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A History of the Universe in 21 Stars:
Expert science writer Giles Sparrow guides you through 21 stars you can see in the night sky and what they can teach us about our universe.
On a clear evening, if you look up you can see thousands of stars shining in the dark sky, each with a story of their own. Taking 21 stars (and three imposters, that cheekily aren't technically stars), expert science writer Giles Sparrow offers a complete introduction to what is happening up in the night sky.
Sparrow draws 'star maps' to help you easily identify the celestial bodies and then explains (for anyone not an astronomer themselves) what this particular pinprick of light can tell us about the birth, life and death of our universe. From red giants, quasars and supernovae to black holes, multiple stars and even our own Sun, this fascinating book tells the intriguing, inspiring and sometimes incredible story of how we came to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos, and what we learnt along the way.
So look up at the sky and marvel at its wonders with this exciting new book.
On a clear evening, if you look up you can see thousands of stars shining in the dark sky, each with a story of their own. Taking 21 stars (and three imposters, that cheekily aren't technically stars), expert science writer Giles Sparrow offers a complete introduction to what is happening up in the night sky.
Sparrow draws 'star maps' to help you easily identify the celestial bodies and then explains (for anyone not an astronomer themselves) what this particular pinprick of light can tell us about the birth, life and death of our universe. From red giants, quasars and supernovae to black holes, multiple stars and even our own Sun, this fascinating book tells the intriguing, inspiring and sometimes incredible story of how we came to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos, and what we learnt along the way.
So look up at the sky and marvel at its wonders with this exciting new book.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2020
96 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 19, 2021
*3.75 🙂
This was given to me as part of a birthday present by my boyfriend and it has the most beautiful cover out of any book I've owned I think. It was also quite a fun take on looking at stellar evolution which was quite fun to read.
So this is a non-fiction book describing 21 stars (and 3 imposters) and how they have been discovered and how their properties have told us more about the way in which stars evolve and what they can tell us about the universe as a whole.
It was very interesting and I really liked Sparrows narrative style for each section. He was funny and had some really good facts that he told about each book, especially the history of humans discovering these stars and what they found out about each one. It had diagrams and directions on how you can view these stars either with the naked eye or with binoculars/telescopes, which is really cool and made them so much more interesting. You could read the chapter of a particular star and then go outside at night and try to spot it for yourself.
The biggest disappointment of the book was its editing. There were several words which contained typos and the book wasn't edited as well as you would expect it to be. I did try not to let this affect my enjoyment since it wasn't the authors fault and wasn't a flaw in the narrative. Also, I'm not sure if this was just my copy or potentially for all copies.
Additionally, honestly for me to read this during the semester (when I am also constantly surrounded by physics and studying it), it must mean this book was really interesting and intriguing overall. I usually don't like to read any science non-fiction during the semester just because I tend to get a bit bored or don't want to be surrounded by physics all the time (as you will find out from my Relativity review later this month). But I did enjoy reading this and think it would be fantastic for those who are enthusiastic astronomers or if you want to find out more about space.
I gave this book 3.75 stars overall, but I do think I was maybe being a bit harsh on it and it could easily have been a 4 star too. Honestly I really enjoyed my time reading it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed physics as well!
This was given to me as part of a birthday present by my boyfriend and it has the most beautiful cover out of any book I've owned I think. It was also quite a fun take on looking at stellar evolution which was quite fun to read.
So this is a non-fiction book describing 21 stars (and 3 imposters) and how they have been discovered and how their properties have told us more about the way in which stars evolve and what they can tell us about the universe as a whole.
It was very interesting and I really liked Sparrows narrative style for each section. He was funny and had some really good facts that he told about each book, especially the history of humans discovering these stars and what they found out about each one. It had diagrams and directions on how you can view these stars either with the naked eye or with binoculars/telescopes, which is really cool and made them so much more interesting. You could read the chapter of a particular star and then go outside at night and try to spot it for yourself.
The biggest disappointment of the book was its editing. There were several words which contained typos and the book wasn't edited as well as you would expect it to be. I did try not to let this affect my enjoyment since it wasn't the authors fault and wasn't a flaw in the narrative. Also, I'm not sure if this was just my copy or potentially for all copies.
Additionally, honestly for me to read this during the semester (when I am also constantly surrounded by physics and studying it), it must mean this book was really interesting and intriguing overall. I usually don't like to read any science non-fiction during the semester just because I tend to get a bit bored or don't want to be surrounded by physics all the time (as you will find out from my Relativity review later this month). But I did enjoy reading this and think it would be fantastic for those who are enthusiastic astronomers or if you want to find out more about space.
I gave this book 3.75 stars overall, but I do think I was maybe being a bit harsh on it and it could easily have been a 4 star too. Honestly I really enjoyed my time reading it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed physics as well!
November 29, 2023
This book made me feel so insignificant. Then I could use my telescope to find the things that make me feel insignificant. Then I cried. Absolutely fantastic.
