How big is the universe? Is it infinite? How did it begin and how might it end? Joseph Silk guides the reader through the frontiers of current research in cosmology, weaving together the latest theories and observations, and combining science with literary quotations and philosophical reflections on the vastness and wonder of our universe.
Recenzijos
Review from previous edition This book packs so much into a decidedly finite space. Silk covers everything you might hope to find in a book by one of the world's leading cosmologists, and much more besides... Accessible and informative. * Peter Coles, Nature * This is an outstanding work, suited to readers of all ages and all backgrounds, and is recommended without the slightest hesitation. * Patrick Moore, THES *
List of Figures
viii
Introduction
1
(2)
Perspectives
3
(4)
Principles
7
(13)
Our neighbourhood
20
(9)
The universe of galaxies
29
(17)
The invisible cosmos
46
(10)
Supermassive black holes and galaxy formation
56
(9)
Clusters and clustering
65
(11)
Space is nearly flat
76
(10)
Dark energy and the runaway universe
86
(8)
The panacea of cold dark matter
94
(10)
Origins
104
(31)
The seeds of structure
135
(35)
Beyond the beginning
170
(10)
Towards the infinite universe
180
(14)
From time to time machines
194
(12)
A brief moment in time
206
(4)
Into the infinite future
210
(8)
And so to God
218
(8)
Where next?
226
(7)
Index
233
Joseph Silk is Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford. He has published a number of books on cosmology for the general reader, including The Big Bang (W. H. Freeman), The Left Hand of Creation (with J. D. Barrow, published by Oxford University Press), and On the Shores of the Unknown (Cambridge University Press).
