Our Galactic Origin

This is a proceedings book of the symposium "Mapping the Galaxy and Nearby Galaxies" held on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, on June 25 – 30, 2006. The symposium focused on mapping the interstellar media and other components in galaxies.

This is a proceedings book of the symposium "Mapping the Galaxy and Nearby Galaxies" held on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan, on June 25 – 30, 2006. The symposium focused on mapping the interstellar media and other components in galaxies.

A new age of space exploration, and exploitation, is dawning. But surprisingly, some of the boldest efforts at putting humans into space are now those of private companies started by a handful of maverick billionaire businessmen.

For thousands of years, stars have been the prime example of something unattainable and unknowable—places so far away that we can learn almost nothing about them. Yet amazingly, astronomers have been able to discover exactly what stars are made of, how they are born, how they shine, how they die, and how they play a surprisingly direct role in our lives. Over the past century, this research has truly touched the stars, uncovering the essential nature of the beautiful panoply of twinkling lights that spans the night sky.