Features
ISBN Number: 9780801884603
Subtitle: Pulsars, Quasars & Other Deep-Space Questions
Written by: Kidger, Mark
Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
Subject: Cosmology
Subject: Astronomy, Universe
Subject: Astrophysics & Space Science
Copyright: 2007
Date of Publication: November 2007
Cover Type: Hardcover
Written in: English
Illustrations: Yes
Number of Pages: 224
Book Size: 955x735x103 157
The universe is big. Really big. And it gets bigger every day. In Cosmological Enigmas, Mark Kidger weaves together history, science, and science fiction to consider questions about the bigness of space and the strange objects that lie trembling at the edge of infinity. What are quasars, blazars, and gamma-ray bursters? Could we ever travel to the stars? Can we really expect aliens to contact us? From the profound (what evidence do we have to support the big bang theory?) to the bizarre (can there be more than one universe and, if so, how many dimensions does it possess?) to the everyday-yet-profound (why is the sky dark at night?), Kidger explains not only what we know but how we came to know it. Reflecting on how stars shine and what may lie beyond the edge of the universe, Kidger takes us on the ultimate cosmic journey.
Book News Annotation:
Astronomer Kidger (European Space Astronomy Center, Madrid) discusses
some of the big questions he and his colleagues deal with in a manner
designed not only to be accessible to general educated readers, but
also to elicit support from general voting readers in various
countries where government science budgets are being squeezed between
anti-intellectual conservatives and pro-social-service liberals.
Among the questions he asks are how stars are born and die, how old
the universe is, and what is there outside the universe.
Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Synopsis:
Author Mark Kidger weaves together history, science, and science fiction to consider questions about the bigness of space and the strange objects that lie trembling at the edge of infinity. Reflecting on how stars shine and what may lie beyond the edge of the universe, Kidger takes readers on the ultimate cosmic journey.Johns Hopkins University Press
