This excellent book about the astronomers who use the Big Eye—the
five-metre telescope on Mount Palomar in California—was first published in
1991. Not since Fred Hoyle’s novel, The Black Cloud, has there been a better
account of what it is like to be an astronomer peering through one of the finest
astronomical instruments in the world. Richard Preston’s First Light is
published by Corgi, £6.99/$24, ISBN 0552997846.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Mind
Why do people ask so few questions in conversation?Â
Comment
Mind
‘Remarkable’ discovery upends our understanding of how brains store memories
News
Humans
DNA reveals a society organised around women in pre-Roman Britain
News
Physics
Quantum entanglement is key to solving 250-year-old maths problem
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles