Cosmigraphics: picturing space through time

It is presented a critical review of the book of popular science ”Cosmigraphics - picturing space through time”, authored by artist and writer Michael Benson. The book presents a history of astronomy told in an unusual way, from the imagistic representations of the cosmos. The work consists of ten thematic chapters, in which different graphical representations of bodies and celestial phenomena (such as the Moon, the Sun, the origin of the universe or auroras) are presented, discussed and correlated. The images were produced at different times in human history, contributing to demonstrate astronomy - and science as a whole - as a human creation, conditioned by the culture in which knowledge is constructed. It is argued that Benson's book may prove valuable for high school physics teachers, given the importance of knowing the history of astronomy, which is present in the proposed curriculum organization in the new Brazilian Common National Base Curriculum, and also because of the interconnections between the curriculum and the history of science that can be inferred.

Keywords:
history of science; history of astronomy; scientific images; astronomy