Showing titles in Cosmology

How do you explore distant stars, buried water on Mars or the first moments after the Big Bang - without leaving your back garden? In The Radio Universe, award-winning astrophysicist Emma Chapman takes us on an electrifying voyage through the cosmos using one of the most powerful, yet overlooked...

In the 18th century, the British minister and mathematician Thomas Bayes devised a theorem that allowed him to assign probabilities to events that had never happened before. It languished in obscurity for centuries until computers came along and made it easy to crunch the numbers. Now, as the foundation of big data, Bayes's formula has become a linchpin of the digital economy. But here's where things get interesting: Bayes's theorem can also be used to lay odds on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, and on the biggest question of all: how long will humanity survive?

Rédigés par Becky Smethurst, astrophysicienne à l'université d'Oxford, les dix petits textes qui composent ce livre vous guideront à travers les galaxies et les trous noirs, et vous raconteront pourquoi la matière noire est l'une des énigmes les plus fascinantes du cosmos. Vous apprendrez également ce qu'il y avait avant le Big Bang, pourquoi nous ne sommes peut-être pas seuls dans l'Univers, tout ce que l'on ignore, ce qu'il reste à découvrir et bien d'autres choses.

Sie sind die wohl rätselhaftesten Dinger im Universum, beflügeln unsere Fantasie und bereiten der Forschung Kopfzerbrechen: Schwarze Löcher. Seit 100 Jahren hält uns die Vorstellung dieser lichtlosen Weltraum-Monster in Atem. In der ersten Ausgabe von „Erzähl mir alles: Physik" beleuchten wir, wie Schwarze Löcher vom theoretischen Hirngespinst zur astronomischen Tatsache wurden. Wie die Reise ins Innere eines Schwarzen Lochs wirklich aussähe, und wie die Forschung die dunklen Schwergewichte heute am Himmel dingfest macht.

Einstein's theory of gravity, as beautiful as it is, seems to be in direct contradiction with another theory he helped create: quantum mechanics. From the explosions of neutron stars and the collisions of black holes to the modern scientific process as a means to seek truth and understanding in the cosmos, this audiobook takes the listener on a journey of learning and discovery that has been 100 years in the making.

A Mysterious Universe introduces the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics, theory of relativity, and cosmology to a novice in simple language. This concise book deals with deep issues related to the mysteries of modern physics.

Quasars are the brightest sustained phenomena in the known universe—engines of light powered by supermassive black holes devouring matter at the centers of distant galaxies. But they are more than cosmic spectacles. Every beam of quasar light that crosses the universe accumulates an extraordinarily detailed record of the gas, matter, and structure it passes through. The intergalactic medium writes its autobiography in the spectra of quasars, using absorption lines as words and sightlines as sentences.

Embark on a mind-expanding journey through the nature of reality itself! Is our universe one of many? Are we living in a simulation? What does quantum physics tell us about the fabric of reality? "The Beginner's Guide to Reality" breaks down these profound questions into three fascinating, accessible books that will forever change how you view existence.

The marvelous complexity of the universe emerges from several deep laws and a handful of fundamental constants that fix its shape, scale, and destiny. Where did these laws and these constants come from? And why are the laws so fruitful when written in the language of mathematics? Author Peter Atkins considers the minimum effort needed to equip the universe with its laws and its constants. He explores the origin of the conservation of energy, of electromagnetism, of classical and quantum mechanics, and of thermodynamics, showing how all these laws spring from deep symmetries.

From the moment of creation to the emergence of a planet tailor-made for life, science tells a sacred story: a superintelligent Creator used His mathematical genius to convert lifeless equations into galaxies, planets, and people. His love has been visible throughout the process. Could our journey reflect thousands of random accidents with no divine guidance? Creation delivered impulses that filled the universe with galaxies and stars. Eliminate any one of those blueprints and the universe would have been stillborn.

Zetetic Astronomy is the magnum opus of Samuel Rowbotham (1816-1884), a self-taught polymath, debater, faith healer, and early advocate of Utopian socialism. Drawing from a wide variety of contemporary sources, Christian scripture, and his own investigative and experimental skills, Rowbotham advocated tirelessly for his thesis that the true shape of the Earth was a plane, refuting all suggestions of rotundity. His arguments continue to captivate, persuade, and entertain up to the present day.

It has been argued that science fiction (SF) gives a kind of weather forecast - not the telling of a fortune but rather the rough feeling of what the future might be like. The intention in this audiobook is to consider some of these bygone forecasts made by SF and to use this as a prism through which to view current developments in science and technology.

Mind Openers 1.0 is the first of a two-part set. It chronicles how the astounding discoveries of modern physics have fundamentally changed our understanding of reality. Using a mix of historical narrative, intuitive analogies, and graphics, the book explores, explains, and ponders at meaning of our deepest theories. The author is a geophysicist and educator who specializes in translating scientific material for the non-expert.

For a century, physicists and philosophers have treated quantum mechanics as an anomaly—a realm where particles tunnel through barriers, exist in multiple states at once, and refuse to reveal their properties until observed. The quantum world has been called bizarre, counterintuitive, and fundamentally strange. But what if this strangeness was never in the world at all? What if it was only ever in our expectations? Nothing Strange About Quantum Strangeness offers a radical reframing.

Mind Openers 2.0 is the second installment in a two-part set. It takes a fresh look at relativity, cosmology, and quantum theory by imagining a "sandbox universe," in which space and time are treated as tangible and visualizable phenomena. In addition to providing an intuitive feel for the physics, the model makes a number of acutely unexpected predictions. The author is a geophysicist (M.Sc., Fellow of Geoscientists, Canada) and educator, who specializes in translating scientific material for the non-expert.

In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the "rise of complexity" in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings.

The European Space Agency released a map of the afterglow of the big bang map, which contains anomalies that challenge our understanding of the universe. This is the first book to address what will be an epoch-defining scientific paradigm shift. Will we ever know what happened before the big bang? What's at the bottom of a black hole? Are there universes beyond our own? Does time exist? Are the once immutable laws of physics changing?

This compelling book describes how the Big Bang theory arose, how it has evolved, and why it is the best theory so far to explain the current state of the universe. In addition to understanding the birth of the cosmos, listeners will learn how the theory stands up to challenges and what it fails to explain. Karen Fox provides clear answers to some of the hardest questions including: Why was the Big Bang theory accepted to begin with? Will the Big Bang theory last into the next century or even the next decade? Is the theory at odds with new scientific findings? 

Black holes are some of the most fascinating phenomena in the natural universe. In this beautiful pocket volume, Odenwald explores the science behind black holes in simple and accessible language. He explains what black holes are, how they come into existence, and how they affect the universe around us. Taking into consideration subjects such as gravity, quantum mechanics, the holographic principle and thermodynamics along the way, The Essential Book of Black Holes provides the perfect starting point for anyone interested in the subject.

This book takes the listener on an extraordinary journey through the invisible architecture of reality — from the quiet pull that keeps our feet on the ground to the roaring gravity wells of black holes and the earliest tremors of spacetime itself. It explores how gravity, more than any other force, reveals the unity of all things — connecting atoms, stars, and even consciousness in one continuous fabric of being.