A guide to the universe. This edition includes expanded information on Mars and Jupiter; a section on comets; additional information about black holes; an expanded section on galaxies and dark matter; a section on the size, age and destiny of the universe; and expanded data tables using 1998 data from the Hipparchos satellite. This edition also includes 50 photographs and illustrations not in the previous edition, including images from the Hubble space telescope, the Galileo spacecraft, other NASA missions and giant Earth telescopes.

Ch. 1. A journey through time and space -- ch. 2. Nearby worlds -- ch. 3. Realm of the giants -- ch. 4. Ice worlds -- ch. 5. Cosmic furnaces -- ch. 6. Galaxies -- ch. 7. Into the abyss -- ch. 8. In search of extraterrestrials -- ch. 9. How the universe will end -- ch. 10. Telescopes for the 21st century -- ch. 11. Reflections on astronomical illustration.