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Vesmír: Biografia
Najlepšia alternatíva k ceste do vesmíru
Vydajte sa s autorom na originálnu a podmaňujúcu cestu životom vesmíru od prvých milisekúnd veľkého tresku až po súčasnosť, ba aj ďalej. Autor vychádza z posledných objavov v astronómii a opisuje najdôležitejšie postavy a udalosti spojené s existenciou vesmíru. Mapuje, ako sa rozvíjalo naše chápanie a poznanie kozmu, a ukazuje, ako veľkí myslitelia vyvodili hlboké pravdy aj z najjednoduchších pozorovaní. Vesmír vyrástol z detských čias a dnes astronómovia sledujú jeho prechod od dospelosti k blížiacemu sa strednému veku. Na záver autor ponúka letmý pohľad na budúcu starobu vesmíru a na to, čo to bude znamenať pre nás.
Veľkolepé putovanie kozmom spojené so zaujímavým výkladom.
Profesor Paul Murdin (*1942) je zaslúžilý člen Inštitútu astronómie Cambridgeskej univerzity a člen Wolfson College. Od roku 1963 skúmal supernovy, čierne diery a neutrónové hviezdy. Je spoluobjaviteľom prvej hviezdnej čiernej diery Cygnus X-1, ktorá sa našla v našej Galaxii. Od roku 1981 pracoval na zriaďovaní observatórií na Kanárskych ostrovoch, v Anglicku a v Škótsku. V roku 1988 mu udelili Rad britského impéria a v roku 2011 dostal Cenu Kráľovskej astronomickej spoločnosti za služby astronómii. Súbežne s vedeckou prácou sa venuje mediálnej prezentácii astronomických tém pre BBC a ďalšie médiá.
Vydajte sa s autorom na originálnu a podmaňujúcu cestu životom vesmíru od prvých milisekúnd veľkého tresku až po súčasnosť, ba aj ďalej. Autor vychádza z posledných objavov v astronómii a opisuje najdôležitejšie postavy a udalosti spojené s existenciou vesmíru. Mapuje, ako sa rozvíjalo naše chápanie a poznanie kozmu, a ukazuje, ako veľkí myslitelia vyvodili hlboké pravdy aj z najjednoduchších pozorovaní. Vesmír vyrástol z detských čias a dnes astronómovia sledujú jeho prechod od dospelosti k blížiacemu sa strednému veku. Na záver autor ponúka letmý pohľad na budúcu starobu vesmíru a na to, čo to bude znamenať pre nás.
Veľkolepé putovanie kozmom spojené so zaujímavým výkladom.
Profesor Paul Murdin (*1942) je zaslúžilý člen Inštitútu astronómie Cambridgeskej univerzity a člen Wolfson College. Od roku 1963 skúmal supernovy, čierne diery a neutrónové hviezdy. Je spoluobjaviteľom prvej hviezdnej čiernej diery Cygnus X-1, ktorá sa našla v našej Galaxii. Od roku 1981 pracoval na zriaďovaní observatórií na Kanárskych ostrovoch, v Anglicku a v Škótsku. V roku 1988 mu udelili Rad britského impéria a v roku 2011 dostal Cenu Kráľovskej astronomickej spoločnosti za služby astronómii. Súbežne s vedeckou prácou sa venuje mediálnej prezentácii astronomických tém pre BBC a ďalšie médiá.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2022
40 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 3, 2023
Interesting, informative and well written. An overall easy read for anyone interested in life, the universe and everything (pun intended).
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Interessante, informativo e ben scritto. Una lettura tutto sommato agevole per chiunque sia interessato alla vita, all'universo e a tutto quanto (gioco di parole voluto).
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Interessante, informativo e ben scritto. Una lettura tutto sommato agevole per chiunque sia interessato alla vita, all'universo e a tutto quanto (gioco di parole voluto).
August 1, 2022
The content per se perhaps worthy a 3.5, but the language and the way presented is just too dry. Doesn't solicit neither curiosity nor passion. Maybe its audience are for very mature and adult. But still for a fascinating subject like astronomy, it is a little let down. Struggling to finish it right now.
