Webb's Cosmos

If you’re looking for some astronomical eye candy for holiday gift giving, look no further … Authored by Marcin Sawicki and published by Firefly Books, the coffee-table style book showcases the first years of the James Webb Space Telescope’s explorations. Explore the universe at your own pace. You can read the book front to back, just focus on images and captions, or skip around and see what grabs your fancy.

Remember Christmas Day 2021? The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope was a nerve-racking day for astronomy. It was also the beginning of an entirely new era, as proven by Webb’s Cosmos, which tells the story of arguably humanity’s greatest ever achievement in science and engineering in more than 200 images, many published here for the first time. From star-forming nebulae and sculpted dust clouds to distant galaxies, exoplanets and planets in our own solar system, it’s a front-row seat on Webb’s greatest hits so far. Professional astronomer Marcin Sawicki explains how this infrared observatory works and what its data reveal, making this both a spectacular coffee-table book and an accessible guide for curious stargazers.

Since its launch on Christmas Day, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, has been sending back views of the universe of unprecedented depth and detail. This selection of more than two hundred images, curated by one of the mission’s scientists, is visually splendid and highly informative.

Marcin Sawicki is a professional research astronomer who has been involved with the James Webb Space Telescope Project for more than two decades and is now extensively using Webb for research. He is the co-author of 20 research papers based on data taken with Webb. A professional educator and experienced science communicator, Sawicki is Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary’s University and has held prestigious appointments: Canada Research Chair, Canadian Space Agency Science Fellow and Plaskett Fellow.