Book review: Facts from Space! by Dean Regas

Posted by David Eicher
on Friday, October 7, 2016

The cover of Dean Regas’ new book Facts from Space.

Lemme tell you, cool facts about space are beloved by nearly everyone on the planet. Astronomy magazine published a special issue called the 500 Coolest Things about Space in March 2015, and it was one of our most popular recent editions.

Now a good friend, Dean Regas, has produced a beautiful book that all astro fans will cherish. Facts from Space! From Super-Secret Spacecraft to Volcanoes in Outer Space, Extraterrestrial Facts to Blow Your Mind! (237 pp., paper, Adams Media, Avon, Mass., $16; ISBN 978–1–4405–9701–5) is a handy book you will refer to again and again.

From his post as astronomer at the famous Cincinnati Observatory, and drawing on his experience as cohost of the PBS show Star Gazers, Dean has assembled dozens of facts in 10 chapters ranging from Earth to deep space. Here are a couple of examples:

Lunar Litterbugs: Humans have left more than 400,000 pounds of trash on the Moon. From golf balls and bags of pee to lunar rovers and crashed spacecraft, NASA has amassed a twenty-two-page list of every item that remains on the Moon. In exchange for what they left behind, Apollo astronauts brought 838 pounds of Moon rocks back to Earth.” 

“Science Fiction Versus Science Fact: Some scientists claim that there are multiple universes in existence. Perhaps this universe is just one of an infinite number of universes. With infinite universes there may be an infinite number of Earths with infinite people experiencing life in various ways and forms. But since there absolutely no evidence to support such a thing, the multiverse idea, at this time, is complete science fiction.” 

And the facts go on and on. You will be charmed by this book, and I guarantee it will provide you with a multitude of topics and stories to delight and provoke your guests at the next cocktail party!

Follow Dave Eicher on Twitter: @deicherstar

And please check out David J. Eicher’s Author Page on Facebook here:

Comments
To leave a comment you must be a member of our community.
Login to your account now, or register for an account to start participating.
No one has commented yet.
Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

ADVERTISEMENT
FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. View our Privacy Policy.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Find us on Facebook