The Astronomy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

Since the dawn of humankind, people have looked upward to the heavens and tried to understand them. This encyclopedia takes you on an expedition through time and space to discover our place in the universe. We invite you to take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Explore the cosmos, from planets to black holes, the Big Bang, and everything in-between! Get ready to discover the story of the universe one page at a time! This educational book for young adults will launch you on a wild trip through the cosmos and the incredible discoveries throughout history. Filled to the brim with beautifully illustrated flowcharts, graphics, and jargon-free language, The Astronomy Book breaks down hard-to-grasp concepts to guide you in understanding almost 100 big astronomical ideas. Big Ideas How do we measure the universe? Where is the event horizon? What is dark matter? Now you can find out all the answers to these questions and so much more in this inquisitive book about our universe! Using incredibly clever visual learning devices like step-by-step diagrams, you’ll learn more about captivating topics from the Copernican Revolution. Dive into the mind-boggling theories of recent science in a user-friendly format that makes the information easy to follow. Explore the biographies, theories, and discoveries of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking. To infinity and beyond! Journey through space and time with us: • From Myth to Science 600 BCE – 1550 CE • The Telescope Revolution 1550 – 1750 • Uranus to Neptune 1750 – 1850 • The Rise of Astrophysics 1850 – 1915 • Atom, Stars, And Galaxies 1915 – 1950 • New Windows on The Universe 1950 – 1917 • The Triumph of Technology 1975 – Present The Series Simply Explained With over 7 million copies sold worldwide to date, The Astronomy Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series from DK Books. It uses innovative graphics along with engaging writing to make complex subjects easier to understand. Shortlisted: A Young Adult Library Services Association Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners list selection A Mom's Choice Awards® Honoring Excellence Gold Seal of Approval for Young Adult Books A Parents' Choice Gold Award winner HOW TO USE THIS EBOOK INTRODUCTION FROM MYTH TO SCIENCE • 600 BCE–1550 CE It is clear that Earth does not move • The geocentric model Earth revolves about the Sun on the circumference of a circle • Early heliocentric model The equinoxes move over time • Shifting stars The Moon’s brightness is produced by the radiance of the Sun • Theories about the Moon All matters useful to the theory of heavenly things • Consolidating knowledge The unmoving stars go uniformly westward • Earth’s rotation A little cloud in the night sky • Mapping the galaxies A new calendar for China • The solar year We have re-observed all of the stars in Ptolemy’s catalogue • Improved instruments Finally we shall place the Sun himself at the centre of the Universe • The Copernican model THE TELESCOPE REVOLUTION • 1550–1750 I noticed a new and unusual star • The Tychonic model Mira Ceti is a variable star • A new kind of star The most true path of the planet is an ellipse • Elliptical orbits Our own eyes show us four stars travelling around Jupiter • Galileo’s telescope A perfectly circular spot centred on the Sun • The transit of Venus New moons around Saturn • Observing Saturn’s rings Gravity explains the motions of the planets • Gravitational theory I dare venture to foretell that the comet will return again in the year 1758 • Halley’s comet These discoveries are the most brilliant and useful of the century • Stellar aberration A catalogue of the southern sky • Mapping southern stars URANUS TO NEPTUNE • 1750–1850 I found that it is a comet, for it has changed its place • Observing Uranus The brightness of the star was altered • Variable stars Our Milky Way is the dwelling, the nebulae are the cities • Messier objects On the construction of the heavens • The Milky Way Rocks fall from space • Asteroids and meteorites The mechanism of the heavens • Gravitational disturbances I surmise that it could be something better than a comet • The discovery of Ceres A survey of the whole surface of the heavens • The southern hemisphere An apparent movement of the stars • Stellar parallax Sunspots appear in cycles • The surface of the Sun A spiral form of arrangement was detected • Examining nebulae The planet whose position you have pointed out actually exists • The discovery of Neptune THE RISE OF ASTROPHYSICS • 1850–1915 Sodium is to be found in the solar atmosphere • The Sun’s spectrum Stars can be grouped by their spectra • Analysing starlight Enormous masses of luminous gas • Properties of nebulae The Sun’s yellow prominence differs from any terrestrial flame • The Sun’s emissions Mars is traversed by a dense network of channels • Mapping Mars’s surface Photographing the stars • Astrophotography A precise measurement of the stars • The star catalogue Classifying the stars according to their spectra reveals their age and size • The characteristics of stars There are two kinds of red star • Analysing absorption lines Sunspots are magnetic • The properties of sunspots The key to a distance scale of the Universe • Measuring the Universe Stars are giants or dwarfs • Refining star classification Penetrating radiation is coming from space • Cosmic rays A white hot star that is too faint • Discovering white dwarfs ATOMS, STARS, AND GALAXIES • 1915–1950 Time and space and gravitation have no separate existence from matter • The theory of relativity An exact solution to relativity predicts black holes • Curves in spacetime The spiral nebulae are stellar systems • Spiral galaxies Stars are dominated by hydrogen and helium • Stellar composition Our galaxy is rotating • The shape of the Milky Way A slow process of annihilation of matter • Nuclear fusion within stars A day without yesterday • The birth of the Universe The Universe is expanding in all directions • Beyond the Milky Way White dwarfs have a maximum mass • The life cycles of stars The radio Universe • Radio astronomy An explosive transition to a neutron star • Supernovae The source of energy in stars is nuclear fusion • Energy generation A reservoir of comets exists beyond the planets • The Kuiper belt Some galaxies have active regions at their centres • Nuclei and radiation The match of lunar and Earth material is too perfect • The origin of the Moon Important new discoveries will be made with flying telescopes • Space telescopes It took less than an hour to make the atomic nuclei • The primeval atom Stars are factories for the chemical elements • Nucleosynthesis Sites of star formation • Dense molecular clouds NEW WINDOWS ON THE UNIVERSE • 1950–1975 A vast cloud surrounds the Solar System • The Oort cloud Comets are dirty snowballs • The composition of comets The way to the stars is open • The launch of Sputnik The search for interstellar communications • Radio telescopes Meteorites can vaporize on impact • Investigating craters The Sun rings like a bell • The Sun’s vibrations The data can best be explained as X-rays from sources outside the Solar System • Cosmic radiation Brighter than a galaxy, but it looks like a star • Quasars and black holes An ocean of whispers left over from our eruptive creations • Searching for the Big Bang The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is a search for ourselves • Life on other planets It has to be some new kind of star • Quasars and pulsars Galaxies change over time • Understanding stellar evolution We choose to go to the Moon • The Space Race The planets formed from a disc of gas and dust • The nebular hypothesis Solar neutrinos can only be seen with a very large detector • The Homestake experiment A star that we couldn’t see • Discovering black holes Black holes emit radiation • Hawking radiation THE TRIUMPH OF TECHNOLOGY • 1975–present A grand tour of the giant planets • Exploring the Solar System Most of the Universe is missing • Dark matter Negative pressures produce repulsive gravity • Cosmic inflation Galaxies appear to be on the surfaces of bubble-like structures • Redshift surveys Stars form from the inside out • Inside giant molecular clouds Wrinkles in time • Observing the CMB The Kuiper belt is real • Exploring beyond Neptune Most stars are orbited by planets • Exoplanets The most ambitious map of the Universe ever • A digital view of the skies Our galaxy harbours a massive central black hole • The heart of the Milky Way Cosmic expansion is accelerating • Dark energy Peering back over 13.5 billion years • Studying distant stars Our mission is to land on a comet • Understanding comets The violent birth of the Solar System • The Nice model A close-up view of an oddball of the Solar System • Studying Pluto A laboratory on Mars • Exploring Mars The biggest eye on the sky • Looking further into space Ripples through spacetime • Gravitational waves DIRECTORY GLOSSARY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS COPYRIGHT Learn about planets, stars and black holes in The Astronomy Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Astronomy in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Astronomy Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Astronomy, with: - More than 100 big astronomical ideas, theories and discoveries - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Astronomy Book is the perfect introduction to the story of our ideas about space, time, and the physics of the cosmos, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you'll discover more than 100 of the most important theories and discoveries in the history of astronomy and the great minds behind them. If you've ever wondered about the key ideas that underpin the wonders of the universe and the great minds who uncovered them, this is the perfect book for you. Your Astronomy Questions, Simply Explained How do we measure the universe? Where is the event horizon? What is dark matter? If you thought it was difficult to learn the science of celestial objects and phenomena, The Astronomy Book presents key information in an easy to follow layout. Learn ancient speculations about the nature of the universe, through the Copernican Revolution, to the mind-boggling theories of recent science such as those of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, with superb mind maps and step-by-step summaries. And delve into the work of the scientists who have shaped the subject, with biographies of key astronomers such as Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Astronomy Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand. An essential guide to milestone developments in astronomy, telling the story of our ideas about space, time, and the physics of the cosmos--from ancient times to the present day. From planets and stars to black holes and the Big Bang, take a journey through the wonders of the universe. Featuring topics from the Copernican Revolution to the mind-boggling theories of recent science, The Astronomy Book uses flowcharts, graphics, and illustrations to help clarify hard-to-grasp concepts and explain almost 100 big astronomical ideas. Covering the biographies of key astronomers through the ages such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking, The Astronomy Book details their theories and discoveries in a user-friendly format to make the information accessible and easy to follow.-- Source other than Library of Congress Explore the world of astronomy with key quotes and bold graphics to illustrate over 100 of the universe's biggest ideas. The Astronomy Book is an exciting voyage of discovery through the cosmos. Venture from ancient speculations about the nature of the universe, to the mind-boggling theories of recent science, including those of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Learn about the incredible histories of Halley's comet, Hubble's telescope, and NASA's modern-day trailblazing, as well as the discoveries of famous figures including Ptolemy, Isaac Newton, Walter Adams, Carl Sagan, and Alan Stern. The Astronomy Book, part of DK's bestselling Big Ideas series, is is the perfect introduction to our ideas about space, time, and the physics of the cosmos. Explore The World Of Astronomy With Key Quotes And Bold Graphics To Illustrate Over 100 Of The Universe's Biggest Ideas. The Astronomy Book Is An Exciting Voyage Of Discovery Through The Cosmos. Venture From Ancient Speculations About The Nature Of The Universe, To The Mind-boggling Theories Of Recent Science, Including Those Of Albert Einstein And Stephen Hawking. Learn About The Incredible Histories Of Halley's Comet, The Hubble Telescope, And Nasa's Modern-day Trailblazing, As Well As The Discoveries Of Famous Figures Including Ptolemy, Isaac Newton, Walter Adams, Carl Sagan, And Alan Stern. The Astronomy Book, Part Of Dk's Popular Big Ideas Series, Is Is The Perfect Introduction To Our Ideas About Space, Time, And The Physics Of The Cosmos.