not full of doom and gloom - mainly because we’ll be long gone by the time it all comes to a head (probably). Witty and engaging, prepare for pleasurable mental acrobatics.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
The Planets
There's so much to know about space it can be paralysing to know where to begin - so why not start with our own solar system?
Prof Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen show our familiar neighbours in a completely new light, from giant Jupiter and beautiful Saturn to fiery Mars and an exceedingly chilly Uranus. We also understand how and why Pluto became ostracised from the crowd. Expect a staggering level of facts, information and awe-inspiring imagery as you all but inhale the 300-odd-page book.
Buy now £10.11, Amazon
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Whether it's a short attention frame (thanks TikTok) or a lack of time to blame, there's no need to forgo learning all about the wonders of our universe thanks to Neil deGrasse Tyson. Enormous ideas and concepts are condensed into 12 over-too-soon chapters, making them easy to dive into after a long day - though you may be left absorbing the sentences and their meanings for quite a while afterwards.
Tyson covers everything from day one - the Big Bang - to black holes, space exploration, and our place in the universe. A gateway into the mind-bending world of astrophysics.
There is a child-friendly version for young minds here.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
The NASA Archives 40th Ed
It would be wrong to dismiss Taschen’s offering as a coffee table book alone. Sure, it's full of stunning photography, transcripts and renderings from the biggest space agency on the planet, but it also tracks NASA's history and achievements over some 66 years, a time frame that feels absurd when you consider where we are now in terms of space exploration and knowledge.
From the '60s Space Race and spearheading the creation and execution of the International Space Station to dispatching robots to explore new worlds, and not forgetting that small 1969 event of the Moon Landings, this comprehensive spotlight on NASA will leave you breathless with awe.
Buy now £20.40, Amazon
Before the Big Bang: Our Origins in the Multiverse
Proposing the explanation of a ‘quantum multiverse’ in which our universe is just one of many, cosmologist Laura Mersini-Houghton regales readers with her explanation of the events that may have preceded the Big Bang.
Interwoven with vibrant snippets of her upbringing in Communist Albania before heading into deep cosmological theories, the warmly written book is hard to set down.
Buy now £9.26, Amazon
