Book Cover Reveal

About a year ago, I signed a contract to write a book about astrochemistry for the American Chemical Society. The book was sent to production last Thursday, and it is now listed on the In Focus series page! Astrochemistry will be released in July, becoming the first title to publish in Collection One of the In Focus series.

I’m really excited about this book. Not only did I write it, I also did many of the illustrations, including the front cover. All illustrations for the book were done in Microsoft Paint on my Surface Pro 3.

About the cover

The cover illustration shows the star-speckled Milky Way splashed across Earth’s night sky. Stars and nebulous gas glow faintly, and dark patches represent dusty clouds that obscure a hidden chemical universe. Trees and other plants dot the mountain ridge, below which a body of water rests quietly. The ingredients for life, including water, were delivered to the early Earth several billions of years ago by comets, like the one soaring through space overhead in the cover image, and meteorites. Such chemistry was seeded in interstellar space as clumps of dust and gas collapsed into the infant star that would become the Sun. Chemistry, including what may be incorporated into habitable worlds around distant stars, emerges and evolves in star-forming regions throughout the galaxy and the universe.

Some of my other illustrations appearing in the book

Comet 67P

Background illustration for a figure in Chapter 6

NGC 7027

Illustration for Chapter 2. The helium hydride ion was first detected in interstellar space in this nebula, showing that this molecule — which had been hypothesized to be the first molecule to form in the history of the universe — was plausible in astrophysical conditions.

Perseus Molecular Cloud

From Chapter 3. Perseus Molecular Cloud has a lot of dust that blocks out background star light.

Taurus Molecular Cloud

Illustration of Taurus Molecular Cloud from Chapter 3 showing dense clumps and filaments in the cloud.

Crab Nebula

From Chapter 4. The Crab Nebula is an example of a supernova remnant. Supernovae are important to astrochemistry because they distribute heavy elements, including carbon and oxygen, throughout the Milky Way when a massive star dies and then explodes.

Bennu

From Chapter 6. Bennu is an asteroid that was recently visited by OSIRIS-REx, a spacecraft that collected a sample from the asteroid and is returning the sample to Earth.

Comet

This is a generic schematic of a comet from Chapter 6. In the book, its different components are labeled.

Habitable Zone

The Habitable Zone, from Chapter 6, is also known as the “Goldilocks” Zone where it is not too hot, not too cold, but just right for liquid water on a planet’s surface. Liquid water is widespread throughout the solar system and galaxy and is necessary for life as we know it, so it is a common criterion for considering habitability.

Meteorite

Generic chondritic meteorite, from Chapter 6. Carbonaceous chondrites contain some of the most primitive material in the solar system and can help us trace back our chemical heritage to before the Earth formed. Such meteorites contain a wide range of organic compounds, including amino acids.

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Throughout the course of writing and illustrating this book, I gave my patrons sneak peaks of the artwork and some of the text to go along with the illustrations. Nebula patrons and beyond got monthly postcards with the artwork on them, many of which are now available in my shop.

All of my artwork is made possible by the folks who support me on Patreon. If you enjoy my artwork and want to be a supporter, you can join me on Patreon to get sneak peaks and exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at what I’m doing, starting at $1 per month. Patrons can also get monthly SciArt snail mail like stickers and postcards starting at $3 per month.

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