February 19, 2025
An okay read, nothing extraordinary or enlightening. Reads more like a summary, and one that is not well edited at that. The format of focusing on a specific sequence of topics forces the author to go back and forth in time making it a very confusing 'biography', with frequent references to topics that have already been discussed or that are yet to be discussed at all.
October 17, 2023
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handywork. - Psalms 19:1 (The Holy Bible)
"The Universe; a biography" is as the name indicates exactly, a typical biographical account of our universe.
Regarding the content, as the author rightly stated, "one has to be born, in order to create one's biography". It is evident that the science was always behind the enigma - The birth of our universe. As most of us already know, Big bang is being considered one stable hypothesis considering the birth of our universe. If you think of yourself coming from a single cell (zygote) into the humane form you are now, it is not indigestible thought that the entire universe has been created from a single cell. The single cell, which consisted of the highly condensed form of the entire matter and energy of the universe, and when all favorable conditions were met it started with a "Big Bang" and started expanding exponentially (and creating clusters of galaxies, super clusters, and voids etc) for a few billion years, and is still going on. Though the science was able to detect the possibilities with its current cutting edge technologies, there are still unknowns which the scientists are unable to explain. They want to rely on assumptions such as "Dark Energy" or "Singularity" etc to define them using "Constants" that change their values with technology advances. (They just might do not want to "Believe" there is a creator after all, as they are still going behind why did Big Bang happened).
The author starts the biography from the point of Big Bang, and chronologically takes the reader through the various time points and shows the state of the universe and travels to the present. It includes the start of our universe (The Big Bang itself), Creation of our Galaxy (The MilkyWay), Creation of our solar system, and various phases through which the Earth evolved etc.
Gentle reminder for the astronomer in me though :
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Who knoweth not in all these
That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?" Job 12:7-9 (The Holy Bible)
When everything in this book is in cosmic scale - Solar mass for reference to the mass, Astronomical units for reference of distance, and billions of years like just a small time frame, etc - it was quite satisfying to observe one of the cosmic showdown event . The annular solar eclipse on October 14 2023 was a visual treat for anyone with an interest in the subject. It was just coincidental and absolutely surprising for me to notice and immerse in the solar eclipse, while I was reading this book itself- some enchanted cosmic magic :).
The compilation of the facts and details the author has collected in this book was overwhelming for an average reader like me - like a cosmic shock wave overdose. Hence I would consider it as a tough/slow read (and 3.5 *) compared to the book "Before the Big Bang" (please see my review here) which was also on similar topic.
"The Universe; a biography" is as the name indicates exactly, a typical biographical account of our universe.
Regarding the content, as the author rightly stated, "one has to be born, in order to create one's biography". It is evident that the science was always behind the enigma - The birth of our universe. As most of us already know, Big bang is being considered one stable hypothesis considering the birth of our universe. If you think of yourself coming from a single cell (zygote) into the humane form you are now, it is not indigestible thought that the entire universe has been created from a single cell. The single cell, which consisted of the highly condensed form of the entire matter and energy of the universe, and when all favorable conditions were met it started with a "Big Bang" and started expanding exponentially (and creating clusters of galaxies, super clusters, and voids etc) for a few billion years, and is still going on. Though the science was able to detect the possibilities with its current cutting edge technologies, there are still unknowns which the scientists are unable to explain. They want to rely on assumptions such as "Dark Energy" or "Singularity" etc to define them using "Constants" that change their values with technology advances. (They just might do not want to "Believe" there is a creator after all, as they are still going behind why did Big Bang happened).
The author starts the biography from the point of Big Bang, and chronologically takes the reader through the various time points and shows the state of the universe and travels to the present. It includes the start of our universe (The Big Bang itself), Creation of our Galaxy (The MilkyWay), Creation of our solar system, and various phases through which the Earth evolved etc.
