On the Cosmic Horizon: Ten Great Mysteries for Third Millennium Astronomy

by Jeffrey O. Bennett

Share the wonder of the ten great mysteries of 21st century astronomy -- with an astronomer as your guide! Outside of religion, no human pursuit deals with deeper questions of existence than astronomy, and few areas of science compare in capturing the public imagination. Today, however, the pace of discovery is so rapid that even professional astronomers have difficulty staying current. In this book, an astronomer and award-winning, highly acclaimed teacher shares the ten deepest mysteries that motivate astronomy today -- from the quest for life outside Earth, to the ultimate fate of the universe. It's an awesome collection of mysteries, and Jeffrey Bennett explains each one with remarkable clarity, enabling any educated citizen to share in the wonder, no matter how little scientific or mathematics background they may have. Is there life elsewhere in our solar system? Where are the Sun's missing neutrinos? What does the universe look like? How do galaxies evolve? Are Earth-like planets common? What makes gamma-ray bursts? Is the inflationary big bang theory true? What is the universe made out of -- and what is its fate? Every mystery is framed with a story that draws upon history or an especially resonant metaphor, then explained in detail, but simply enough for those coming to astronomy for the first time. A teacher and an author, Jeffrey Bennett has taught college courses in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and education, as well as writing introductory astronomy and general mathematics with Addison Wesley The Cosmic Perspective , The Cosmic Perspective-Brief , Statistical Reasoning for Everyday Life , and Using and Understanding Mathematics . Jeffrey Bennett earned a B.A. in biophysics from the University of California San Diego, and an M.S. and Ph.D in astrophysics from the University of Colorado. He served for two years as a Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA Headquarters, where he developed educational programs for the Hubble Space Telescope and other astronomical missions. He also led the creation of the Colorado Scale Model Solar System, a one to ten billion scale model of the solar system, and is now consulting with the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, the Smithsonian Institution, and NASA on a project to build similar scale models for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and other locations around the world. He has recently begun writing science books for a popular audience and for children.

Genres: Nonfiction, Astronomy, Science

216 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 2000

Reviews

[Claude Esekody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronomy has never been this simplified and made enticing to the common reader considering a future in the field. Mr Bennett breaks down the known mysteries at the time as well as having the foresight to see and pose some brilliant questions and theories about were the field is heading. Some of which are currently being discussed.

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm finally into this century in my chronological reading of the Library's astronomy collection. This book is a bit more simply written than most of the others -- I would say it would be a great book for a beginner, a high school or advanced Middle school reader, though it is already somewhat out of date. This is not to say that it doesn't have some information for a more sophisticated reader as well. I was impressed by the lack of "gosh wow" in a popular book; in fact this is a very conservative treatment, sticking to what is generally accepted or may be verified in the near future. It focuses on ten "mysteries" -- basic unanswered questions, such as whether there is/was microbial life elsewhere in the solar system, the solar neutrino question, the large scale structure of the universe, evolution of galaxies, extrasolar planets, gamma-ray bursters, inflation theories of cosmogony (but no mention of more speculative notions about multiverses or string theory), the critical density question, dark matter, and whether there is intelligent life in the universe -- and forecasts that many of them will be answered in the first decade of the new century (which hasn't happened yet, I assume because so many of the projects he discusses ended up being scaled down or cancelled due to the economic downturn and the oil wars.) At the end, he mentions a website related to the book to update future progress on the mysteries, but when I tried to access it it was no longer there.

[Ryan Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were ever to teach an introductory astronomy class (which I haven't ruled out) I would use this as the textbook. Instead of listing off planetary moons or cute trivia or other such nonsense, it details what real astronomers are working on these days, and why it matters to us. Readable and informative for anybody.

[Christopher Obert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great astronomy book by Jeffrey Bennett! Mr. Bennett does his best to make the ten great mysteries easy to understand, while at the same time, keeping the majesty. I found myself looking into the reflection and seeing infinity.