To Touch the Stars

While none exist to date it would be possible for a dead star to have cooled to a safe temperature. However, such objects are inherently supported by degeneracy pressure--they're very dense. While you're not burned you're squashed. The low mass limit for a brown dwarf is 13 times Jupiter's mass. However, Jupiter is about as big as such things get, piling on more mass increases the pressure enough the size stays about constant. Jupiter's gravity is already 2. You're not quite so squashed as you were on the dead star but you're still squashed.

You might be touching a piece of one right now. Heavier elements, like gold, are formed when massive stars undergo a supernova at the end of their lives. During this gigantic explosion they fuse elements together to form heavier ones, which then get scattered out into space as dust, which eventually coalesces under gravity, forms a planet, and with a bit of luck, evolves life forms which mine and smelt that gold and turn it into jewelry.

So if you have a gold ring or chain on you, spend a minute to think how it was made in the core of a dying star. The outer layers of a red giant or supergiant star are, although hot, extremely tenuous. It might be possible to dive through the outer parts of the star on a hyperbolic orbit and escape before your spacecraft picked up enough heat energy to be a problem. If you could do that, then you could put on a spacesuit with a small hole in one glove, and open up the cabin briefly.

It would feel like the spot on your hand was exposed to vacuum painful, but not immediately dangerous for a small spot but technically I think you would be touching the star. By clicking "Post Your Answer", you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of service , privacy policy and cookie policy , and that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies.

Home Questions Tags Users Unanswered. Is it possible to touch stars with our bare hands? Jun 27 '17 at 7: Guys this question does not deserve down votes. Sure it could benefit from some formatting, but you have an edit function for that. Temperature is half of the problem. The other half is gravity. A brown dwarf will be 20 times heavier than Jupiter.

Jun 27 '17 at 8: Apart from considerations of surface temperature Just continuously increasing density. So if you wanna go hard science with this question, then the answer must be No. Surprisingly, yes, for some of them. An article about cold stars: To Touch The Stars 4 Stars! Getting as high as I could so I could reach out and touch them. Gosh, Never Letting Me Go! I don't write many reviews, but here goes. This is not a "gay" book. It is a novel written about gay characters. If you want sex, this book is not for you. To Touch the Stars is a love story for the ages.

This book is so well-written. It was a vocabulary lesson which I love! The dictionary feature on my Kindle Fire got a good work out. I love that it was a challenging read verbally, intellectually and emotionally. Not a light read at all, but it will put more back in to you than it takes out. To Touch the Stars didn't just "touch me" or "break my heart" or "pull at my emotions". It completely obliterated me emotionally. I had to try to find all the little pieces of me to put myself back together.

I think I may still be missing a few The MCs were so well-developed, I actually felt like I was growing up with them. Jeremy Pack made them fly off the page and into my brain and heart and bloodstream. There's a scene in the book where Nick is bailing out of a crashing helicopter and he shapes his body, as much as he is able, into a missle to propel himself as far away from the copter as possible.

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That is how I picture Tait and Nick coming out of my Kindle and into me. The supporting characters were crafted so well that it is clear the MCs would never have become who they were without their support sometimes not so supportive, but you know what I mean. Ok, maybe influence would be a better word choice than support. Maybe from now on we should refer to supporting characters as influencing characters? I like want to go find the book that Tait was writing about his time in Cambodia to read how he felt when view spoiler [Bill died and then Alex grabbed his balls hide spoiler ].

I want to know what he was going through and what happened to him in the two months between those two events. I know it's a fictional character not really writing an autobiographical book, but still! I want to read it! She's responsible for the title, after all. Can I just say that I wish we had met him sooner? Or maybe his story needs to be told on it's own? Or maybe he is just what he is, a brief moment of clarity to show us how to grab the joy when we can.

He just had so much damn heart and insight. The fact that such a minor player is so interesting is an indication of the depth of layers Jeremy Pack wrote for his charcters. THIS is the kind of book Hollywood should be shopping to make into a movie, not that erotica book that shall not be named 50 times. Finally, the cherry on top, a freakin' 's "Days of Our Lives" reference! And so very highly, bloody, extremely, profoundly and tremendously recommended!

View all 5 comments. This is an amazing story set at the beginning of the space age in the US, but at the same time, it is so much more. Outwardly, it spans about thirty years of US history, but the way we get to experience it is through the eyes of two extraordinary men. Their ambitions, emotions, dreams and failings are what make this story so special.

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It may be a slightly romanticized version of the truth in places, but it's written so engagingly that it is almost like a history lesson made fun. Nick only wants on This is an amazing story set at the beginning of the space age in the US, but at the same time, it is so much more. Nick only wants one thing: He sacrifices everything in the hope of getting there: Accepting that, and still managing to find some happiness, years and years later, is a truly great achievement and shows how much he has grown. Tait is obsessed with contributing to making the world a better place, and he too, sacrifices everything.

But over the years he learns to stand up for himself and what he wants.



