Outer Space Is Closer Than Antarctica: And Other Things I Learned While Falling in Love at the Bottom of the World -- Michelle Ott, Hardcover

This beautifully illustrated memoir tells artist Michelle Ott's true story of falling in love and discovering her place in the universe on a remote research station in Antarctica.

In 2004, feeling burned out and dissatisfied, Michelle Ott left her high-profile gallery job in New York to work as a janitor at McMurdo Station in Antarctica: the coldest, windiest, driest place on Earth. There, she fell in love--not only with her future partner, but with the raw, inhospitable, incomparable beauty of the continent itself.

She took trips to nowhere on the Antarctic ice and mapped out the most romantic date locations on a remote research base where the sun never sets.
She witnessed the bright green aurora australis at -30 F, cried in response to its beauty, and found her eyes frozen shut by her tears.
She learned about (literally) breathtaking katabatic winds, ventifacts, and what it was like to bake cookies for 1000.
She dropped a piece of glacier ice into a glass of booze and consumed the ancient air bubbles that were trapped within it.

In this emotional blend of art, science, and deeply personal stories, Ott shares the wisdom and wonder gleaned from her four trips to the southernmost continent. Complete with hand-drawn maps and diagrams, accessible scientific explanations, and the realizations that can only come from turning your life upside down, Outer Space Is Closer Than Antarctica is an ode to explorers and dreamers, scientists and artists, and anyone curious enough to brave the unknown.

FOR THE EXPLORER AND THE DREAMER: Who hasn't fantasized about quitting their job, leaving city life behind, and running away to the wilderness? We might not all choose Antarctica as our dream destination, but Michelle Ott's brave, open-hearted approach to life still speaks to that nagging impulse to flip your world upside down. Her story of finding friendship, love, and an appreciation for life's simplest joys reminds us that sometimes that impulse is worth acting on.

ART + SCIENCE: This well-researched memoir presents scientific principles and research in an engaging combination of art and prose. Learn about volcanoes, stardust, Katabatic winds, the polar vortex, ventifacts, glaciers, and other Antarctic phenomena through Ott's illustrations, maps, diagrams, and descriptions.

THE WONDER OF ANTARCTICA: Antarctica is a place of superlatives--driest, highest, coldest, windiest, biggest--and extremes. Its closest continental neighbor is 774 miles away. The Kármán line, the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space, is only 62 miles above sea level. When you are standing on any other landmass on Earth, you are nearer to outer space than to Antarctica. Science enthusiasts, creative thinkers, and armchair travelers will all find something to relish in this remarkable volume.

Perfect for:

• Fans of illustrated nonfiction and memoirs
• Anyone who's ever daydreamed about moving away from the city and starting fresh
• Designers, artists, visual thinkers, and other creatives
• Adults and teens who are curious about geology, geography, and earth sciences
• Scientists, researchers, and environmentalists
• Fans of introspective nature writing and authors like Katherine May and Helen Macdonald
• Romantics and readers who enjoy unconventional love stories

Author: Michelle Ott
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 09/23/2025
Pages: 168
Binding Type: Hardcover
Size: 8.25h x 6.25w x 0.67d
ISBN: 9781797230818

About the Author
Michelle Ott is an artist whose art and illustrations focus on observations of the physical and social world. Her work has been exhibited and published in the US and abroad. She has received several awards, including the Antarctica Service Medal for her work as support staff at McMurdo Station over four summer seasons. She lives in Northern California.