The sky at night and all it's environs is synonymous with the name of Patrick Moore. The editions of his Atlas of the Universe is highly indicative of this increasingly accelerating and expanding subject. No sooner has he published one edition, the advances in the science necessitate a further edition. In just a couple of decades of abeyance from the heavens, so much has changed. The Hubble Space Telescope, who's pictures are generously included in this book, has made huge inroads into the wonder of it all. We are now 'looking' at the sky in other wavelengths than the visible.
Mr Moore begins with the ancients of China and Egypt, the sky of Ptolemy and on through the discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Cassini etc etc. The Solar System, contrary to popular belief, has required, and is requiring continual updates, thanks to interplanetary probes. The 'gas giants' now have more moons than the Rolling Stones have offspring. Shock horror...Pluto is no longer a planet!
I really become open jawed once the book goes into deep space. Quarks, Big Bangs, atomic formations as the universe cools, increasing speeds of galaxies moving away from our sight, and perhaps Big Crunches and Black Holes. Do black holes form in the centre of galaxies? Or do black holes come first to create galaxies? Add some dark matter with a pinch of dark energy, bring to the boil and simmer for eons. Serve cold. It's a soup Jim, but not as we know it.