Heaven and Earth: Unseen by the Naked Eye

FROM OUR EDITORS

Far beyond the range of the naked human eye exists a realm of growth and symmetry that possesses almost haunting beauty. Microscopes and telescopes can plow this realm, revealing stars too far or particles too small for us to see. Magnified 115 times, kettle limescale blooms in flowerlike clusters. A single pollen grain magnified 5,000 times resembles a beehive fortress and, enlarged and reenlarged, a butterfly wing takes on the aspect of a field of warrior's shields. The Hubble Space Telescope captures the pillars of gas and dust of the Eagle Nebula, 7,000 light-years away. In awesome color photographs, Heaven & Earth presents the universe in a grain of sand and on a scale almost beyond imagination.

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 the naked eye, atoms, crystals, grains of pollen, snowflakes, cloud formations, searing comets and showers of stars are born, live and die. With an introduction by the well-known astronomer and photographer David Malin, Heaven And Earth charts an awe-inspiring journey through the infinite world of science--- from the smallest particles on the earth's surface to tiny dots in galaxies light years away. Presented in sequence according to scale and distance, fragments of nature are captured and photographed through microscopes, magnifying glasses, x-rays, telescopes, satellites, and radio waves. The images navigate their own trajectory through the cosmos and celebrate the boundless beauty of planet Earth and the universe.