Secrets of the Universe
How We Discovered the Cosmos
Published on 20. February 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-500-29519-9 (ISBN)
Description
How did our universe come to exist? Why do stars shine? Is there life beyond the Earth?
For millennia, humans have looked to the celestial sphere to explain the cosmos, first recording the movements of the Moon 25,000 years ago. Since the Enlightenment and the dawn of the space age, scientists have been unravelling cosmic mysteries, and raising astonishing new questions for future generations to answer. Today we live in an age of unprecedented astronomical revelation, from the discovery of water on Marsto the detection of gravitational waves and the first photograph of a black hole.
World-renowned astronomer Paul Murdin explains the science behind these discoveries, along with the passions, struggles and quirks of fate that made them some of the most intriguing dramas of their times, demonstrating how human ingenuity and technological innovation have expanded our knowledge of the Universe beyond anything our ancestors - even as recently as a generation ago - could ever have imagined.
For millennia, humans have looked to the celestial sphere to explain the cosmos, first recording the movements of the Moon 25,000 years ago. Since the Enlightenment and the dawn of the space age, scientists have been unravelling cosmic mysteries, and raising astonishing new questions for future generations to answer. Today we live in an age of unprecedented astronomical revelation, from the discovery of water on Marsto the detection of gravitational waves and the first photograph of a black hole.
World-renowned astronomer Paul Murdin explains the science behind these discoveries, along with the passions, struggles and quirks of fate that made them some of the most intriguing dramas of their times, demonstrating how human ingenuity and technological innovation have expanded our knowledge of the Universe beyond anything our ancestors - even as recently as a generation ago - could ever have imagined.
Reviews / Votes
''Crammed with fascinating facts and figures' ' - Observatory Magazine ''This is the book to reignite your sense of wonder'' - National Space Society ''Good reading ... I can do no more than strongly recommend it'' - Astronomy Now 'While being consistent and fluid as a whole, each chapter equally serves as a perfect stand-alone essay ... it's an excellent book to see the amateur astronomer through those cloudy nights. Five stars' - BBC Sky at NightMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
1 Illustrations, black and white; 28 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
329 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-500-29519-9 (9780500295199)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Paul Murdin, OBE, has worked as an astronomer in the UK, the USA, Australia and Spain, and discovered the first stellar black hole, Cygnus X1. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, former president of the European Astronomical Society and Senior Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. In 2012 Asteroid 128562 was named 'Murdin' by the IAU in honour of his contributions to the field. His book Secrets of the Planets was published in 2019.
Content
Introduction * Discoveries Before the Telescope * Discoveries in the Solar System Discoveries of the Dynamic Universe * Discoveries of Our Galaxy and Its Stars * Discoveries of the Universe and Its Galaxies Future Discoveries