Our Accidental Universe: Stories of Discovery from Asteroids to Aliens

An astonishing tour of the key astronomical events of the past century, and of all the accidents and human error involved in our pursuit of asteroids, radio waves, new stars and alien life. *Now updated to include a new Afterword.* 'A riveting real-life Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.' Telegraph '‘An enjoyable tour of astronomical discoveries…His excellent book is a layman’s guide to the surprises’ - Daily Mail 'Lintott's boundless enthusiasm for everything cosmic makes it hard to put this book away once you start reading.' BBC Sky at Night Magazine 'Entertaining and enlightening' - The Idler ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... The BBC presenter of 'Sky at Night', and Gresham Professor of Astronomy, Chris Lintott, takes us on an astonishing tour of bizarre accidents, big characters, and human error to tell the story of some of the most important astronomical events of the past hundred years. - Our first views of the earliest galaxies were brought to us by the Hubble Space Telescope when it was pointed at absolutely nothing. - The ice-covered Enceladus, one of Saturn's nearly one hundred moons, was revealed as a possible habitat for life after a by-chance fly by of NASA's Cassini probe on a mission elsewhere. - Pulsars, the spectacular remnants of long-dead massive stars, were discovered as 'scruff' in the data for measurements of the twinkling of possible radio stars. As new telescopes are built on mountaintops and in deserts around the world, aiming to transform our view of the universe once more, Chris Lintott shows us that keeping an open mind will benefit us all - whatever might still be out there for us to find. ........................................................................................................................ Praise for Our Accidental Universe 'A scientific tour de force.' Dr Becky Smethurst 'Highly recommended.' Tristan Gooley 'Extravagantly entertaining ... warmly informative.' Lev Parikian 'A fascinating look at the strange and alien side of space.' Dr Lucy Rogers More praise for Chris Lintott 'Superbly written insights.' - Professor Brian Cox 'Chris Lintott is a modest genius. He has quietly revolutionized modern astronomy.' Brian May 'Lintott deftly interweaves personal experience and more philosophical ruminations.' Michael West, Nature

About the Author :
Chris Lintott is a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, where his research ranges from understanding how galaxies form and evolve, to predicting the properties of visiting interstellar asteroids. He is Principal Investigator of the Zooniverse citizen science platform, which provides opportunities for anyone to contribute to scientific research, and which was the topic of his first book, 'The Crowd and the Cosmos'. Lintott is best known as presenter of the BBC's long-running Sky at Night program, and as an accomplished lecturer and performer in venues from music festivals to planetaria. In 2023, he was appointed the 39th Gresham Professor of Astronomy, a post that dates back to the 16th century. Away from work, he cooks, plays real tennis and spends time with a rescued lurcher, Mr Max, with whom he presents the Dog Stars podcast.

Review :
A riveting real-life Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Highly approachable and elegantly explained ... a splendid book. An enjoyable tour of astronomical discoveries…His excellent book is a layman’s guide to the surprises. Entertaining and enlightening. Dense with information, Our Accidental Universe is also light-hearted and funny, thanks to Lintott’s nerdy humour, especially in the many footnotes. But most of all, his boundless enthusiasm for everything cosmic makes it hard to put this book away once you start reading. Chris Lintott has an eye for the most entertaining astronomical stories and the experience to take us behind the scenes. Highly recommended. Chris Lintott’s extravagantly entertaining book is a real eye-opener for those who, like me, struggle to know the difference between a pulsar and a comet. Warmly informative, and underpinned with wry, self-deprecating humour and deep expertise, it’s an indispensable addition to any science-lover’s library. I really enjoyed this. A fascinating book full of lively anecdotes and expert insight: Our Accidental Universe opens up a world of possibilities. As the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence continues, perhaps we are the ones who will be discovered first? Grab a front row seat! Chris Lintott’s Our Accidental Universe is wonderfully engaging, full to bursting with remarkable, celestial tales of the unexpected. A fascinating look at the strange and alien side of space from a wonderfully human astronomer.