One universe : at home in the cosmos
Published in conjunction with the opening of the new Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, this book explains the physics of the cosmos in terms of familiar principles at work here on earth (e.g., the force of gravity that lands a baseball in the bleachers also keeps the moon in orbit). Sections cover motion, matter, and energy and are beautifully illustrated with photos and diagrams. Concepts of cosmology are saved for the final chapter, which covers string theory, black holes, dark matter, gamma-ray bursts, cosmological inflation, the Big Bang, and the search for extraterrestrial life
Einführung
217 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 31 cm
9780309064880, 0309064880
42726152
Introduction. Our connection to the universe
Motion. Everything moves: Expanding universe
Motion through the millennia
Universe goes round
Gravity's hold on the cosmos
Gravity and light
Eternal free fall of orbits
Gravity rules
Matter. The stuff of the universe: Matter's many guises
Scarcity of matter
We are stardust
Physics of dense matter
Too much matter
Energy. The power of cosmic phenomena: Energy powers the universe
By the light of a star
Probing space with spectra
Electromagnetism at work
Sighting the superenergetic
Evidence for supermassive black holes
Frontiers. The limits of motion, matter, and energy: Does matter + energy = life?
Where did the universe come from?
How small does matter get?
Source of big explosions
Where does the universe go from here?
What lies ahead
Progress in understanding the cosmos: Selected chronology
Glossary
About the authors
Index
Credits