How many stars are in the Universe? How many galaxies? Are black holes real? Fifty years after the birth of the Space Age we have expanded considerably our vision of the Universe. Space probes, satellites and space observatories, combined with ground telescopes, have opened new windows to the cosmos, discovering along the way many more galaxies than we could see with the naked eye, gathering evidence that black holes populate the galaxies, that planets orbit distant stars, and giving us glimpses of strange phenomena never seen before.
Author Dora Musielak has taken some of that science to spin an awe-inspiring fantasy. Kuxan Suum: Path to the Center of the Universe is the story of a Mayan princess who travels through space in search of knowledge and the truth of the cosmos. Through her fantastic voyage, the young woman describes the beauty of the cosmic environment around her.
Kuxan Suum is a metaphor that presents a sketch of everything in the universe, planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and black holes. The book is illustrated with stunningly beautiful views of space taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the second part of the book, Musielak explains in simple terms the science behind the metaphor, highlighting especially the challenges of a cosmic journey, even moving at the speed of light. The second part, aptly named “The Reality of the Fantasy,” expands on many of the themes in the allegoric tale of Kuxan Suum such as the nature of black holes, the discovery of extrasolar planets, and the mystery of dark matter and dark energy.
Intended to stir excitement in space exploration and scientific inquiry, Kuxan Suum seeks to inspire young readers and give them a reason to pursue studies of science, mathematics, and engineering. This book is for non-scientists interested in the wonders of the Universe.
Kuxan Suum: Path to the Center of the Universe by Dora Musielak, 2008 (ISBN: 9781434355829)
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