Everything you know about space is wrong. – Matt Brown.

Space is as dark, distant and desolate as it gets ... or is it?

Actually it's more of a beige colour, you could drive there in less than an hour, and you'd have trouble finding a parking space on the moon.

So, if you think that the Sun is a big ball of fire at the centre of our solar system, that astronauts float in space because there is zero gravity, or that you need a telescope to study the stars - read on. This myth-busting compendium is packed with facts about the cosmos, how it works (and how it doesn't!) and answers essential questions such as 'how do astronauts poop in space?'

From close encounters to life on Mars, this light-hearted guide to the galaxy will boldly go where no book has gone before, and change the way you view the universe forever.

Matt Brown is a former scientific editor and journalist and has contributed to several popular science books. He is a life-long space fan and author of the Everything You Know ... is Wrong series published by Batsford.