Reporting on the space program was not his choice, but he has a knack for "the human angle" and, in the end, the fame he achieves covering the astronauts' lives lands him the job as a war correspondent and opens doors for him to make some real changes. He risks his life to rescue others and his suffering, both physically and mentally, affected me deeply.

And he, too, manages to make peace with a life that would have many in despair. Underneath the almost-tragic story about two men's lives, there is a heart-wrenching love story made up of "just misses". In a society where Nick and Tait's love was close to impossible at least if you wanted the type of career Nick was after and coming out would have likely ended Tait's career as well, they did not have a choice but to hide who they were, and what they meant to each other.

This book is a great reminder of what men and women like them had to go through, and, let's be honest, still have to go through. If you want an honest look at history and what it was like to live through the final decades of the last century as a career-oriented gay man, if you like reading about characters who are real and complex, and if the idea of an astronaut and a journalist discovering they are more alike than they'd like to think sounds interesting, give this book a go. I totally loved it and can only recommend you read it.

But let me give you fair warning: This book is well worth reading! Sep 23, Plainbrownwrapper rated it liked it Shelves: This seems to be a very popular book, but I just wasn't feeling the love. The whole thing is just soooooooo Sincere and Heartfelt and PC and Uplifting, it made me roll my eyes many times. And over-written, I think. Nick was falling, drowning, clinging to the embrace of their lips like a lifeline, certain if he loosed his This seems to be a very popular book, but I just wasn't feeling the love. The guy is lying there injured, but the author insists he's "reposing"??

In addition to those problems, there are several eye-rolling coincidences. MC Nick -- view spoiler [ he just happens to see MC Tait in the marketplace in Cambodia, even though Nick is supposedly working in Thailand and has no idea where Tait is at the time; hide spoiler ] 2. MC Nick again -- view spoiler [ he happens to see Alex in the Cambodian hospital -- again with the Thailand problem, and whatintheheck is he doing at the hospital anyway?? And it all wraps up with the startling moral that "I AM thumbody!

Not my sort of thing at all. Sorry to buck the trend of all the glowing reviews for this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Aug 24, Christy T rated it it was amazing Shelves: I think that is the best word to describe my feelings about this book. I feel as though I am emotionally wrung out. This book starts out when Nicholas and Tait are just kids with heads full of dreams.

When you look at thing when you are young life seems so straightforward and easy. As we move though the lives of these two men easy is a word I would never use. As we move from the 60's through the 80's we see these two face heartbreak, war, love and just unimaginable things. I cried a lot rea WOW! I cried a lot reading this book and even still remembering while I am writing this and loved every second of it.

I feel as though I was pulled into this world, saw what they saw and felt it very deeply. Sorry about the rambling but I just felt after I finished this that I had to write and tell everyone how wonderful this book is. Best book I've read this year. The prologue of this book pulled me in with two pre-teens having grand dreams as we all can relate. Then to watch each stage of life unfold for Nick and Tait was quite the adventure. This book was brilliantly written. Jeremy Pack has a gift with the pen and I'm looking forward to more of his works.

Aug 31, Snowtulip rated it it was amazing Shelves: From the moment I met him, I am completely endeared to him. Following him make a difference in the world and come in to his own is a journey that I was happy to be a part of. The intensity and conviction that is portrayed by Tait's need to make a difference in the world is so beautifully captured during his time in Cambodia and these sections were my favorite parts of the story. Always a presence in Tait's day to day decisions is Nick, I also loved him and h 4. Always a presence in Tait's day to day decisions is Nick, I also loved him and his dreamer approach.

I personally consider this a wonderful love story, Nick and Tait's feelings for each other are always tangible, yet just out of reach. I admit that when I started this book, I considered Eleanor a character that would ruin this book beyond redemption for me and was often frustrated that the author actually gave her a voice her POV was often captured. But as the story progressed, I saw her make changes in life and more importantly, I saw who Nick was in the way he made his choices regarding Eleanor.

Don't get me wrong, she still killed me and she's the main reason this wasn't fully 5 stars.

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Alex and Clare were also wonderful and rounded out this beautiful story. I appreciate the time the author took to actually educate readers about the horrors that occurred in Cambodia and the developments in the space program. I had joy and I had tears, such a great read and I would love to read a book about Tait's work as a journalist, this would be an interesting story. Aug 24, T. Webb rated it it was amazing. At the same time, young Tait Williams was keeping his eyes much more to the earth.

Usually in a book. As his mother noted, both wryly and with wonder, the boy was an old soul and wise beyond his years. His future, even then, was tied to writing and his dreams, while lofty, were fixed on the Pulitzer Prize. Their lives, even then, took them in such different directions. And Tait, he would finish college and start his career as a newspaper beat writer and copy editor. Their families, their friends, their loves, joys and sorrows. We see how fate and life hinge on small moments and seemingly minor encounters — what ifs.

