About this book:

Which Scotsman inspired Einstein's Theory of General Relativity?

Which planet is one third made of diamond?

How big is the Universe?

Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this new book from Astronomer Royal for Scotland, John C Brown OBE and Rab Wilson, renowned Scots poet and NTS Scriever in Residence at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. This fascinating guide to our skies and beyond brings together science and art to convey the beauty of our vast cosmos and its scientific workings. Combining an accessible introduction to astronomy with original space-inspired poetry and haiku, and featuring hundreds of stunning images, Oor Big Braw Cosmos shows you space as you've never seen it before.

Reviews:

The wildly different backgrounds of the book’s two creators, alongside their merging of seemingly unrelated subject matter, results in a book that is as fascinating in its own story as in its content. The 404 Ink Magazine, Spring/Summer 2019

There’s a good chance that this astronomy book – to quote one of the featured poems by co-author Rab Wilson – is “Gaun bauldly whaur nae man hus gaen afore!” Paul F Cockburn, BBC Sky at Night Magazine

The universe is too big to traverse on foot, or via any vehicle yet devised, so humans have to probe it mentally. Some describe its majesty with mathematical formulae. Others encompass it through verse. This delightfully audacious book does both. The result is positively four-dimensional. Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

Brings together the latest cosmic thinking with a Scottish twist. Chris Lintott, presenter of The Sky at Night

…it is an extraordinary combination of cutting edge science, astronomy history, amateur astrophotography, cultural references and visual art, with verses written by poet Rab Wilson in old Scots – the language of Robbie Burns. Andy Sawers, Chair of the Flamsteed Astronomy Society, The Journal of the British Astronomical Association

This is a book to use both for reference (the astronomer’s summaries of many subjects, from the Big Bang to solar physics and exoplanets, are models of clarity) and sheer fun… It’s a book that rewards both concentrated reading and random toe-dipping in its seas of stars and universal energies. Kenny Taylor, Northwords Now

Anyone who has an enquiring mind and an interest in all things beyond our world will find this a fascinating read – Scottish Field