Description
Book SynopsisThe story of our Universe, from its beginning in the first milliseconds of the Big Bang right up to our present moment and beyond, told in a gripping narrative. We have entered a new age of exploration and discovery, enabling us to probe ever more distant reaches of space and greatly advance our knowledge of the Universe. Today, telescopes peer not only into outer space, but also into the deep past. Paul Murdin takes us on an original and breathtaking journey across the lifetime of the Universe, from the first milliseconds of the Big Bang right up to our present moment and even beyond. Murdin draws on the latest discoveries in astronomy to describe the most important characters and events in the life of our Universe: the most powerful explosions, the most curious planets, and the most spectacular celestial bodies. He charts our developing understanding of the cosmos, showing how thinkers have deduced profound truths from even the simplest observations â everyone can see that it
Trade Review'A biography that contains all biographies and a stunning read from the Big Bang to the birth of our efforts to understand the Universe. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the life of our cosmos' - Adam G. Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2011
'A magnificent guided tour through the cosmos … the next best thing to actually flying out into space and seeing the Universe for yourself' - Jim Al-Khalili
'Marvellous … A refreshing perspective and some unusual lines of evidence that explore roads less travelled in other popular accounts … It’s Murdin’s text that takes centre-stage, and rightly so, as it’s a model of concision and clarity' - BBC Sky at Night
'[A] beautiful tour through the cosmos ... Murdin offers easy-to-grasp explanations of knotty physics concepts[...]and also shows how the invention of radio astronomy, satellites and ever-more complex telescopes has led to a deeper understanding of space ... Beautifully illustrated ... For readers interested in space but new to the game, this is a fine place to start' - Publishers Weekly
'A super biography … would appeal to both the historian of astronomy and to those who wish to know more about the origin of the Universe' - Astronomy Now
Table of ContentsPreface
1. The Questions that Revealed the Universe was Born
2. The Big Bang: The Birth of It All
3. Randomness Becomes Structure: The Formation of the First Galaxies
4. The Dark Ages and the Emerging Cosmic Dawn
5. Our Galaxy: Birth and Cannibalism
6. Ancestors, Siblings and Children: The Stars and the Sun
7. The Sun: A Star in Its Maturity
8. Stars that Die: The Biggest Bangs since the Big Bang
9. The Birth of the Solar System
10. Chaos and Collisions in the Solar System
11. The Earth: A World of Difference
12. Sequel: The Future Life of the Universe
13. Prequel: What Caused the Big Bang Expansion?
