111 Places in Space That You Should Not Miss
June 2026 :
111 Places in Space That You Should Not Miss
By Mark McCaughrean, Koln: Emons Verlag, 2025, ISBN 978-3-7408-0601-9, Softbound, $23.95, US
Reviewed by Francine Jackson
Recently, I read Why Space Will Freak You Out: The Scariest, Strangest Parts of the Universe, by Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke, and, on reading 111 Places in Space That You Should Not Miss, at times it appeared this book was a more adult version of Arcand’s and Watzke’s.
McCaughrean’s book has beautiful images of all of his tentative destinations, in addition to vivid descriptions of each. He has us traveling to all parts of the universe, to next door – the planets – with their individual quirks (Venus’s harsh environment, Mars’s disappointing “face”), to star-forming nebulae, and on to many of our known galaxies. For each place, he gives a description of what we could expect to find were we to venture close: Sometimes they could be an adventure in Wonderland; at others, we might want to bypass and continue on.
In reading his directions they are a bit short: For objects out of our solar system, it’s “head to the constellation of (named), for (X) million years at the speed of light.” Not very specific. Also, within the directions, the author leaves a “tip,” which includes one or more places to see on the way. That object is noted, with a couple sentences of explanation, but not enough to entice the traveler to stop there.
As a book to introduce the reader to the beauty and wonders of our universe, 111 Places in Space is a great start, showing how incredible is the universe in which we live. However, it would be so much more were he to have included maps showing his locations, and expanded a bit more on his alternative destinations. Again, like the Arcand/Watzke book, it gives you a fair amount of good advice on what to stay away from, and what might be a welcome stopping point. And, of course, the images alone are worth getting this travelogue.
