The Last Stargazers

The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers

De: Emily Levesque

Narrado por: Janet Metzger

The story of the people who see beyond the stars

Humans from the earliest civilizations were spellbound by the night sky - craning their necks each night, they used the stars to orient themselves in the large, strange world around them. Stargazing is a pursuit that continues to fascinate us: from Copernicus to Carl Sagan, astronomers throughout history have spent their lives trying to answer the biggest questions in the universe. Now, award-winning astronomer Emily Levesque shares the stories of modern-day stargazers, the people willing to adventure across high mountaintops and to some of the most remote corners of the planet, all in the name of science.

From the lonely quiet of midnight stargazing to tall tales of wild bears loose in the observatory, The Last Stargazers is a love letter to astronomy and an affirmation of the crucial role that humans can and must play in the future of scientific discovery.

In this sweeping work of narrative science, Levesque shows how astronomers in this scrappy and evolving field are going beyond the machines to infuse creativity and passion into the stars and inspires us all to peer skyward in pursuit of the universe's secrets.

©2020 First Light Science, LLC (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

This book has given me a couple of good laughs.

Overall, "The Last Stargazers" offers a compelling and accessible exploration of the world of astronomy, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in astronomy, science, and the people who devote their lives to unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

Just ok

My rate for this is based on the expectations that I had. I love book about science and Astronomy is being an interesting topic for me over the last years, however this book frustrated not talking about astronomy or great astronomers in the history, but it is, in general, about the daily routine of an astronomer. The authors writes very well, but the content was not engaging for me.

Nostalgia for a former Astronomer

This book definitely took me back to my grad school days. She gives a very real, very compelling, and very human view of what it is like to be an astronomer.

Skipped quite a bit

Tedious to get through details between colorful, anecdotal stories about the history and nature of the unique work done by astronomers. Often read like study notes, a personal log or a journal revoiced and loosely linked into third person, past tense. Read like a tribute to all the people and places author had been. The title is misleading. The first stargazers? Stargazer? Why the Last Stargazer??

Great Book

I read this book for work and expected an overly academic slog, but the writing is accessible and the personal stories of the astronomers are fascinating and include a surprising number of encounters with wildlife.