Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe

[Avro Arrow]

(My apologies if there is already a thread on this. I searched, but didn't find anything.)

So, because of another thread, I was looking at the listing on Amazon for the new Encyclopedia (). But down in the "Customers also viewed" area, I saw this:

Star Trek: The Official Guide to Our Universe: The True Science Behind the Starship Voyages

As Star Trek celebrates its 50th anniversary, this book reveals the real science behind its fantastic and beloved fictions, inviting readers to step outside, gaze up at the night sky, and observe some of the destinations the Starfleet has visited. Many of the galactic destinations featured in Star Trek over the years—multiple star systems, alien worlds, supernova explosions, emission nebulae, voracious black holes—are scientifically valid, so much so that one can step out and view them in the night sky. In this book astronomy educator Andrew Fazekas, “The Night Sky Guy,” takes you on that journey, starting with specific Star Trek voyages, explaining the science behind them, and guiding you in observing and learning more about the real-universe corollaries of planets and places in the Star Trek universe.

Sounds interesting... an astronomy book based on the destinations visited in Star Trek, published by National Geographic. I'll have to check it out, but I'm already leaning towards picking it up. Apparently it's out in early June.

Just thought I'd mention it, in case anyone else was interested!

 

[bbailey861]

I had no idea; thanks for this. I have just pre-ordered it.

 

[JD]

I've been seeing this pop up for a while, and I'm really looking forward to it. I really like astronomy, so having a book like this released by National Geographic would already have my interesting but throwing in the Trek connection just takes it to a whole other level for me.

 

[The Night Sky Guy]

Hi Everyone, Just saw this thread - I am the author of the book - and thought I would drop in to say hello and a say a big thank you for all of your interest.

It truly has been a labor of love, and I am so excited to share it with all of you. I have been a Trek fan since childhood back in the 70's and also a big astronomy buff, so this project really combines both of my loves. There's a lot of cool things I got to cram in these page. You'll get to reminisce about specific episodes/films and how some of the most amazing astronomical destinations played a role in the the ST Universe history, discover the latest real science about these objects, and even get a chance to hunt them down in the night sky right from your doorstep. And I also got to highlight some of the neat gadgets and technologies that make Star Trek so special.

It hits bookshelves on June 7th.

I truly hope you all enjoy it.

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

I just pre-ordered it too!

 

[Avro Arrow]

It truly has been a labor of love, and I am so excited to share it with all of you. I have been a Trek fan since childhood back in the 70's and also a big astronomy buff, so this project really combines both of my loves. There's a lot of cool things I got to cram in these page. You'll get to reminisce about specific episodes/films and how some of the most amazing astronomical destinations played a role in the the ST Universe history, discover the latest real science about these objects, and even get a chance to hunt them down in the night sky right from your doorstep. And I also got to highlight some of the neat gadgets and technologies that make Star Trek so special.

This sounds great! Thank you for sharing this with us!

I think this has gone from "leaning toward" to "definite purchase"!

(And welcome to the board! )

 

[Kor]

This looks very interesting. So does it go into places from all Trek series?

Kor

 

[The Night Sky Guy]

The book includes select episodes and movies where astronomical objects play a role in the plot/scenes, and makes reference to every series and many of the movies.

 

[Idran]

When you say "every series", does that include TAS?

 

[Galileo7]

Looks interesting.

 

[Avro Arrow]

When you say "every series", does that include TAS?

Well, Beta Lyrae is a real-life binary star system, so it conceivably could!

 

[The Night Sky Guy]

Yes TAS is briefly mentioned. BTW Beta Lyrae is a fine eclipsing binary to observe in the summer sky in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

[Christopher]

By the way, Beta Lyrae is also called Sheliak, so it's been mentioned in two Trek series. Although there's no way the Sheliak from "The Ensigns of Command" could actually be from Beta Lyrae itself, since the system is only c. 23 million years old, nowhere near enough time to develop life. I tend to figure they're from somewhere nearby and are named for the most prominent star in the region -- which is also how I accounted for the Betelgeusians in Ex Machina.

 

[Avro Arrow]

^ The Sheliak are supposedly from the "Shelia star system", though, so in-universe, I would guess "Sheliak" is their own name for themselves, and the fact that it sounds like a human name for Beta Lyrae is just coincidence. (Although it's certainly possible that the script writer originally coined the name with the RL star in mind.)

 

[BillJ]

$15.99 currently on Amazon for pre-order.

 

[The Night Sky Guy]

I think even if you have a passing interest in astronomy and never did any stargazing, you'll find this book interesting because of the deep connection with the Star Trek Universe. It's basically exploring the Universe through the lens of Star Trek.

 

[uniderth]

When you say "every series", does that include TAS?

And not include Enterprise.

Yeah,that's right. I said it.

 

[publiusr]

Hi Everyone, Just saw this thread - I am the author of the book - and thought I would drop in to say hello and a say a big thank you for all of your interest.

It truly has been a labor of love, and I am so excited to share it with all of you. I have been a Trek fan since childhood back in the 70's and also a big astronomy buff, so this project really combines both of my loves. There's a lot of cool things I got to cram in these page. You'll get to reminisce about specific episodes/films and how some of the most amazing astronomical destinations played a role in the the ST Universe history, discover the latest real science about these objects, and even get a chance to hunt them down in the night sky right from your doorstep. And I also got to highlight some of the neat gadgets and technologies that make Star Trek so special.

It hits bookshelves on June 7th.

I truly hope you all enjoy it.

I'd like to see the latest ideas on Domain Walls, textures, and other cosmological defects. Some art depicting these proposed concepts might draw interest. That and talk about how a magnetar may be more of a threat to metal ships than a black hole itself.

Trek is perfect to present these concepts.

 

[Avro Arrow]

The Trek Collective now has preview pages available for viewing!

http://www.thetrekcollective.com/2016/05/star-trek-official-guide-to-our.html

 

[vegaslover62]

Although there's no way the Sheliak from "The Ensigns of Command" could actually be from Beta Lyrae itself, since the system is only c. 23 million years old, nowhere near enough time to develop life.

The Sheliak, in the episode, demonstrated an interest in colonizing. Beta Lyrae could be just another colony.