Time, Space, Stars & Man

Time, Space, Stars & Man

What are the origins of space and time? For that matter, how did galaxies, planets, life and our species come to be? Sweeping across 13.7 billion years of cosmic history, Time, Space, Stars & Man describes our Universe in an engaging way.

Michael Woolfson first spotlights our ability to measure large distances using redshift, parallax and other techniques. We further see how Edwin Hubble inferred that distant galaxies were moving away from us with speeds proportional to their distance. These insights come together in the following section, which summarizes the major tenets of the Big Bang theory. Essentially, at some time in the past, all the mass-energy in the Universe was concentrated at a point that scientists call a singularity. Woolfson then highlights the probable events that occurred after the Bang, including a period of exponential expansion called inflation.

In subsequent sections, the author describes everything from the birth, life and death of the first generation of stars to the formation of globular clusters and galaxies. In order to understand the solar system, we’re treated to sections on orbital dynamics and the specific properties of the planets and moons in our solar neighborhood. From the nature of asteroids to theories of lunar formation, very few topics in planetary science are left untouched.

The final section of the book highlights the most complex processes of all—those involved in life on Earth. Woolfson proves his versatility by offering sharp insights on the structure and function of the DNA molecule, the rise of genetics and evolutionary theory, and humanity’s appearance in the tree of life.

Detailed yet virtually free of mathematics, Time, Space, Stars & Man offers a dramatic voyage of discovery through the cosmos.

SC. 434pp. 2009.

Softcover: 436 pages

Publisher: World Scientific Publications ( March 30, 2009 )

Item #: 82-8485

ISBN: 9781848162730

Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 24.0 ounces