Science Professor Jesse Rogerson has published a new book, Daydreaming in the Solar System (MIT Press), with co-author John Moores, a professor at Lassonde, that takes readers on adventures to distant planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. Each chapter is a tale about a unique escapade, with accurate descriptions rooted in science and watercolour illustrations by York Biology student Michelle Parsons.

“In this book we tried to transport people to real places in space and give them a sense of what it would be like to be there,” explained Rogerson, who is a professor in the Division of Natural Science in the Department of Science, Technology & Society. “What would you see, hear, smell, feel and taste? The stories are science fiction in a sense, but also as real and accurate as it can get based on what we know as scientists.”

For instance, one of the chapters is about cave diving through one of Saturn’s moons, which would be made of ice and very porous. Another chapter takes the reader surfing on Saturn’s rings, “which would be like floating through a fog,” Rogerson described. In another story, the reader takes a hot air balloon trip around Venus, which has very fast winds and a similar atmospheric pressure to Earth at 60-70 km above the surface; apparently, no space suit would be required.

“The goal was to make it an accessible and exciting reading experience for a lay audience, and for readers to be able to imagine themselves being there. Space is everyone’s space, and it is still nature, so I see the book as a creative way of helping people appreciate and respect the wonders that are out there.”

The book sparks imagination through not just the stories, but also the watercolour illustrations in each chapter that are “real and surreal at the same time,” said Rogerson. They depict the reality of environments that people have never been to before.

The illustrations were done by Michelle Parsons, who previously worked as an engineer and is now a science illustrator (see ) and an undergraduate student in the Biology program at York.

“I have always loved art, and my passion for science illustration grew from trying to recreate the natural world accurately. �첥��Ƶing biology is helping me to expand my toolbox as an artist.”

Parsons worked in parallel with Rogerson and Moores, taking drafts of the chapters and developing rough sketches that were then turned into detailed paintings as the stories were finalized.

Daydreaming in the Solar System is available at the , , and other .

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