September 18, 2024
Wonderfully written and packed with thoughtful research. As a space geek I loved this. Would make a great audiobook!
March 21, 2025
How many stars does it take to tell the story of the universe? I have read both A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters) and A History of the Universe in 100 Stars, so here’s a comparison of the two, in case you are wondering which one to choose.
A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters)
It felt the least daunting to start with the book with the fewest stars. In A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters), the author has selected stars that can illuminate many aspects of the star's life, with the criterion that they are largely visible if you want to observe them yourself. The chapters always start with a description of how to find them in the sky. Simple drawings aid you in your search.
Each chapter deals with a star and a topic that can be connected to that star. The book starts off a bit slow with Polaris as an entry point to talk about the movements of the stars across the sky, the ecliptic and latitudes, but after that the book is a joy to read. Some examples of stars and topics are Aldebaran which is used to talk about stellar spectra, Algol about variable stars, T Tauri about star births, Helvetios (51 Pegasi) about the discovery of exoplanets, Cygnus X-1 about black holes and supernova 1994D about the expansion of the universe and dark energy.
In each chapter, the author takes us on the scientific journey from the first observation or hypothesis associated with a bright dot in the sky, and towards today's understanding of it. It is exciting to read how astronomers have pieced together all the pieces over time to arrive at the understanding we now have of the starry sky, which consists of a wealth of star types.
The book is written in a popularized way with an informal tone. But it still goes quite deep into the matter at times. The author has done a formidable job of explaining the scientific material, as well as finding out the scientific history behind the stars. The author is also good at reminding us of what he has explained previously so that it is easy to keep up.
The book also includes simple drawings of various important concepts that are reviewed, such as the HR diagram, the anatomy of a black hole, and how light travels through a telescope.
What works so well with this book is that we are taken along on the scientific journey. The conclusions are never made in advance, and the history of the universe is not told from the beginning. The book follows the history of science from when astronomers first began to unravel the nearest and brightest stars and then delved more and more into more distant and strange stars. It becomes almost like a detective story where we hear about the theories that turned out not to work, and how others came up with better ideas, which have led us to what we know today.
The title of the book is somewhat misleading, because not much of the book is about the history of the universe. The book is mostly about the life of stars, with elements of cosmology near the end of the book when we get to Cepheids and supernovae, which were used to measure distances to galaxies and the expansion rate of the universe.
A History of the Universe in 100 Stars
Since this book deals with many more stars, the chapters are naturally much shorter than in the other book. They are limited to 3–4 pages. The author writes in the introduction that the chapters can be read in the order you want. That is because nothing is connected. This means that this book does not become one big story, like the other one.
The author writes in popularized style and explains things in a nice way, but the overall impression is still not very educational. The fact that the author had decided on the number 100 seems to have resulted in some of the stories not appearing to be very important. They may be funny and interesting, but do not contribute to a larger story and understanding about stars or the universe.
It often seems arbitrary which star has been chosen to tell a particular story. For example, the first chapter is about Altair, or Hikoboshi as it is called in Japanese, and the chapter tells the Japanese legend behind this name. Here Altair is used as a seemingly random example of us telling stories about the stars, and that many of the stars in the sky have names of Arabic origin.
The way this book is structured, there is no room for the author to take us on a scientific journey. For example, in the second chapter, the author abruptly jumps right back to the big bang and starts the chapter by presenting the theory we have for the beginning of the universe and how the distribution of the atomic elements was then. The star for this chapter is one of the oldest stars we know and supports the theory for the distribution of hydrogen and helium in the early universe. After having read the other book previously, it was unsatisfactory to have the theory for the beginning of the universe presented so quickly and so well-established, rather than being able to participate in the scientific journey to arrive at that conclusion. For a book that aims to tell the history of the universe with 100 stars, it also took a bit of the fun out of the book to have so much of the history of the universe presented already in chapter two.
What this book did have that the other one didn’t, were examples of more recent studies of the stars, such as a 2010 study that looked at the origin of elements in the universe. Because there are still details for today's astronomers to figure out.
Conclusion
Popular science books about the universe often deal with the history of the universe, galaxies, dark matter, etc., where the stars usually play a small supporting role. It was therefore refreshing to read a more thorough presentation of the stars and the scientific exploration of them.
I am puzzled by the fact that both book titles begin with A History rather than The History, because the universe only has one story. In the book with 100 stars, the author writes in the preface that the stars in the book together "tell one of many possible stories about the universe", and I wonder what he really means by that.
If you are going to read one of these books, it is probably already obvious which one I would recommend. It’s clear that A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters) has a well-thought-out selection of stars to tell the story of the stars in a coherent and exciting way, while the book with 100 stars tells a large and seemingly random selection of stories and anecdotes. However, the 100-star book can work well if you want a book where you can read a small and simple story every day.
