By Ethan Siegel
World Scientific
This book provides an introduction to astrophysics and cosmology for absolute beginners, as well as for any reader looking for a general overview of the subject and an account of its latest developments.
Besides presenting what we know about the history of the universe and the marvellous objects that populate it, the author is interested in explaining how we came to such knowledge. He traces a trajectory through the various theories and the discoveries that defined what we know about our universe, as well as the boundary of what is still to be understood.
The first six chapters deal with the state-of-the-art of our knowledge about the structure of the universe, its origin and evolution, general relativity and the life of stars. The following five address the most important open problems, such as: why there is more matter than antimatter, what dark matter and dark energy are, what there was before the Big Bang, and what the fate of the universe is.
Written in plain English, without formulas and equations, and characterized by a clear and fluid prose, this book is suitable for a wide range of readers.
