A former NASA scientist makes the cosmic common knowledge To study astronomy is to consider the most wondrous phenomena on the grandest of scales ' the universe and all it contains. We have never known so much about the universe, and yet we have never known so little. That most of it is made up of the mysterious dark matter is just one indication of how much we still don't understand. Beginning with our earliest explorations of the night sky, William H. Waller takes us on an enthralling tour of the stars, the Milky Way and far, far beyond. Along the way he offers fascinating insights into the professional life of an astronomer and the cutting-edge developments revolutionising the field.