The Universe and Beyond

In the almost 15 years since the release of the fifth edition of The Universe and Beyond, our understanding of the universe has advanced exponentially. Previous editions guided readers through the intriguing world of black holes, dark matter and dark energy, toured the planets of other stars and plumbed the mysteries of quasars, pulsars, supernovas and the accelerating universe.

In this new edition, Terence Dickinson and his longtime editorial partner Susan Dickinson joined forces to return to these earlier tours armed with exciting new information on the origin and evolution of the universe, the birth of planets, life on our solar system’s outer moons, runaway black holes, the first gravitational waves, an enigmatic interstellar visitor and more. These recent discoveries have spawned a host of questions about the universe that couldn’t even be imagined a decade ago.

Illustrating this voyage are breathtaking photos captured by the groundbreaking Hubble Space Telescope during the later phase of its mission and by the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope, which has already allowed us to observe first stars and the formation of first galaxies and has provided information about potentially habitable exoplanets.

The fully updated content showcases late-breaking science that has emerged since the last edition. Key topics include:

• The search for and discovery of thousands of new exoplanets
• New ideas on the origin and evolution of the universe
• The evolving distant universe as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope
• New theories about life on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and the outer moons in our solar system
• New results from the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter
• The first direct image of a monstrous black hole
• New telescopes and missions for the 2020s and 2030s.

The sixth edition of The Universe and Beyond is completely redesigned, and the photos and illustrations have been updated with awe-inspiring new images of the cosmos.

Terence Dickinson, one of Canada’s best-loved astronomy writers, gained renown for unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos. His down-to-earth style made him the award-winning best-selling author of 14 astronomy books, including NightWatch, The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide, The Universe and Beyond and Hubble’s Universe. Dickinson was a recipient of the Order of Canada and two honorary doctorates. He died of complications from Parkinson’s on February 1, 2023.

Susan Dickinson has been Terry’s lifelong editorial partner and advisor. During the latter stages of Terry’s illness, Susan oversaw the production of new editions of two of Terry’s bestsellers, The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide and NightWatch. After his death, she turned her focus on The Universe and Beyond (6th edition), a book that reflects Terry’s appreciation of a universe that captivated him for a lifetime.