Neil Comins’ Discovering the Universe confronts the challenges of the one-term astronomy course by heightening student curiosities about the cosmos, by using the context of astronomy to teach the process of science, and by highlighting common misconceptions and showing students how to think their way past them.

Neil Comins’ Discovering the Universe confronts the challenges of the one-term astronomy course by heightening student curiosities about the cosmos, by using the context of astronomy to teach the process of science, and by highlighting common misconceptions and showing students how to think their way past them. With its signature combination of vivid writing and spectacular images, the new edition offers new findings, new study help, and an expanded new media/supplements package centered on W.H. Freeman’s breakthrough online course space, LaunchPad.

Neil Comins’ Discovering the Universe is highly acclaimed for bringing the excitement of scientific discovery to the one-term astronomy course. Vivid writing and images, conceptual and mathematical support, and a focus on common mistakes and misunderstandings have made the book a longtime classroom bestseller. The new edition captures the current state of our understanding of the cosmos, with new findings, new study help, and an expanded new media/supplements package centered on W.H. Freeman’s breakthrough online course space, LaunchPad.

Discovering the Universe, Fifth Edition is one of the briefest texts available for an introductory astronomy course, while providing the wide range of factual topics that are the hallmark of the text and are consistent with most course needs. By flipping through the book, readers will find it as rich in celestial images and figures as other textbooks for the same audience. It is a balanced approach to content, depth, and breath, with effective teaching resources. It is also up-to-date, reflecting how our knowledge about the universe is expanding at a phenomenal rate.