I found this a very interesting book, really easy to read and I never found myself too far out of my depth. Most importantly I have learnt bucketloads…enough to annoy the wife with all the repeating of facts to her. Whilst reading this book I watched a movie called “Don’t Look Up” and I loved how much more understanding I had for this disaster movie, normally it would have been a big old rock about to hit Earth but this time I was able to identify that it was a comet as they were working it out, so massive thanks go to Newsam for making me so wise.

The structure of the book is well laid out, Newsam starts out looking up at the sky and moves onto the sun and our planets and gradually gets further and further away, eventually discussing how it all started with the Big Bang. Thinking about how scientists managed to figure this out has always hurt my head and trying to grasp the distances involved is tough to do but he has explained things in a way that I can almost get it, how they figured out the big bang theory and then proved it was fascinating.

A lot of my questions have been answered too, why was Pluto no longer considered a planet, it always seemed unfair but as per usual the media twists the truth and barely tell you any of the facts, Newsam’s explanation makes sense and I can see why it was changed, no longer shall I seek vengeance for Pluto. One thing I’ve always wanted to know is how they figure out all the facts about the universe and this book gives you a nice run down on how the science works, who figured it out and how it was proved. There are also plenty of diagrams and photos to aid your understanding.

So, if you are wanting to know more about what’s around us but don’t think you have the ability to understand then give this book a go, Newsam explains things in a way that always has you nodding along without feeling belittled by his expert knowledge, this is the sort of book that could make you want to have a career spying on the stars.

Blog review: felcherman.wordpress.com/2022/02/09/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-universe-and-our-place-within-it-by-andrew-newsam/