Nature: The Living Record of Science (volume VIII) (Astronomy) contains and translates essays published by the international academic journal Nature from 1993 to 1997, which reproduces the development of astronomy in this period, and shows that researchers in the field of astronomy have been trudging hard and exploring continuously.

Sir John Maddox was the former editor-in-chief of Nature magazine. He was a famous physicist and also an experienced editor for he had worked for Nature magazine for 23 years.

Philip Campbell is editor-in-Chief of Nature and of the Nature Publishing Group and the former editor-in-chief of Nature magazine. His areas of responsibility include the editorial content of Nature, and assuring the long-term quality of all Nature publications. He has a BSc in aeronautical engineering, an MSc in astrophysics and a PhD and postdoctoral research in upper atmospheric physics.

Lu Yongxiang is a Chinese engineer and politician. He served as President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress.