ENCYCLOPAEDIA COSMOLOGICA
The origin story of the Cosmos, plainly explained and richly illustrated, from before the beginning to now, told 100 million years per page spread, 300+ pages in all.
You can support the creation of the Encyclopaedia Cosmologica by supporting our upcoming Kickstarter campaign launching in mid-July 2023. Thank you!
The creation of Encyclopaedia Cosmologica is supported, in part, by crowdfunding via your pledges / pre-purchases.
We estimate the time to complete this book to be 18-24 months — est. Summer / Fall 2023.
Free goodies (sneak previews / space art / animations) provided to pledgers along the way.
Cosmic Contributor information will be gathered close to the time of printing.
Shipping is included for U.S. residents and + $25 for worldwide. Cost of international shipping will be billed at time of publication.
This is for the hardback print edition. If an ebook version is offered, it will be included for free with the print edition.
Pledges / pre-purchases will be refunded if the authors are unable to complete the project.
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INTRODUCTION
Have you ever wondered how we got here? How it all began—and all of the steps that got us from that point to now? You’ve probably read some science books or seen shows like Cosmos, and so you know the basic story. But have you ever wondered about what came before the beginning? About what lies outside of the Universe? Whether there is life elsewhere, or even advanced extraterrestrial civilizations? And have you ever longed for an intuitive understanding of the immensity of the time and space that is our Cosmos?
The origin story of everything that ever was,
everything that is, and everything that ever will be.
While there have been many books written and shows produced about the history of the Universe, there has never been a book like this. We tell this epic 13.8-billion-year tale 100 million years at a time, each time step featured on a two-page spread, making about 300 pages in total. Presenting the story of the Cosmos in a linear, concrete form like this will help give you an intuitive understanding of the vastness of space and time, making cosmological scales comprehensible to everyone. The experience of the Encyclopaedia Cosmologica will be like holding the Cosmos in your hands, and to flip through its pages like traveling billions of years through space and time in mere seconds.
… flipping through its pages will be like traveling hundreds
of millions of years through space and time in mere seconds.
In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, the Encyclopaedia Galactica was an archive of all knowledge in the Galactic Empire. Then later, in the award-winning TV show and book Cosmos, Carl Sagan reimagined the Encyclopaedia Galactica as a bold tome penned by advanced extraterrestrials. It catalogued the many worlds of the Milky Way galaxy, and included summaries about any life or advanced civilizations that lived among them. We decided to make our own version of the Encyclopaedia Galactica, but expanded to include the entire Cosmos. We are excited to invite you to participate in the creation of the Encyclopaedia Cosmologica—the story of not just our planet, Solar System or even our galaxy, but of the bustling, energetic and evolving Cosmos in its sprawling entirety, from before the beginning 13.8 billion years ago to the present day.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Ethan Siegel is a theoretical astrophysicist by training and popular science communicator and educator. He is author of the “Starts With A Bang!” column for Big Think, as well as the books, Beyond the Galaxy and Star Trek Treknology. Learn more at Starts With A Bang!
William Lidwell is a designer, educator, and researcher living in Houston, Texas. He is the author of several books and online courses, most notably, The Universal Principles of Design and his design lectures on The Great Courses and LinkedIn Learning.
Mark A. Garlick initially trained and worked as an astrophysicist, but now works as a scientific illustrator and computer animator living in Brighton, England. He is author and illustrator of several books including The Story of the Solar System and Cosmic Menagerie. Learn more at MarkGarlick.com.
Jon Lomberg was the principal artistic collaborator of Carl Sagan. He was the Chief Artist for the classic television series, COSMOS, Astronomical Visual Consultant for the movie CONTACT, and Design Director for the Voyager Golden Record, among many other things. Learn more at JonLomberg.com.