Jeff Lipsky creates a funny and beautifully idiosyncratic portrait of a 28-year-old unemployed astrophysicist about to make the most reckless decision of her life. The family and friends that surround her - some real, dead, and possibly imaginary, come and go as Molly observes the unbreakable bonds of family while deciding what really matters in her life and learning that death is merely a relative thing.

Biography of a woman who discovered the scientific importance of a star's brightness.

"Beyond the skyline of Toledo stands the Toledo Institute of Astronomy, the nation's premier center of astronomical discovery and a beacon of scientific learning for astronomers far and wide. One of these is George Dermont, a dreamer and a man of deep faith, who's trying to prove the scientific existence of a Gateway to God, and speaks to ancient gods and believes they speak back. Its newest star is Irene Sparks, a pragmatist and mathematician invited...

"Every evening, from the time she was a child, Maria Mitchell stood on her rooftop with her telescope and swept the sky. And then one night she saw something unusual--a comet no one had ever seen before! Miss Mitchell's extraordinary discovery made her famous the world over and paved the way for her to become America's first professional female astronomer."--

"This memoir charts the life of Dr. Aomawa Shields as an astronomer, classically-trained actor, mother, and Black woman in STEM as she searches for life in the universe while building a meaningful life here on Earth"--

"Once upon a time there lived a girl who swept floors and washed dishes, and was little more than a servant to her family. Until, one day, an invitation arrived. It was an invitation to a new country and a new beginning--a place where Caroline's dreams, her fascination with the night sky, and her extraordinary talent would open up a world of beauty and renown, and make her the belle of the scientific ball. From humble beginnings and in spite of many...

"This moving biography powerfully parallels the kindling of Cecilia Payne's own curiosity and her scientific career with the process of a star's birth, from mere possibility in an expanse of space to an eventual, breathtaking explosion of light"--