AL DI LA DELLA LUNA | I EDIZ. 1978 | PAOLO MAFFEI

Paolo Maffei’s Al di là della Luna (1978) is a significant work of Italian popular science writing, exploring the frontiers of astronomy and space exploration in the years following the Apollo missions. Maffei, an astronomer and noted science communicator, reflects on humanity’s place in the universe, the scientific discoveries that expanded knowledge of the Moon, planets, and galaxies, and the technological and philosophical implications of venturing beyond Earth. Written in accessible yet rigorous prose, the book bridges scientific detail and cultural reflection, showing how astronomical inquiry transforms our understanding of life, time, and the cosmos. It stands as both a historical document of late 20th-century astrophysics and a meditation on the human desire to explore.