The best audiobooks for stargazers and amateur astronomers

There's no doubt that science as a whole has a long way to go in terms of inclusion. Historically, women have been overshadowed by their male counterparts, and Black women in particular have had to navigate the intersection of their Blackness and gender-identity. In The Disordered Cosmos, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein discusses the duality of her love for science and the cosmos, and her dream that they become more inclusive. As one of fewer than 100 Black women to earn a PhD in physics, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein brings unprecedented perspective and knowledge to the world of astronomy. In this audiobook, she shares her love for the cosmos, while laying the groundwork and her vision for a science that's better for everyone, no matter what intersection they lie in.

Humans, in various evolutionary forms, have inhabited the Earth for more than 200,000 years and have always exhibited a natural curiosity, respect, and reverence for the stars above. From harvesting crops to hunting, making note of our relationship to the skies proved pivotal for the survival of early humans. It’s partly due to this curiosity that modern day astronomers know so much about the cosmos and have been able to make such enormous strides in science. In The Remarkable Science of Ancient Astronomy, award-winning teacher Bradley E. Schaefer studies sites and tools such as Stonehenge, the Great Pyramids of Giza, constellations, and ancient calendars to try to understand the thinking behind these great ancient astronomers. In this Great Courses offering, Dr. Schaefer highlights just how special, advanced, and intelligent our ancient relatives were and how much of their insights and research we glean from today.

The thought of black holes is fascinating, if not downright terrifying. The idea that there are huge masses of invisible energy that swallow everything beyond their event horizon, never to be seen again, is the wacky invention of sci-fi minds. But they’re very real. However, there are still plenty of unanswered questions surrounding these terrifying blobs. Black Holes, Tides, and Curved Spacetime attempts to answer the unknowns of black holes and other forces, such as gravity, the expansion of the universe, quantum mechanics, and more. And since this audiobook is part of the Great Courses library, you can expect the best expert insight and research.

It's terrifying, yet humbling, to know that the world as we know it will end one day. But will it end today? Tomorrow? How exactly will it end? Planetary collapse? Solar flare? In The End of Everything, astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack attempts to answer all of these existential end-of-humanity questions, and more. She proposes five scenarios for our eventual doom, and talks through all of them in reality-grounded detail. Fun, humorous, engaging but all too real, The End of Everything is a fascinating take on the topic of the doomed fate of humankind that would otherwise prompt spiraling and tears. Bonus: if you're interested in hearing more perspective from the author herself, check out her interview with Editor Emily.

Not so long ago, the thought of true believers in UFOs inspired images of people wearing tinfoil hats. But now, the idea isn’t so far-fetched and it's picking up mainstream appeal, especially after respected astronomer and Harvard professor Avi Loeb hopped aboard the speeding UFO train with his debut title, Extraterrestrial. In this audiobook, Loeb focuses on the idea that we recently had an extraterrestrial visit by way of the mysterious Oumuamua in 2017. While many astronomers pegged it as a comet, other researchers, including Loeb, believe Oumuamua was extraterrestrial in nature. From its strange orbit and awkward cigar-like shape to the fact that it left no debris, could Oumuamua be an advanced piece of extraterrestrial technology? Extraterrestrial examines Loeb’s controversial thinking and considers the massive implications on everything from science to religion that alien visitation might have on our society.

When you hear the phrase pale blue dot, images of the famous 1990 Voyager 1 photo of the Earth from 3.7 billion miles away probably come to mind. The image of the tiniest sliver of our round home, breathtaking in its own right, emphasizes just how small the Earth truly is in the scale of our universe. It also highlights how little of space we have actually been able to explore. The follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut title, Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot is Carl Sagan’s examination of our foray into the cosmos and what lies ahead for space exploration. A passionate proponent of cosmos exploration and establishing a next frontier beyond Earth, Sagan argues in Pale Blue Dot that not only is planetary settlement a huge achievement, it’s also necessary for human survival. Made even more special by an original musical score by composer Alan Silvestri, Pale Blue Dot is an unprecedented look into the mind of one of the most accomplished astronomers of our time.

There is a small but ever-growing contingent of thinkers, innovators, and researchers that believes that in order to keep humanity going, we must settle on other planets—Mars in particular. While this sentiment was once reserved for cheesy interplanetary sci-fi films of the ’80s, it’s picked up legitimate mainstream traction. In The Future of Humanity, researcher and physicist Michio Kaku explores the idea of Martian colonization by humans as well as travel to distant galaxies. He argues that, given our advances across many technological aspects, this once-comical idea is not only possible but plausible. This New York Times best seller is an unprecedented and bold exploration into ideas once thought impossible that dares us to think big.

If you haven't yet seen the 2014 Christopher Nolan space-epic Interstellar, do yourself a favor and watch it right away. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Matt Damon, and others, the movie takes us to nearby galaxies in search of a habitable planet since Earth has become blight-stricken. Featuring the effects and visual flair Nolan is known for, Interstellar quickly became the gold standard for how to make a space movie. But what most fans didn’t realize was that Nolan consulted with a real physicist, Kip Thorne, to make sure the film made sense from a scientific standpoint. The Science of Interstellar is Kip Thorne’s account of the very real research that went into Interstellar and his experience as an advisor to Nolan. Featuring chapter-by-chapter insights that cover all of the space themes throughout the film, The Science of Interstellar is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most groundbreaking space films in recent history and the research behind it.

Along with the late Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most vocal, respected, and revolutionary voices in the world of astronomy. As the current director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Tyson has written several books about the cosmos, space exploration, and our role in the universe. In Origins, Tyson once again takes listeners on a long-winding tour of our universe and the many strides we’ve made in understanding it. From planetary exploration to the discovery of how galaxies are formed, Origins is a history of the universe at heart with unparalleled excitement about what lies ahead for humanity.

It’s been more than 50 years since the United States won the space race and became the first country to land on the moon, with famed astronaut Neil Armstrong leading the mission. But space exploration is no longer an endeavor exclusive to the brilliant minds over at NASA. From Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic to Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin and Elon Musk of SpaceX, the race to space is wide open. In the Audible Original The Space Race, a full cast of standout actors and performers narrate the incredible stories behind the mission that led us to the moon, offering a peek at some of the players in the next great space mission. Listeners will be treated to behind-the-scenes access to some of the biggest names in space exploration, from Buzz Aldrin to Tim Peake and many others. This is a unique documentary-drama that will leave you nothing short of inspired and hopeful for what lies ahead in the race to the cosmos.

It’s eerie to consider that we don’t know what comprises nearly 96 percent of our universe. We know we exist, just as we do the stars, planets, and moons around us. But what about everything else? The 4 Percent Universe examines this unknown and tells the story of those dedicated to finding the answer behind a substance scientists have appropriately dubbed dark matter. Author Richard Panek’s reporting takes him deep into the minds of the group of scientists trying to find out exactly what this dark matter is—and their infighting along the way. Expertly researched and crafted, The 4 Percent Universe is a fascinating exploration of how little we truly know about the universe we inhabit and those trying to answer one of humanity's biggest questions.

One of the most persistent thoughts that keeps me up at night is how exactly Mars became the way it is right now: a barren, rust-colored wasteland. Yes, actually. But I’m not the only one—scientists have long wondered how planets like Mars and Venus ended up in their current state. Were they always this way? Did something devastating happen? In Light of the Stars, astrophysicist Adam Frank attempts to answer these questions while tackling an even bigger mystery: Did ancient civilizations once inhabit these now-uninhabitable planets, and did their own actions contribute to their ultimate demise? A groundbreaking and introspective deep dive into the history of our cosmos and civilization, Light of the Stars will make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about humanity.