Gentle reminder for the astronomer in me though :
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee;
And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee:
And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Who knoweth not in all these
That the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?" Job 12:7-9 (The Holy Bible)
When everything in this book is in cosmic scale - Solar mass for reference to the mass, Astronomical units for reference of distance, and billions of years like just a small time frame, etc - it was quite satisfying to observe one of the cosmic showdown event . The annular solar eclipse on October 14 2023 was a visual treat for anyone with an interest in the subject. It was just coincidental and absolutely surprising for me to notice and immerse in the solar eclipse, while I was reading this book itself- some enchanted cosmic magic :).
The compilation of the facts and details the author has collected in this book was overwhelming for an average reader like me - like a cosmic shock wave overdose. Hence I would consider it as a tough/slow read (and 3.5 *) compared to the book "Before the Big Bang" (please see my review here) which was also on similar topic.
August 25, 2022
Since the Webb space station launch in late 2021, stunning images and sounds of the universe that could only be arrived at through logic are being verified. This last week alone, the sound of a black hole has been recorded. Jupiter was recorded with it’s raging storms across different filters to highlight its topology. Preparing for a return trip to the moon, NASA has identified 13 spots to land at. Even the heliocentric theory identified by Galileo , seems off in its origin. Our planet, sun, and galaxy having no particular axis or center point to the expanding universe.
Paul Murdin’s biography of “The Universe” attempts to tell the story from big bang to human discovery. Not unlike Bill Bryson’s generative “A Short History of Nearly Everything”, Murdin attempts delicate chapters to make sense of this larger story. Some of the watershed moments of understanding our nature here are shared here. Newton’s principals of physics extrapolated beyond apple trees and to planetary movements. Baade with the prominent Hooker Telescope maps out galaxies well beyond the human eye. Through experiments, observations, and mathematics we derive the world we are only beginning to see in our news feed.
The relationship between technology and our explorers captured my attention the most. The various telescopes that helped us make sense of radio waves, galaxy shape, spaghettification and neutrinos (well maybe this was with a pool in a cave) was really fascinating. Also, just the ingenious theorizing about how the whole universe came from the big bang of helium and hydrogen.
As a reader, it is a daunting read. There are times I found myself going back or speeding through other parts. Chapters about black holes, the sun, our future, and the big bang itself stood out most prominently. There were times I wish Murdin injected more of his personality or contextualized the discoveries to their improbability. But still, the book gave me some space for my little position on this planet. And out there..over billions of human years, stars continue to explode, our galaxy moves further out, black holes continue to eat material. We understand more, but the cosmic mystery entrances.
Get lost, marvel, feel small, and be happy we exist at all!
Paul Murdin’s biography of “The Universe” attempts to tell the story from big bang to human discovery. Not unlike Bill Bryson’s generative “A Short History of Nearly Everything”, Murdin attempts delicate chapters to make sense of this larger story. Some of the watershed moments of understanding our nature here are shared here. Newton’s principals of physics extrapolated beyond apple trees and to planetary movements. Baade with the prominent Hooker Telescope maps out galaxies well beyond the human eye. Through experiments, observations, and mathematics we derive the world we are only beginning to see in our news feed.
The relationship between technology and our explorers captured my attention the most. The various telescopes that helped us make sense of radio waves, galaxy shape, spaghettification and neutrinos (well maybe this was with a pool in a cave) was really fascinating. Also, just the ingenious theorizing about how the whole universe came from the big bang of helium and hydrogen.
As a reader, it is a daunting read. There are times I found myself going back or speeding through other parts. Chapters about black holes, the sun, our future, and the big bang itself stood out most prominently. There were times I wish Murdin injected more of his personality or contextualized the discoveries to their improbability. But still, the book gave me some space for my little position on this planet. And out there..over billions of human years, stars continue to explode, our galaxy moves further out, black holes continue to eat material. We understand more, but the cosmic mystery entrances.
Get lost, marvel, feel small, and be happy we exist at all!
June 5, 2022
During this time of Covid many biographers have been shut off from sources: libraries, archives, personal interviews. Thus, a number of biographical series I have been following have stalled. Thankfully, we have other resources, such as Professor Murdin's stellar biography of everything.
