Visual Galaxy is an encyclopedic book, containing a lot more than I expected from its title. Only about a third of the book is devoted to the Milky Way and the stars and structures within it; almost all of the rest of the book is devoted to our own solar system and is a surprisingly good introduction to solar and planetary science. It contains beautiful photos and illustrations as one would expect from a National Geographic publication. In addition to that, it has excellent infographics on everything from the optical density of Saturn’s rings to the composition of planetary atmospheres to the warping of the Milky Way disk. Like Constellations, it can be dipped into at any point, or read cover-to-cover, and offers plenty of opportunity for learning whether you’re a kid space fan or a seasoned expert. ( )

Visual Galaxy is a stunning photographic guide to our Milky Way. Using the latest photographs, renderings, graphs, charts and infographics- the knowledge of our universe is presented in a dazzling display. From the first image of two galaxies colliding, I knew this book was going to be amazing. The Foreward, written by Chris Hadfield does an excellent job of summarizing human's fascination with space and the importance of space exploration. From here, the book is sectioned into parts of our galaxy, Each part of our galaxy is from the creation of the Milky Way to our planets and even other habitable planets. The descriptions in each section are easy to understand for anyone with a bit of a science background, you do not have to be a space expert to learn from this book. I enjoyed learning about different stars and formations, nebulae our sun, and other planets like Earth. Overall, a remarkable book for any space enthusiast.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )