The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier | (PDF) Free Download

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NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Astrophysicist and folklorist Dr. Moiya McTier channels The Milky Way in this approachable and utterly fascinating autobiography of the titular galaxy, detailing what humans have discovered about everything from its formation to its eventual death, and what more there is to learn about this galaxy we call home. After a few billion years of bearing witness to life on Earth, of watching one hundred billion humans go about their day-to-day lives, of feeling unbelievably lonely, and of hearing its own story told by others, The Milky Way would like a chance to speak for itself. All one hundred billion stars and fifty undecillion tons of gas of it. It all began some thirteen billion years ago, when clouds of gas scattered through the universe’s primordial plasma just could not keep their metaphorical hands off each other. They succumbed to their gravitational attraction, and the galaxy we know as the Milky Way was born. Since then, the galaxy has watched as dark energy pushed away its first friends, as humans mythologized its name and purpose, and as galactic archaeologists have worked to determine its true age (rude). The Milky Way has absorbed supermassive (an actual technical term) black holes, made enemies of a few galactic neighbors, and mourned the deaths of countless stars. Our home galaxy has even fallen in love. After all this time, the Milky Way finally feels that it’s amassed enough experience for the juicy tell-all we’ve all been waiting for. Its fascinating autobiography recounts the history and future of the universe in accessible but scientific detail, presenting a summary of human astronomical knowledge thus far that is unquestionably out of this world.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Astrophysicist McTier delivers in her debut a delightful report on the Milky Way’s inner workings. . . McTier writes that her goal is to help people ‘understand how ephemeral [our] existence is.’ She succeeds smashingly. The result is truly stellar.”―Publishers Weekly, starred review”[C]reative, humorous and enormously entertaining. . . As with any translation from another tongue, readers may marvel at the role of the translator in creating a book that is both informative and truly inspirational. Here, it’s clear Dr. McTier has harnessed the sense of marvel she felt as a child, when she imagined the sun and moon as celestial parents who watched over her and talked to her on a regular basis. That childlike wonder, combined with her expertise in mythology and astronomy, makes her the perfect human to assist in telling this story.”―Bookpage, starred review”As a character, the Milky Way is a cross between a Greek goddess and GLaDOS, the artificially superintelligent computer system from the Portal video-game series. She gossips about other galaxies, teaches us about her past and imparts a primer on astrophysics, all the while relishing every opportunity to throw shade on humankind’s egocentrism and closed-mindedness.”―Scientific American”[A] one-of-a-kind look at our galaxy. . . Educational, informative, and original, this will leave readers eagerly anticipating McTier’s next book.”―Booklist”McTier sprinkles humor throughout her whimsical look at the cosmos. . . [T]he author clearly knows her subject and delivers enough fascinating information to keep the pages turning.”―Kirkus Reviews”It’s about time we heard the story of the Milky Way in its own words. The good news is that our galaxy is not only ancient and majestic; it’s also whimsical, amusing, and downright chatty. Moiya McTier’s book is an entertaining introduction to some of the most profound features of our astrophysical neighborhood.”―Sean Carroll, New York Times bestselling author of Something Deeply Hidden”If you want to learn about the Milky Way, who better to go to than the source? Well, up until now, the Galaxy hasn’t been talking – but all of that has changed! Turns out, the Milky Way has a sense of humor, an attitude, and, frankly, isn’t super impressed with us as of late. If you’re looking for a fun and unique way to learn about astrophysics – this is the book for you! “―Kelly Weinersmith, New York Times bestselling author of Soonish”A direct, fun, and charming mix of the science, folklore, and history of our Milky Way galaxy. And since that galaxy is technically composed at least in part by ME, I cannot help but take some of the credit.”―Ryan North, New York Times bestselling author of How to Invent Everything“With The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy, Moiya McTier gives us an exciting romp through the universe from the perspective of a most unexpected guide: our local sentient collection of stars, gas, dark matter, planets, and its wayward humans. What an exciting way to learn about everything in the universe, from its earliest moments to star births and deaths. Only here will you learn what the Milky Way thinks of its neighbors. McTier invents the genre of cosmic gossip — what fun it is!”―Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred”McTier’s sharp wit and sharper intellect strike the perfect tone for this breezy take on the history of our galaxy. Truly the biggest tell-all story in the universe!”―Paul M. Sutter, PhD, astrophysicists and author of Your Place in the Universe“Brilliantly blending astrophysics and mythology, McTier has crafted an out of this world work of genius. The Milky Way is a remarkably clever, eye-opening entry into the astrophysics cannon that radically changes our perspective on space and our place in the vast cosmos. As entertaining as it is informative, this book is an essential read for earth dwellers who want a better understanding of our galactic home.”―Stephon Alexander, author of Fear of a Black Universe“A deliciously hilarious/irreverent and irresistible romp shimmering with astrophysics facts and cutting edge observations. A first “person” perspective that only an astrophysicist can provide. McTier’s humor and keen eye for detail pens the autobiography that our home galaxy deserves!”―Brian Keating, Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Physics at UC San Diego and author of Losing the Nobel Prize and INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE: Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner About the Author Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator based in New York City. After graduating from Harvard as the first person in the school’s history to study both astronomy and mythology, Moiya earned her PhD in astrophysics at Columbia University where she was selected as a National Science Foundation research fellow. Moiya has consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on their fictional worlds, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science, and given hundreds of talks about science around the globe (including features on MSNBC, NPR, and NowThis News). To combine her unique set of expertise, Moiya hosts and produces the Exolore podcast that explores fictional world-building through the lens of science. When she’s not researching space or imagining new worlds, Moiya can likely be found watching trashy reality tv with her cat, Kosmo.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Moiya McTier utilizes her unique loves of astrophysics and folklore to tell the story of the Milky Way in sassy, snarky tones that make what can be a difficult subject to understand relatable to the casual space geek. I can’t remember ever laughing while reading an astronomy book, and there were points during this book where I howled with laughter. McTier both anthropomorphizes the galaxy and its companions, including a long-festering distaste for Larry (aka the Large Magellanic Cloud), the discomfort and shame of Sarge (aka the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy) and an adoration for Andromeda, while simultaneously pointing out how self-absorbed and puny humans can be. McTier covers not just the science of the universe and the Milky Way, but also delves into astronomical discoveries over time, and the mythologies that early civilizations had about the galaxy and night sky, making the story feel even more comprehensive in nature. Readers should take note that while this may look like a fiction book, it is non-fiction. As someone who has always had a love for astronomy and outer space, this is a perfect book for the fun, conversational way it conveys information about space. If you love the idea of space but find textbooks intimidating, this book is for you. If you’re a teenager and want to read a book about space that namechecks Beyonce and “those hunky brothers from Australia” this book is for you. If you’re uptight and think all books about astronomy should be dry, boring and only readable by people with a doctorate in astronomy or astrophysics this book probably isn’t for you – but it wasn’t meant to be, you stick-in-the-local neighborhood Larry! I absolutely loved this fresh, fun take on the Milky Way, the universe and physics in general.