The usual topics are covered here, good friends to us who have followed astronomy most of our lives. The reason one comes to visit the biography once again is that thousands of dedicated and bright people have been working with pad and pencil, computer and telescope, space ship and satellite: They have rewritten our history again and again. What we read here contains surprises of fact, of perception, of speculation. And questions. Deep, important questions. And a few answers. Maybe.
Recommended.
The usual topics are covered here, good friends to us who have followed astronomy most of our lives. The reason one comes to visit the biography once again is that thousands of dedicated and bright people have been working with pad and pencil, computer and telescope, space ship and satellite: They have rewritten our history again and again. What we read here contains surprises of fact, of perception, of speculation. And questions. Deep, important questions. And a few answers. Maybe.
Recommended.
October 29, 2022
A good book to learn astronomical events with explanations of why and how our universe's structure, galaxies, stars & planets were created and evolved to become nowadays conditions.
The author walked us through our universe's biography by separating key Cosmo creations initiated by the Big Bang ... from galaxies, stars and planets into different chapters. In these chapters, he explained how and why (based on science findings or theories) the creations came into existence ... best of all he did this chronologically within each chapter with the time period (in billions or millions of years ago) shown on the right page header of each page throughout the book. Also, chapters were dedicated specifically for our solar system bodies ... the Sun, Earth and Moon, which include a lot of close to home historical knowledge about how and what led to life (including human) as is now.
The author walked us through our universe's biography by separating key Cosmo creations initiated by the Big Bang ... from galaxies, stars and planets into different chapters. In these chapters, he explained how and why (based on science findings or theories) the creations came into existence ... best of all he did this chronologically within each chapter with the time period (in billions or millions of years ago) shown on the right page header of each page throughout the book. Also, chapters were dedicated specifically for our solar system bodies ... the Sun, Earth and Moon, which include a lot of close to home historical knowledge about how and what led to life (including human) as is now.
June 20, 2024
Fascinating to read all this science, especially in a book that was published more recently. Reading some of the older books on this topic is always a little frustrating as the discoveries and facts that were taken for granted are disproved later. This recent book was more exhilarating because we get to see what people know right now. Knowing the history of the universe our place in it and the future of the universe is something that I think probably is interesting to anyone. There is even a little bit of history about life on Earth and how that occurred toward the end of the history of the planet. Recommended.
November 1, 2023
I would rate this book at 5 stars, I really enjoyed the book that Paul Murdin wrote, the way he divided it up with the chapters was really cool. He went through time with the chapters from the Big Bang to the the modern era. He explained everything really well and told it in a way that I could understand, that might be because I already have read books on the universe and its origins but I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about our universe's history.
After reading through the book I cane back with one quote that really struck me "Galaxies are still bing drawn towards concentrations of other galaxies" in essence, galixies are bieng drawn towrds eachother creating a larger vaccum in space, theres less stuff in the emtptiness of space, and its really profound. To think that our galixy is moving away from others, that we will be, in the end, alone.
After reading through the book I cane back with one quote that really struck me "Galaxies are still bing drawn towards concentrations of other galaxies" in essence, galixies are bieng drawn towrds eachother creating a larger vaccum in space, theres less stuff in the emtptiness of space, and its really profound. To think that our galixy is moving away from others, that we will be, in the end, alone.
November 26, 2022
A great idea. Unfortunately, a little too much science for me. Or too much detail or something. I loved the general idea and the writing itself was pretty good. It was just something in the execution that got to me.
December 17, 2022
A solid explanation of astronomical ideas. Does a good job of showing key experiments and how they influenced our understanding.
January 27, 2023
Good info on how the universe evolved. Some topics were repeated a paragraph later which seemed redundant. Some British terminology required some thought.
August 3, 2023
3,5⭐️ het was een interessant en leuk boek, maar ook toch wel lastig soms om goed te begrijpen
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September 25, 2023The main subject quickly becomes fuzzy under a heavy load of useless biographical and historical details.
October 29, 2024
A solid narrative of the history of the universe. The author keeps the science accessible and addresses interesting developments.
December 27, 2022
Najwspanialsza książka o Wszechświecie ever
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews