Patrick Moore, one of the world’s best-known astronomers and host of the BBC’s record-breaking series The Sky at Night, joins forces with celebrated “space artist” David Hardy in a lavishly illustrated look at our evolving images of space. Looking back to their 1972 classic, Challenge of the Stars, Moore and Hardy show how early space art sometimes proved amazingly prophetic—incorporating ideas about spacecraft and space stations that would later come true. They also show how some of the spectacular fantasies of the ’70s gave way to realities more fantastic still, such as the canyons of Mars, the geysers on Triton, neutron stars, and black holes.

A revolution has occurred in what’s known about the moon since the last landings over 30 years ago. Catch up with the fascinating research regarding the moon’s birth and growth, and its unpredictable relations to the Earth and the solar system. The world’s most famous astronomy writer makes it all easy to understand with insight and humor, along with moon maps and charts that he helped design when he worked with NASA and the Russian space program. The new lunar research ranges from current theories about the moon’s geological origins to plans for its future uses as an airport for launching travel to Mars and other planets. Besides the scientists, experts in folklore and literature also offer long-lost evidence of ancient beliefs that continue to affect popular culture.