Coming of Age in the Milky Way

Coming of Age in the Milky Way (1988) by Timothy Ferris is a detailed history of scientific and astronomical knowledge that analyses the great minds behind the discoveries. The book won the 1988 American Institutes of Physics Science Writing Award, and it received a 1989 Pulitzer Prize nomination. Ferris is a prolific nonfiction writer and documentary creator. Known as the most talented science writer of his generation, he is one of the most popular science writers in the English language. He has taught in five scientific disciplines across four American universities.

Coming of Age in the Milky Way is a history of both astrophysics and astronomy. Ferris attempts to show how we have arrived at our current understanding of three things: the cosmos, time, and Earth. Although the book discusses scientific theories, Ferris writes in an accessible manner. It is a popular book with scientists and laypeople alike.

Ferris acknowledges that, the more we understand about the cosmos, the more we realize that we know nothing. No matter how far we have come, there is still so much more to learn, and we may never uncover the universe’s secrets. Throughout the ages, civilizations have one thing in common—the sky above us. Every civilization tries to make sense of the stars; this passion for the cosmos brings humanity together.



Ferris reminds us that scientists very rarely set out to make revolutionary discoveries. Fraunhofer, for example, did not plan to establish the science known as astrophysics. Einstein did not expect to discover an expanding universe or the theory of relativity. These scientists simply set out to learn more about the cosmos and our place within it. Although we associate great things with these scientists now, we must remember that they didn’t plan to change the world. Most game-changing discoveries happen entirely by accident.

Ferris divides Coming of Age in the Milky Way into three sections: “Space,” “Time,” and “Creation.” “Space” covers the earliest astronomical discoveries. It highlights the scientists who changed our understanding of space. “Time” looks at how old the Earth is and how scientists try to place an age on the universe. “Creation” considers where the universe came from, and our attempts to explain our own existence.

Science, Ferris explains, has more in common with art than most people believe. Science is imperfect, and it can’t explain everything. Scientists are artists because they interpret what they see and feel. As our astronomical knowledge evolves, and one theory disproves another, scientists effectively erase past discoveries and remake them. No scientist believes that his or her theory or understanding is “complete.”



In other words, science is constantly evolving, just like art, or music, or writing. This evolution, Ferris notes, is what makes astronomy so beautiful and interesting to study. However, not everyone is cut out for astronomy. One such example, Ferris argues, is Aristotle, the philosopher. Aristotle is best known for classifying things and reaching conclusions. Aristotle liked finality and certainty.

Aristotle proposed two realms—the world above the moon, and the world below it, meaning Earth. He believed that nothing existed beyond the moon and the stars. Nothing existed outside our comprehension. Because he couldn’t explain space or comprehend its potential size, he assumed it didn’t exist. For Aristotle, the stars didn’t move, and there was nothing beyond what the human eye could see.

Plato, on the other hand, loved skepticism. He believed that scientists must question everything because that is how we find satisfactory answers. If we do not test our theories, then they are not helpful. We must assume that we are wrong, so we may prove ourselves right. Plato, in many ways, is the opposite of Aristotle; it is Plato’s skepticism that endures today.



Coming of Age in the Milky Way begins with our earliest understanding of the sky. The Ancient Egyptians, for example, believed the sky is a canopy. They thought the mountains held up the sky. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks thought their gods lived in the stars. Since the gods meddled with humans so often, the stars weren’t far away. Although ancient civilizations couldn’t reach up and touch the sky, they wanted to feel close to the stars and the gods.

Older civilizations passionately studied the stars. The stars helped mariners navigate, and explorers relied heavily on the pole star. Older civilizations used the stars to tell time and divide their days into manageable chunks. No one could explain why the sky changed or why the stars moved, but many still ascribed these changes to the gods.

Ferris dedicates many chapters of the book to early astronomical discoveries because these discoveries shaped how modern scientists view the cosmos. By traveling back in time, we can appreciate how far humanity has developed, and how much further we have left to travel. Although Ferris introduces us to great minds throughout the centuries, we must go back to the beginning to understand the journey.