A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters)
It felt the least daunting to start with the book with the fewest stars. In A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters), the author has selected stars that can illuminate many aspects of the star's life, with the criterion that they are largely visible if you want to observe them yourself. The chapters always start with a description of how to find them in the sky. Simple drawings aid you in your search.
Each chapter deals with a star and a topic that can be connected to that star. The book starts off a bit slow with Polaris as an entry point to talk about the movements of the stars across the sky, the ecliptic and latitudes, but after that the book is a joy to read. Some examples of stars and topics are Aldebaran which is used to talk about stellar spectra, Algol about variable stars, T Tauri about star births, Helvetios (51 Pegasi) about the discovery of exoplanets, Cygnus X-1 about black holes and supernova 1994D about the expansion of the universe and dark energy.
In each chapter, the author takes us on the scientific journey from the first observation or hypothesis associated with a bright dot in the sky, and towards today's understanding of it. It is exciting to read how astronomers have pieced together all the pieces over time to arrive at the understanding we now have of the starry sky, which consists of a wealth of star types.
The book is written in a popularized way with an informal tone. But it still goes quite deep into the matter at times. The author has done a formidable job of explaining the scientific material, as well as finding out the scientific history behind the stars. The author is also good at reminding us of what he has explained previously so that it is easy to keep up.
The book also includes simple drawings of various important concepts that are reviewed, such as the HR diagram, the anatomy of a black hole, and how light travels through a telescope.
What works so well with this book is that we are taken along on the scientific journey. The conclusions are never made in advance, and the history of the universe is not told from the beginning. The book follows the history of science from when astronomers first began to unravel the nearest and brightest stars and then delved more and more into more distant and strange stars. It becomes almost like a detective story where we hear about the theories that turned out not to work, and how others came up with better ideas, which have led us to what we know today.
The title of the book is somewhat misleading, because not much of the book is about the history of the universe. The book is mostly about the life of stars, with elements of cosmology near the end of the book when we get to Cepheids and supernovae, which were used to measure distances to galaxies and the expansion rate of the universe.
A History of the Universe in 100 Stars
Since this book deals with many more stars, the chapters are naturally much shorter than in the other book. They are limited to 3–4 pages. The author writes in the introduction that the chapters can be read in the order you want. That is because nothing is connected. This means that this book does not become one big story, like the other one.
The author writes in popularized style and explains things in a nice way, but the overall impression is still not very educational. The fact that the author had decided on the number 100 seems to have resulted in some of the stories not appearing to be very important. They may be funny and interesting, but do not contribute to a larger story and understanding about stars or the universe.
It often seems arbitrary which star has been chosen to tell a particular story. For example, the first chapter is about Altair, or Hikoboshi as it is called in Japanese, and the chapter tells the Japanese legend behind this name. Here Altair is used as a seemingly random example of us telling stories about the stars, and that many of the stars in the sky have names of Arabic origin.
The way this book is structured, there is no room for the author to take us on a scientific journey. For example, in the second chapter, the author abruptly jumps right back to the big bang and starts the chapter by presenting the theory we have for the beginning of the universe and how the distribution of the atomic elements was then. The star for this chapter is one of the oldest stars we know and supports the theory for the distribution of hydrogen and helium in the early universe. After having read the other book previously, it was unsatisfactory to have the theory for the beginning of the universe presented so quickly and so well-established, rather than being able to participate in the scientific journey to arrive at that conclusion. For a book that aims to tell the history of the universe with 100 stars, it also took a bit of the fun out of the book to have so much of the history of the universe presented already in chapter two.
What this book did have that the other one didn’t, were examples of more recent studies of the stars, such as a 2010 study that looked at the origin of elements in the universe. Because there are still details for today's astronomers to figure out.
Conclusion
Popular science books about the universe often deal with the history of the universe, galaxies, dark matter, etc., where the stars usually play a small supporting role. It was therefore refreshing to read a more thorough presentation of the stars and the scientific exploration of them.
I am puzzled by the fact that both book titles begin with A History rather than The History, because the universe only has one story. In the book with 100 stars, the author writes in the preface that the stars in the book together "tell one of many possible stories about the universe", and I wonder what he really means by that.
If you are going to read one of these books, it is probably already obvious which one I would recommend. It’s clear that A History of the Universe in 21 Stars (and 3 imposters) has a well-thought-out selection of stars to tell the story of the stars in a coherent and exciting way, while the book with 100 stars tells a large and seemingly random selection of stories and anecdotes. However, the 100-star book can work well if you want a book where you can read a small and simple story every day.
October 8, 2025
A refreshing blend of history and science that anyone can read. The writing is witty yet approachable, and the book succeeds in covering most of the concepts that would be covered in a 200-level intro astronomy course without any of the math. In addition, the illustrations are beautiful and helpful for any aspiring stargazers who want to find the specific stars mentioned in this book.
