Description
Book SynopsisThe Cosmic Mystery Tour takes us on a lightning tour of the mysteries of the universe enlivened by brief stories of the colourful characters who created modern science. It explores hot topics in physics and astronomy, including the recent discovery of gravitational waves; the quest for the origin of dark matter; the study of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy; the ongoing search for Earth-like exoplanets; the search for signals from extraterrestrials; and the development of technologies to send spacecraft to the stars.The first part of the book explores the laws that govern the universe. Physics is a spiritual quest to find deep meaning in the cosmos. Its goal is to provide a concise, but accurate description of the world that accounts for all the amazing features that it contains. The second part takes a look at the history of the cosmos, studies its geography and explores some of its architectural highlights such as red giants, white dwarfs, neutron stars and the ultimate cosmic mysteries-supermassive black holes. The last part considers the possibility that life might exist elsewhere in the universe, and explores the cosmos from the outer fringes of science fiction to the ongoing search for alien civilizations.
Trade ReviewAmbitious in scope and easy to read, this book is a small guide to that largest of subjects ... the many pictures are not just the usual beautiful scientific images from NASA and ESA that we've come to expect in popular science, but include relevant artistic and cultural references ... Mee is an experienced science communicator and this shows in his confident and engaging tone ... enjoyable, fast-paced account... It would be ideal for anyone wanting to know more about the underlying physics of the pretty pictures we see in the media. * Pippa Goldschmidt, BBC Sky at Night *
... high-quality, small-format hardback ... The Cosmic Mystery Touris aimed at beginners looking for an easy-to-read introduction to the modern view of the Universe. It's an engaging read and provides a good springboard to further investigation of any topic that captures the reader's imagination. For those of us with a more rigorous academic background in physics, it is still an entertaining diversion for a couple of hours. * Astronomy Now *
An accessible introduction to all things cosmos... * Maren Ostergard, Booklist *
The book does an admirable job of following the developments and groundwork of classical physics through the latest in quantum physics and recent discoveries including gravity waves in a very comprehensible way using excellent diagrams and images. * Amateur Astronomy Magazine *
Mee has a knack for introducing the reader to some of the colourful characters... His explanations are spot on, just enough to make sense of key discoveries without ever becoming overwhelming. There are also lots of colourful images photos of scientists, concept art and even movie stills that help break up the text. * Katrina Kramer, Chemistry World *
Every so often a book comes along that attempts to introduce the universe to a reader in as short a context as possible. Some work, others don't. The Cosmic Mystery Tour does ... In a very small, readable format, with way over a hundred illustrations, most of which are in color, the author has given us a handy, portable collection of the cosmos. And, the reader doesnt have to read from cover to cover: Anywhere you open it up, and start to read, you will be fascinated with the study of our universe - past, present, and future. * Francine Jackson, theskyscrapers.org *
Nicholas Mee, in his brilliant The Cosmic Mystery Tour: A High-Speed Journey through Space & Time, offers a chapter-by-short-chapter assemblage of the theories, discoveries, and general relativity-type great leaps of inspiration that account for the impressive amount of knowledge we have about the universe... Refreshingly comprehensible, for the subject matter, this project is a delight. * Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews *
Packed with a wealth of scientific snippets. * David C. Barber, Contemporary Physics *
Table of ContentsPart 1: The Laws of The Cosmos1: The Path to Immortality2: The Rosetta Stone and Quantum Waves3: We're Having a Field Day!4: Cosmic Ripples5: Lovely LISA6: Animated Atom Boy7: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star8: Forces of the World Unite!9: Most of the Universe is Missing!Part II: The History, Geography and Architecture of the Cosmos10: From Genesis to Revelation!11: The Battle for the Cosmos12: Alchemical Furnaces of the Cosmos13: Diamonds in the Sky14: From the Leviathan to the Behemoth15: The Crab and the Jellyfish16: The Ultimate Heavy Metal Space Rock17: Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster18: Cosmic Spacequakes19: Doctor Atomic and the Black Hole20: Supermassive Black HolesPart III: The Biology of the Cosmos21: The Gorgon's Head!22: Raise Your Glasses to the Skies!23: Life, But Not as We Know It!24: To Boldly Go...25: Somewhere Over the Rainbow26: Where is Everybody?