⭐The Milky Way by Moiya McTier is an excellent one volume introduction to the history of our galaxy. Once you accept the narrative voice of a galaxy that barely has time for something as transient as humans, you’ll find yourself pulled in by the ease, clarity, and depth of McTier’s way of telling a story and in fact conveying the most up to date state of our understanding of the galaxy and the formation of the universe itself. The illustrations are very nice and compliment the text well. Star maps or pictures of celestial phenomena would be a nice addition in later editions. The author seems to be at her best when she considers the galaxy through the light of human folklore and mythology. This is a fun and easy book to read. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ll learn, and how quickly and easily.

⭐If you ever wanted to meet the Milky Way this is your chance. Hear about the struggles and challenges of our exceptional Galaxy. Learn some facts while also getting the lowdown on juicy intergalactic relations.

⭐We often beseech the stars to help us with our Earthly woes on a clear night… but it isn’t often that the Milky Way talks back. Dr. Moiya McTier’s new book The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy casts our home galaxy as a wise sage lecturing humanity on our coming of age in the cosmos. Warning: the Milky Way has a touch of a snarky attitude, and it doesn’t shy away from ridiculing the follies of our species. Through the narrative, McTier adds in the history of how we’ve come by our hard-won knowledge on the cosmos, as well as where our cutting-edge understanding in the fields of cosmology and astrophysics sits. The Milky Way is a great read, and weaves a wonderful modern myth around our home address in time and space.

⭐This fun-to-read book combines the latest thinking on both our galaxy and the evolution and structure of the universe as a whole. The author cleverly combines science with snarky language in this galactic “autobiography.” This approach puts human concerns and actions in their humble place in the overall setting of the unimaginable scale of the universe, both in time and in space. Maybe this perspective will help us humans be friendlier to each other and our planet, to be more cooperative and preserve our gorgeous earth.Usually scientists make this attempt at filling us with awe just by throwing out lots of large numbers on how many stars there are, how many likely exoplanets, etc. However this book, by telling a story and creating cosmic characters, makes the information so much more compelling and memorable than just dry numbers do. I wish all science writers would do such an outstanding job drawing me into their subject matter.

⭐I have no science background, but was always really interested in space. So when I got this book, I was shocked at how quickly I became emerged. I literally couldn’t put it down!!! I was just looking for an introduction into the topic, but what I didn’t expect was how entertaining this author made this topic….even funny (which I was not expecting at ALL). So props to the author for making a science book that you actual enjoy reading and come away with actually having learned a lot. Honestly, I found it hard to put this book down at times and couldn’t recommend it more : )

⭐This is an honest science book on the one hand and on the other, a companion to great storytellers of humorous mythology such as Stephen Fry in his Mythos Trilogy. If you love Mythos, you should love this book! Similar tone while maintaining educational relevance. This would be a great book for teens uninitiated to the field or wizened professionals looking for a light(er) read. Any and all would enjoy.The book doesn’t shy away from more difficult topics, however, they’re approached in a way that neither infantilizes nor over assumes the readers background to the subject.I preordered this book following Dr. McTier’s guest episode on Queer Movie Podcast where she plugged the new release. The author was a delight to listen to in podcast form – funny and relatable. I myself am hoping to mix myth and science in my future, and I also hope to graduate from Harvard. If you’re reading this Dr. McTier, know that I am so very grateful for the space you’ve made for others to follow behind you. I hope one day to thank you in person. Keep going. ❤️

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