December 8, 2023
I really liked this one, so much so that I ended up annotating the living shit out of it. (however, the flow of his writing could be better, it felt very scattered tbh)
Anyway, things that I loved (putting them here to revisit it someday)
*learning how to measure the angles in the sky with your hand
*knowing about the spectral classification
*Aldebaran, the red giant belonging to the Hyades cluster in the constellation of Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the sky, basically propelled the study of the properties of stars
*Mizar and Alcor forming the most famous double star system, in the constellation of Ursa Major. Mizar being the first binary star to be discovered, which was later found to be a quadruple star.
*the mechanism of sunspots in the photosphere of the sun and their 11 year cycle
*the Carrington event - the most violent geomagnetic storm in recorded history
*trapezium cluster in the heart of the Orion Nebula (M42)
*T tauri in the constellation of Taurus
*Pillars of creation in the Eagle nebula (M16) and Herbig-Haro objects
*Algol in the constellation of Perseus, a binary star, its paradox, Roche lobes and the fact that about 7 million years ago, Algol passed within 8 light years of our solar system!
*Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major, the brightest star in the sky, a white dwarf, is a binary star, the core using the CNO cycle of thermonuclear reactions
*betelguese, the bright red supergiant in the constellation Orion
*eta carinae (in my forever fav, carina nebula), both brighter and larger than Orion, containing Wolf Rayet stars
*the crab pulsar in the Crab Nebula, remnant of the supernova; brightest stellar explosions in recorded history
*cygnus X-1, playing an instrumental role in the discovery of black holes
*SN 1998D paving the way to the eventual discovery of dark matter and energy.
And that’s all folks, it’s a fin.
Anyway, things that I loved (putting them here to revisit it someday)
*learning how to measure the angles in the sky with your hand
*knowing about the spectral classification
*Aldebaran, the red giant belonging to the Hyades cluster in the constellation of Taurus and one of the brightest stars in the sky, basically propelled the study of the properties of stars
*Mizar and Alcor forming the most famous double star system, in the constellation of Ursa Major. Mizar being the first binary star to be discovered, which was later found to be a quadruple star.
*the mechanism of sunspots in the photosphere of the sun and their 11 year cycle
*the Carrington event - the most violent geomagnetic storm in recorded history
*trapezium cluster in the heart of the Orion Nebula (M42)
*T tauri in the constellation of Taurus
*Pillars of creation in the Eagle nebula (M16) and Herbig-Haro objects
*Algol in the constellation of Perseus, a binary star, its paradox, Roche lobes and the fact that about 7 million years ago, Algol passed within 8 light years of our solar system!
*Sirius in the constellation of Canis Major, the brightest star in the sky, a white dwarf, is a binary star, the core using the CNO cycle of thermonuclear reactions
*betelguese, the bright red supergiant in the constellation Orion
*eta carinae (in my forever fav, carina nebula), both brighter and larger than Orion, containing Wolf Rayet stars
*the crab pulsar in the Crab Nebula, remnant of the supernova; brightest stellar explosions in recorded history
*cygnus X-1, playing an instrumental role in the discovery of black holes
*SN 1998D paving the way to the eventual discovery of dark matter and energy.
And that’s all folks, it’s a fin.
January 23, 2023
I borrowed this book from the library but I loved it so much,I had to buy it for my personal collection.
Throughout 24 short chapters,we learn about the creation,life and different possibilities of death of stars.
The language in this book is very relaxed,so that normal people who haven’t had much contact with astrophysics can understand.
The only minor issue is that there seemed to be some typos,but it isn’t an issue a black pen and some white tape can’t fix.
Favourite quotes:
“Heat and light from space,along with geological energy from inside planets, are the only ways we know of powering the complex mess of biochemical reactions called life.”
“ ‘circumpolar’ stars-they never rise nor set,instead following circular tracks around the sky.”
“...the closer the star is, the the bigger the angle it’s movement across the the sky is likely to cover in a year...The posh word for this annual shift is parallax.”
“Parallax remains our only method of directly measuring the distance to objects in the wider cosmos,and provides a secure first rung on a ladder of cosmic distances that gets increasingly rickety as it extends further from the certainties of Earth.”
“...while a planet might in theory wield a gravitational influence on its star, the effect of that influence depends crucially on the difference in mass between the two objects,and,more significantly,on the distance between them.A planet and its star exert an equal and opposite force on each other but the same force can have a much bigger effect on an object with smaller mass than on one with larger mass.This means the planet moves a lot as it orbits under the influence of gravitational attraction,while the star stays almost still.”
“...a star’s internal layers are held in a delicate balance between the inward pull of gravity and the weight of overlying material on the one hand,and outward pressure due to radiation pushing its way out from the core.This means that as the core radiation falls away,the star’s upper layers naturally begin to collapse inwards.
This is a tough break for the layer closest to the core,trapped in a stellar vice between the weight of material from above and the residual outward pressure from the core bellow.Compressed and heated to temperature hotter than the original core, the shell ignites with its own fusion reactions,running at a much faster rate than those which previously powered the core.”
