For anyone who has ever been fascinated by the night sky, this beautifully designed introduction to astronomy and its history reveals the compelling story of mankind's quest through the ages to unlock the scientific secrets of our universe.With over 400 stunning illustrations, including the latest satellite photography, historic prints and paintings, and artists' impressions of phenomena known to exist but never photographed, Murdin presents 65 discoveries that demonstrate how human ingenuity, technological innovation and occasionally pure serendipity have expanded our knowledge of the Universe beyond anything our ancestors - even a generation ago - could have imagined.