Galaxy Mapper: The Luminous Discoveries of Astrophysicist Helene Courtois

Introducing our luminous address in the universe-and the determined woman scientist who mapped it with her team.

Growing up in a small French village, Helene Courtois had big questions about the world around her. Avidly, she observed the trails, roads, and water pathways traversing planet Earth; but her mind always wandered higher, toward the night sky. What would a map of "out there," beyond the moon, look like? The question traveled with her to university, where curious Helene-often the only woman in her science classes-learned to map the compositions of galaxies. Numbers swam with the stars in her brain, and after years of wonder and experimentation, Helene and her team make a dazzling discovery-a supercluster of galaxies they name Laniakea, home to our very own Milky Way. With fascinating back matter, illustrations that shine on the page, and a lyrical text written in consultation with astrophysicist Helene Courtois-who continues to illuminate our view of the cosmic landscape-this portrait of a contemporary female scientist will light up young minds and inspire future sky gazers and galaxy mappers to look up and dream large.