Recommended 💯💯💯💯🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
Throughout 24 short chapters,we learn about the creation,life and different possibilities of death of stars.
The language in this book is very relaxed,so that normal people who haven’t had much contact with astrophysics can understand.
The only minor issue is that there seemed to be some typos,but it isn’t an issue a black pen and some white tape can’t fix.
Favourite quotes:
“Heat and light from space,along with geological energy from inside planets, are the only ways we know of powering the complex mess of biochemical reactions called life.”
“ ‘circumpolar’ stars-they never rise nor set,instead following circular tracks around the sky.”
“...the closer the star is, the the bigger the angle it’s movement across the the sky is likely to cover in a year...The posh word for this annual shift is parallax.”
“Parallax remains our only method of directly measuring the distance to objects in the wider cosmos,and provides a secure first rung on a ladder of cosmic distances that gets increasingly rickety as it extends further from the certainties of Earth.”
“...while a planet might in theory wield a gravitational influence on its star, the effect of that influence depends crucially on the difference in mass between the two objects,and,more significantly,on the distance between them.A planet and its star exert an equal and opposite force on each other but the same force can have a much bigger effect on an object with smaller mass than on one with larger mass.This means the planet moves a lot as it orbits under the influence of gravitational attraction,while the star stays almost still.”
“...a star’s internal layers are held in a delicate balance between the inward pull of gravity and the weight of overlying material on the one hand,and outward pressure due to radiation pushing its way out from the core.This means that as the core radiation falls away,the star’s upper layers naturally begin to collapse inwards.
This is a tough break for the layer closest to the core,trapped in a stellar vice between the weight of material from above and the residual outward pressure from the core bellow.Compressed and heated to temperature hotter than the original core, the shell ignites with its own fusion reactions,running at a much faster rate than those which previously powered the core.”
Recommended 💯💯💯💯🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
June 12, 2023
nice book if you want to have more than a general knowledge about what is going on in our universe. as a first year astrophysics student it was refreshing to read about something that i had lectures on throughout the semesters. it is a source of some of my fave funfacts that i will keep on telling to my friends (get ready). however, slovak translation seemed to have mixed up some of the terminology and i would recomend a revision, preferably by an astronomer :/// on the other hand, i appreciate the instructions where to find the stars and objects the author talked about in the night sky and the simple pictures to go with it. ❤️
May 18, 2023
A History of the Universe in 21 Stars [2020] – ★★★1/2
In this new non-fiction book, the author explains key scientific discoveries through stars: from Polaris and the calculation of sky angles/directions and the discovery of Mizar’s double nature and what it ultimately said about star systems, to the mysteries of sunspots and the discovery of the existence of black holes through the exploration of Cygnus X-1. Although A History of the Universe does engage in a lot of confused “cherry-picking” of scientific facts and discoveries, and the language does get quite annoying, the book can still be described as a pure “starry” wonder and a good read for all those interested in stars and key scientific discoveries related to them.
We learn through this book how the colour of Aldebaran, one of the brightest stars in the sky, paved the way for discovering the properties of stars; how the discoveries related to Betelgeuse contributed to finding new forms of measuring distances between objects in space; and in what ways Supernova 1994-D contributed to expanding our knowledge about dark matter. It is also interesting to read about numerous globular clusters, including the impressive Omega Centauri, and how these were also first thought to be stars, as well as about the mysteries of the Andromeda nebula (nebulas are linked to the birth of stars).
My favourite chapters in the book concern the Orion Trapezium Cluster and exoplanets. The Orion Trapezium Cluster is an exciting one to look through a telescope or binoculars (as I also discovered first at the age of eleven when gifted with very powerful binoculars!). The chapter on Helvetios (now known as 51 Pegasi) is also fascinating since it was one of the first stars that gave an idea that other stars may have planets revolving around them too, just like our Sun-Earth combination. The discovery of a planet orbiting around Helvetios – Dimidium (now known as 51 Pegasi b) meant that the race to find the most Earth-like planet in the universe has begun (and it has not yet stopped).
It was mind-blowing to learn that the existence of a black hole was first suggested in 1783! by “John Michell, a clergyman and philosopher…[who] presented a paper to London’s Royal Society outlining the basic idea of a “dark star” whose gravity was strong enough to hold onto its light” [Sparrow, 2020: 238]. Another unbelievable fact is that “the Milky Way [galaxy] and Andromeda [galaxy] are heading towards each other on an inevitably collision course, and the resulting merger will tear them both apart before reassembling them into something else entirely” [Sparrow, 2020: 297]. The book even ends by pointing out the most recent scientific discovery that calls into question the very existence of dark energy! (for which Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess won their Nobel Prize in 2011!).