An offer of a job was missed. A gentle push from an unexpected source went to someone else. Even the unwilling granting of the second chance to make a better impression never materialized. Will Nick and Tait be the biggest what if — what if the slow, inevitable dance of two people drawn to each other was stopped in its tracks because same-sex relationships are a generation away from being utterly forbidden and career-killing? Jeremy Pack has written an exquisitely crafted ode to dreams, men and love. Of missed chances, of regrets. This is a truly remarkable book.

This work is a treasure. I stayed up two nights reading it, and longed for more of Nick and Tait when I was finished. This is a special book. Buy it, savor it, and fall in love a little. This is quite possible the best book of the year. The c What I loved: The characters spend a lot of the book apart - basically, just trying to outrun how they felt for each other. There were some quibbles about the story for me, but they were minor. Eleanor - don't even get me started. Couldn't put it down.

View all 15 comments. Aug 24, Poppy Dennison rated it it was amazing. The best book I've read all year! The characters in this book created such a visceral reaction in me that I found myself laughing, crying, and yelling at the monitor as I read it. The story is so rich in detail that I felt like I lived in the sixties right alongside Nick and Tait!!

I absolutely loved revisiting the development of NASA and the space program. Astronaut Nick taught me a lot, but then again so did Tait. Jeremy Pack did a brilliant job incorporating the history of the time period int The best book I've read all year! Jeremy Pack did a brilliant job incorporating the history of the time period into the story of these two men's relationship.

Tait is an idealist who wants to save the conflicted world around him. Times were changing, and he wanted to be at the heart of it. Feels a little familiar to current events, and made their journey all the more special. What an amazing journey this book takes you on! Not just the two decades in the lives of Nick and Tait, but also through the times they lived in.

20 Photos from 2015 that prove that we can touch the stars

Jeremy Pack is a wonderful writer who strikes the balance between simple prose and painting a picture with words just perfectly; the whole book played out with perfect clarity in my mind, like watching a movie. I think it will be a while before I'm ready to let Tait and Nick go. Dec 30, Marq rated it it was amazing. I would give it ten stars, if they were there! What a great book to begin a new year.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. I think it may be one of the best ever written. Sep 02, C. I read through some of the other reviews of this book and I want to just copy them all and say "Ditto" to everything! Because every review touches on all the things that are so amazing about this book. This story and its characters and their lives were just SO engaging, I read almost this entire book today.

There was so much emotion and heartbreak throughout, I was near tears many times. It is more than just a I read through some of the other reviews of this book and I want to just copy them all and say "Ditto" to everything! It is more than just a romance story. It is a history lesson, as we meet the two MCs as boys in the 50's and follow them through important periods of their lives--parts of the 60's, the 70's and the 80's.

It is also a story of life and following dreams. Of the fear of following them and also the realization that sometimes once you achieve your dreams, they are nothing without love. The secondary characters are just as fully-developed and engaging as the MCs, and contribute very importantly to the two MCs lives.

This is one of those books that I definitely would give more than 5 stars if I could, and each one of them would be very well-deserved. Sep 19, Elizabeth H. I hate to swim against the tide here, but I really did not care for this book.

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I did read it straight through, and it was interesting, certainly, but the plot lacked focus and the characters lacked sufficient motivation. It's really hard for me to believe that both Tait and Nick were sufficiently affected by their one early encounter, over a few months, that they each carried the torch for the other for years. This early part of their lives was not nearly developed enough to support the rest of I hate to swim against the tide here, but I really did not care for this book.

This early part of their lives was not nearly developed enough to support the rest of the narrative. I simply did not believe it. The book didn't quite know what it was, really. If it is to be considered a gay romance, then the structure is all off.

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If it is to be considered a sort of lifetime rumination, or maybe even a travel-intensive adventure, then what is the romantic conclusion doing there? To Touch the Stars just didn't work for me. Sep 15, Dee Wy rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Plot devices can be good things, or they can be hot buttons for the reader. It's the "I love you too much to be with you" button. I can forgive it once when Tait ran away early on to keep from ruining Nick's career.

I didn't like it, but understood it and hung in there with the story. I cannot, however, forgive it a second time when he rips out Nick's heart with lies and runs away again giving Nick no chance to respond. Can't m Plot devices can be good things, or they can be hot buttons for the reader. Can't make myself read any further. I'd like to think Nick finds someone worthy of him and get's his HEA elsewhere.

If Tait can't be honest and talk about what he's thinking, then he deserves to be alone and keep playing Anderson Cooper for the rest of his life. Yeah, sorry, I'm really disappointed. Sep 30, Andrea rated it it was amazing Shelves: One of the best books I've read this year.

It's easy to write reviews for most books but I'm really struggling with writing this one. How can I find words for a book that left me speechless?



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I love tragic, heart-wrenching romance when it's done well. Tait and Nick's was done so well: The book covers over 20 years of their lives and it only gets better the deeper you get. The writing is extraordinary. I can't even imagine Wow! I can't even imagine how much research the author must have put into this book. I felt transported back to that time while reading To Touch the Stars. It's fantastic, read it.