One Universe

A new window opens onto the cosmos. Almost every day we are challenged by new information from the outermost reaches of space. Using straightforward language, "One Universe" explores the physical principles that govern the workings of our own world so that we can appreciate how they operate in the cosmos around us. Bands of color in a sunlit crystal and the spectrum of starlight in giant telescopes, the arc of a hard-hit baseball and the orbit of the moon, traffic patterns on a freeway and the spiral arms in a galaxy full of stars - they're all tied together in grand and simple ways. We can understand the vast cosmos in which we live by exploring three basic concepts: motion, matter, and energy. With these as a starting point, "One Universe" shows how the physical principles that operate in our kitchens and backyards are actually down-to-Earth versions of cosmic processes. The book then takes us to the limits of our knowledge, asking the ultimate questions about the origins and existence of life as we know it and where the universe came from - and where it is going. Glorious photographs - many seen for the first time in these pages - and original illustrations expand and enrich our understanding. Evocative and clearly written, "One Universe" explains complex ideas in ways that every reader can grasp and enjoy. This book captures the grandeur of the heavens while making us feel at home in the cosmos. Above all, it helps us realize that galaxies, stars, planets, and we ourselves all belong to one universe.

ISBN 0309064880   Pages 224 ISBN13 9780309064880 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher National Academies Press   Weight (grammes) 1769 Imprint Henry (Joseph) Press   Published in Washington Format Hardback   Height (mm) 305 Publication date 17 Dec 1999   Width (mm) 229 Library of Congress 99053981   Spine width (mm) 26 DEWEY 523.1   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC21

		Introduction: Our Connection to the Universe		1
		Motion: Everything Moves		7
		The Expanding Universe		9
		Motion Through the Millennia		11
		The Universe Goes 'Round		25
		Gravity's Hold on the Cosmos		34
		Gravity and Light		41
		The Eternal Free Fall of Orbits		48
		Gravity Rules		56
		Matter: The Stuff of the Universe		61
		Matter's Many Guises		65
		The Scarcity of Matter		74
		We Are Stardust		81
		The Physics of Dense Matter		93
		Too Much Matter		104
		Energy: The Power of Cosmic Phenomena		109
		Energy Powers the Universe		111
		By the Light of a Star		120
		Probing Space with Spectra		133
		Electromagnetism at Work		138
		Sighting the Superenergetic		146
		Evidence for Supermassive Black Holes		152
		Frontiers: The Limits of Motion, Matter, and Energy		157
		Does Matter + Energy = Life?		161
		Where Did the Universe Come From?		171
		How Small Does Matter Get?		179
		The Source of Big Explosions		187
		Where Does the Universe Go From Here?		192
		What Lies Ahead		202
		Progress in Understanding the Cosmos: A Selected Chronology		207
		More...

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