The problem with A History of the Universe is that it simplifies much, but that does not necessarily mean it provides clear explanations. It constantly refers to something it will explain later in the book, and it is quite shocking the way the book describes notable people whose discoveries revolutionised scientific knowledge. It does so in a quite offhand manner. Thus, we have someone who was “freshly minted as a Princeton professor” [2020: 35], Englishman Thomas Harriot becomes “the first idiot looking at the Sun through the new invention” [2020: 67], “Immanuel Kant…the butt of Monty Python jokes”, and there is other similar nonsense such as stars “packed towards the centre where…[they] jostle together like the mosh pit at a pre-COVID rock concert” [2020: 91].
⭐Despite its weaknesses, A History of the Universe in 21 Stars introduces many curious facts and is a good guide on how to find and identify most prominent stars and constellations (since it also has good hand-drawn illustrations) (for example, it goes brilliantly with the Stellarium planetarium software, which is a great free programme enabling one to explore stars, planets and distant galaxies through a computer in the comfort of one’s home).
In this new non-fiction book, the author explains key scientific discoveries through stars: from Polaris and the calculation of sky angles/directions and the discovery of Mizar’s double nature and what it ultimately said about star systems, to the mysteries of sunspots and the discovery of the existence of black holes through the exploration of Cygnus X-1. Although A History of the Universe does engage in a lot of confused “cherry-picking” of scientific facts and discoveries, and the language does get quite annoying, the book can still be described as a pure “starry” wonder and a good read for all those interested in stars and key scientific discoveries related to them.
We learn through this book how the colour of Aldebaran, one of the brightest stars in the sky, paved the way for discovering the properties of stars; how the discoveries related to Betelgeuse contributed to finding new forms of measuring distances between objects in space; and in what ways Supernova 1994-D contributed to expanding our knowledge about dark matter. It is also interesting to read about numerous globular clusters, including the impressive Omega Centauri, and how these were also first thought to be stars, as well as about the mysteries of the Andromeda nebula (nebulas are linked to the birth of stars).
My favourite chapters in the book concern the Orion Trapezium Cluster and exoplanets. The Orion Trapezium Cluster is an exciting one to look through a telescope or binoculars (as I also discovered first at the age of eleven when gifted with very powerful binoculars!). The chapter on Helvetios (now known as 51 Pegasi) is also fascinating since it was one of the first stars that gave an idea that other stars may have planets revolving around them too, just like our Sun-Earth combination. The discovery of a planet orbiting around Helvetios – Dimidium (now known as 51 Pegasi b) meant that the race to find the most Earth-like planet in the universe has begun (and it has not yet stopped).
It was mind-blowing to learn that the existence of a black hole was first suggested in 1783! by “John Michell, a clergyman and philosopher…[who] presented a paper to London’s Royal Society outlining the basic idea of a “dark star” whose gravity was strong enough to hold onto its light” [Sparrow, 2020: 238]. Another unbelievable fact is that “the Milky Way [galaxy] and Andromeda [galaxy] are heading towards each other on an inevitably collision course, and the resulting merger will tear them both apart before reassembling them into something else entirely” [Sparrow, 2020: 297]. The book even ends by pointing out the most recent scientific discovery that calls into question the very existence of dark energy! (for which Saul Perlmutter, Brian Schmidt, and Adam Riess won their Nobel Prize in 2011!).
The problem with A History of the Universe is that it simplifies much, but that does not necessarily mean it provides clear explanations. It constantly refers to something it will explain later in the book, and it is quite shocking the way the book describes notable people whose discoveries revolutionised scientific knowledge. It does so in a quite offhand manner. Thus, we have someone who was “freshly minted as a Princeton professor” [2020: 35], Englishman Thomas Harriot becomes “the first idiot looking at the Sun through the new invention” [2020: 67], “Immanuel Kant…the butt of Monty Python jokes”, and there is other similar nonsense such as stars “packed towards the centre where…[they] jostle together like the mosh pit at a pre-COVID rock concert” [2020: 91].
⭐Despite its weaknesses, A History of the Universe in 21 Stars introduces many curious facts and is a good guide on how to find and identify most prominent stars and constellations (since it also has good hand-drawn illustrations) (for example, it goes brilliantly with the Stellarium planetarium software, which is a great free programme enabling one to explore stars, planets and distant galaxies through a computer in the comfort of one’s home).
March 16, 2021
I've read a number of astronomy books like this, and I was concerned that it would be repetitive, but the author kept it fresh and I was constantly learning things. It does a good job of mixing the history of astronomy with science. I also appreciated the simple hand-drawn illustrations. If you're an astronomy buff and can take a little science, you'll enjoy this book.
January 18, 2026
So if you're going to write an introduction to astronomy, and especially the stars, there are three ways you can structure it: (1) as a history of astronomy, describing how we discovered what we know about the stars. Such an approach is likely to have lots of detail added for color about the various scientists who pioneered discoveries or theories - but if you're reading for the science rather than the color, this approach is slow and distracting. Or (2), you can map what we understand to be the 'stellar main sequence' and its various tracks. That would look a lot like a Wikipedia article. But it's inherently an abstract framework, and is likely to leave a reader wondering, how many of each kind of star there are, and where one would look to find them. Or (3), you could take the approach this book does: start with 24 celestial bodies of various kinds and use them to anchor a tour of the known universe.
