Dr Mike Goldsmith studied the philosophy of time and space at Keele University, UK, where he also obtained his PhD in astrophysics. He was formerly the head of Acoustics at the UK's National Physical Laboratory and is now an author of non-fiction books for children, including the Kingfisher Space Encyclopaedia.

Written by a team of experts and consultants: Philip Steele, Jane Birch, Teresa Chris, Neil Grant, Ken Hills, Julian Holland, Palden Jenkins, Elizabeth Longley, Fiona Macdonald, Hazel Martell, Mike McGuire, Theodore Rowland-Entwistle, Giles Sparrow and Professor Ben Fortna.