Beyond Infinity by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

Beyond Infinity examines the technology that went into building the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as what it has discovered since its launch.

Beyond Infinity: Exploring the Secrets of the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope by Stephanie Warren Drimmer. National Geographic Kids, 2024, 77 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-up

“Many people have dreamed of time machines able to transport them to the past.  But we already have time machines. We just call them telescopes.” Very powerful reflecting telescopes on earth see light that was emitted from distant stars thousands of years ago. Astrophysicists have long dreamed of a device that could travel into deep space and capture, not just light, but high-rez images from solar systems and galaxies that are forming and collapsing. On Christmas Day, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (hereafter called JWST) launched from French Guiana on what might be termed a wing and a prayer. Could the dream come true?

Over the following “two weeks of terror,” the machine paced itself through a series of steps to a) separate from its booster rocket, b) boot up its solar panel for power, c) correct its course, and d) slowly unfold the giant sunshield. “All in all, 344 things had to go exactly right. Amazingly, they did.” After a million-mile journey JWST currently orbits the sun, translating infrared light into stunning photographs that reveal the beauty of celestial bodies.

In between charting the development of telescopes since Galileo and the technology that went into building the JWST, Beyond Infinity attempts to answer big questions like “How Did the Universe Begin?” Billions of years since the Big Bang will figure in answer. Christians should remember that “Let there be light” is a command for energy to exist—the inconceivable energy that fueled the “Bang” and brought the universe into being. Those overwhelmed by the sheer size should also remember that both space and time are creations, just as much as physical matter. We are small and our God is big, but even words such as small and big can’t contain him.

Bottom Line: Valuable as a look at the beauty and vastness of our universe and the human ingenuity that goes into exploring it.

• Reviews: It’s been a month for books about space! See our recent reviews of BIG Words for Little Astronauts and A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky.
• Resource: Our Space and Sci-fi booklist!

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