The upside of this approach is that the knowledge imparted feels almost practical, connected to actual things you can go outside in the dark with a good pair of binoculars (mostly) and observe - and it leaves room to share stories of discovery, how we know what we know. Where the approach slips a little for me is, I have trouble remembering all the different kinds of stars and how they fit together. But for that, having read this book, I can go read the Wikipedia article on the stellar main sequence for a summary and refresher.
The book ends with a decent explanation of dark matter and a sort of 'who knows?' shrug in the direction of dark energy. Exactly what and where the dark energy is - and whether it actually exists or is the modern equivalent of a Ptolemaic epicycle added to our modern theories to keep them in orbit - matters a great deal for understanding the ultimate fate of our universe. But it appears we still have some time to figure that out, and this book is a deeply pleasurable tour of what we're pretty sure about, and why.
The upside of this approach is that the knowledge imparted feels almost practical, connected to actual things you can go outside in the dark with a good pair of binoculars (mostly) and observe - and it leaves room to share stories of discovery, how we know what we know. Where the approach slips a little for me is, I have trouble remembering all the different kinds of stars and how they fit together. But for that, having read this book, I can go read the Wikipedia article on the stellar main sequence for a summary and refresher.
The book ends with a decent explanation of dark matter and a sort of 'who knows?' shrug in the direction of dark energy. Exactly what and where the dark energy is - and whether it actually exists or is the modern equivalent of a Ptolemaic epicycle added to our modern theories to keep them in orbit - matters a great deal for understanding the ultimate fate of our universe. But it appears we still have some time to figure that out, and this book is a deeply pleasurable tour of what we're pretty sure about, and why.
January 29, 2023
Deze lezer vond het een heel mooi boek , hoewel ik geen sterrenkijker heb of ben , (alleen eens teruglachen naar de maan als ik ze ergens vind lukt mij )
Het boek vertelt wat over verschillende sterren waar ze te vinden zijn en wat er in en rond deze sterren (zou ) gebeuren, gebeurt zijn ,
Het enthousiasme (voor astronomie) van de schrijver straalt uit het boek , deed me soms wat wegdromen en nieuwe vraagstaartjes begonnen zich te vormen , alles (?) in het heelal lijkt voortdurend te bewegen en te veranderen, heel snel , heel traag en de tijd ertussen ,
Ik vraag me of alle sterren in dezelfde richting draaien of niet en hoe verdeling dan zou zijn , draaien Bv zuster sterren in dezelfde richting ? , aangezien (licht) energie afbuigt naar de gevormde zwaartekracht banen is de draairichting mss van toepassing om te weten waar het zo een beetje naartoe gaat ,
Mooi , enthousiast en begrijpelijk boek over die stipjes (of grote bol ) die je ziet als je naar boven kijkt
Het boek vertelt wat over verschillende sterren waar ze te vinden zijn en wat er in en rond deze sterren (zou ) gebeuren, gebeurt zijn ,
Het enthousiasme (voor astronomie) van de schrijver straalt uit het boek , deed me soms wat wegdromen en nieuwe vraagstaartjes begonnen zich te vormen , alles (?) in het heelal lijkt voortdurend te bewegen en te veranderen, heel snel , heel traag en de tijd ertussen ,
Ik vraag me of alle sterren in dezelfde richting draaien of niet en hoe verdeling dan zou zijn , draaien Bv zuster sterren in dezelfde richting ? , aangezien (licht) energie afbuigt naar de gevormde zwaartekracht banen is de draairichting mss van toepassing om te weten waar het zo een beetje naartoe gaat ,
Mooi , enthousiast en begrijpelijk boek over die stipjes (of grote bol ) die je ziet als je naar boven kijkt
September 5, 2023
Giles Sparrow took on an incredibly difficult task with this book. Using our Sun and its kin as primer to unlocking the cipher that is existence. I would say that for the most part Sparrow was successful. This reference book makes Astronomy more accessible to everyone; although the science may upset flat earth conspiracy theorists.
I called it a reference book because Sparrow’s style is at times clunky and jumps about in a way that seems to capture our author’s excitement on the topic. For that reason I wish Sparrow had focused on just the science, along with giving it a more cohesive structure and smoother flow.
Again this is a great starting point for anyone interested in getting started in Astronomy. I, myself, am inspired to get a proper telescope and gaze longingly into the night sky. It also brings a new appreciation for the movie/book Contact and a desire to revisit the material.
I called it a reference book because Sparrow’s style is at times clunky and jumps about in a way that seems to capture our author’s excitement on the topic. For that reason I wish Sparrow had focused on just the science, along with giving it a more cohesive structure and smoother flow.
