A star book as big as the universe

THE INVISIBLE UNIVERSE By David Malin Bulfinch Press 130 pp., $50

This swirling multicolor ring is expanding outward from a dying central star 450 light-years away from Earth. Hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen glow in the red annulus and green interior. Flung away in the center's last convulsions, these gases may one day help form new stars.

This photo of the Helix Nebula in the Constellation Aquarius is one of 51 striking cosmic scenes that astronomer-photographer David Malin presents in an informative tour of the universe.

Almost as big as a coffee table itself, this handsome volume is arranged by constellation. Malin links ancient lore with modern knowledge to give readers an impressionistic perspective on a universe that, until recently, was beyond the vision of earth-bound humans.

Courtesy of Bulfinch press

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society