Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today’s leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all – from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel.
Describing the latest discoveries in astrophysics, the informative and entertaining narrative propels you from our home solar system to the outermost frontiers of space. How do stars live and die? Why did Pluto lose its planetary status? What are the prospects of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? How did the universe begin? Why is it expanding, and why is its expansion accelerating? Is our universe alone or part of an infinite multiverse? Answering these and many other questions, the authors open your eyes to the wonders of the cosmos, sharing their knowledge of how the universe works.
Breathtaking in scope, Welcome to the Universe is for those who hunger for insights into our evolving universe that only world-class astrophysicists can provide.
A Marvelous Tour of the Cosmos I fully appreciate the authors’ approach. This book is by no means dumbed-down nor beyond the grasp of a reasonably intelligent reader. If you want to know, not only how the universe is composed, but at a deeper level how it works, this is the perfect venue. The authors present one dazzling aspect after another. On occasion, they mathematically demonstrate how to derive various findings (the math is clearly explained and, if you don’t quite get it, it will not in any way diminish your…
Astrophysics for the uninitiated … not to be missed. This is an extremely well done book. The authors are to be particularly commended for excellent coordination between topics, referencing each other across chapters. Given the breadth of the topics, the effort to insure integration and coherence is notable.Â
Crash Course on Astrophysics for the masses This is essentially a quick primer on astrophysics, written in a clear and easy to understand manner without dumbing down the contents. It reminds me of what I had learned in high school and college but my understanding after reading this book is a lot better because the examples were so much better. I wish the three authors taught my science courses!Â