Again this is a great starting point for anyone interested in getting started in Astronomy. I, myself, am inspired to get a proper telescope and gaze longingly into the night sky. It also brings a new appreciation for the movie/book Contact and a desire to revisit the material.
September 26, 2022
Ak hľadáte jemnú rozprávku o hviezdach, mýlite sa. Toto je vlastne astrofyzika pre idiotov, ale naozaj krásne a jednoducho poňatá.
Na príklade 21 hviezd a 3 imitátorov sa dozvedáme nielen o dejinách vesmíru, ale aj o postupnom vývoji vnímania a skúmania vesmíru. Je to naozaj skvelá kniha, fakty a javy sú vysvetlené celkom prístupne, aj keď, ak človek neprečíta knihu na posedenie, môže na niektoré súvislosti zabudnúť.
Zároveň sú tu krásne obrázky, podľa ktorých sa dá orientovať na nočnej oblohe. Aj keď musím podotknúť, že ja som slepá, alebo hmlovinu pri Orionovom páse na oblohe nevidím :D
Na príklade 21 hviezd a 3 imitátorov sa dozvedáme nielen o dejinách vesmíru, ale aj o postupnom vývoji vnímania a skúmania vesmíru. Je to naozaj skvelá kniha, fakty a javy sú vysvetlené celkom prístupne, aj keď, ak človek neprečíta knihu na posedenie, môže na niektoré súvislosti zabudnúť.
Zároveň sú tu krásne obrázky, podľa ktorých sa dá orientovať na nočnej oblohe. Aj keď musím podotknúť, že ja som slepá, alebo hmlovinu pri Orionovom páse na oblohe nevidím :D
August 2, 2025
I would honestly recommend this book if you like space and pop-sci books and want something with a nice chatty, easy to read author's voice. Also, because of the way it's structured with a different 'star' being the focus of each chapter it gets across a good amount of information without feeling too 'MUCH'. It's a pretty easy and interesting casual read and it does what it seemed to be trying to do very well. I had a good time with this book!
January 27, 2023
I bought this book to learn more about stars, which I did, although the astrophysics bits sometimes went over my head. The book is very readable, though. The author describes each star and its position in the sky so you can see what he's talking about, and relates the history behind each star. I would gladly read any other books by Giles Sparrow.
June 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this hugely accessible science / history book. It explained the science in a way I understood, while also pulling in lots of fascinating historical detail and explaining the myths behind many constellations as well. I’ll definitely be keeping this on my shelf, and I can’t wait to try to find some of the stars covered and to go back to the book to check what I’m looking at.
October 28, 2024
For a brief moment, I thought that the folksy-jokey tone might start to wear thin, but it didn't.
A really accessible intro guide to an awful lot of astrophysics, particularly the history, in a clever way that also allows people to go and look at the objects in question. And had a bunch of stuff that I didn't know - and I'm doing an MSc in the subject!
A really accessible intro guide to an awful lot of astrophysics, particularly the history, in a clever way that also allows people to go and look at the objects in question. And had a bunch of stuff that I didn't know - and I'm doing an MSc in the subject!
February 25, 2023
2,5.
i was hoping this was going to be a little more accessible to a space beginning like myself, but a lot of the facts in this flew over my head. not sure how much was the writing and what was just me being dumb (:
i was hoping this was going to be a little more accessible to a space beginning like myself, but a lot of the facts in this flew over my head. not sure how much was the writing and what was just me being dumb (:
December 13, 2023
Quite poorly edited, but an interesting light introduction to some astronomical concepts, and a nice insight into the historical context in which said concepts arose. The fairly discrete bite-sized chapters made this a pleasant read to unwind with at the end of term!
January 11, 2026
Beautiful book, full of awe and just enough detail. Will have to re-read it again, I felt like I was reading it and nodding like I had taken everything in.... but then found myself shuffling a few pages back.
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June 19, 2021A very nice format to take a journey through the evolution of stars and galaxies, and the different types and the different lives of these celestial bodies.
November 18, 2021
One of the best non fiction books I can remember reading in ages. An absolute joy. I can't wait to go stargazing now.
February 12, 2022
didn't actually finish this one. too much astrophysics and not explained very well.
August 19, 2022
Its fine. It just got boring after a while and i had to drag myself through it.
August 29, 2022
Such a beautifully designed book
September 8, 2022
gonna be honest, i dnf'd at about 1/3...
i hate dnfing but i just wasnt feeling it, there was too much waffle and didnt branch further than very basic concepts imo:(
i hate dnfing but i just wasnt feeling it, there was too much waffle and didnt branch further than very basic concepts imo:(
June 15, 2023
I did like this books contents (and beautiful cover). I just found it hard to read and had to take many breaks.
June 25, 2023
Enjoyable even though my understanding and retention aren’t great. I suddenly want to stargaze.
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