A Grand and Bold Thing: An Extraordinary New Map of the Universe Ushering In A New Era of Discovery Book

This was a fantastic look at what it would be like to be an astronomer!

I heard an interview with the author on a local NPR show - as an interviewee, she was a bit rambly & unfocused, to be honest. But her subject sounded fascinating! She covers the design and development of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and how it changed the way astronomy works. Instead of applying for a few nights a year on a government telescope, astronomers have access to a huge database of information. The planning began in the late 80s, and the discoveries along the way are covered in a brief but illuminating way. She went into enough detail to make me feel I understood what was going on, all in a relatively brief 200 page book. The writing style was elegant and economical - no wasted verbiage, but some excellent portraits of the scientists involved.

As someone who loves popular science books but is not actually a scientist, I really loved this book for the insight she gave into the mysterious (to me) professional lives of astronomers.