ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE: FROM BIG BANG TO EXOBIOLOGY

by Matthew A Malkan, Ben Zuckerman (Editor)

The book provides a broad overview of what we currently know about the Origin and Evolution of the Universe. The goal is to be scientifically comprehensive but concise. We trace the origins from the Big Bang and cosmic expansion, to the formation of galaxies, heavy elements, stars and planets as abodes for life. This field has made stunning progress since the first edition of this book. At that time, there were no known planets outside of our own Solar System (compared with the many thousands currently being studied). The origin of massive black holes was pure speculation (compared with the very recent detection of the first gravitational waves from space, produced by the cataclysmic merger of two surprisingly large black holes). And the most important energy in the Universe, now known as the Dark Energy which is accelerating the expansion, had not been discovered. We aim to bring lay readers with an interest in science 'up to speed' on all of these key discoveries that are part of the panorama of cosmic evolution, which has ultimately lead to our existence on Earth.
Science students, professionals and general public interested in astronomy.

248 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2020

Reviews

[Ashar Malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made a great read. It is a compilation of contributed chapters where each chapter discusses a slightly different aspect of the evolution timeline of the universe. The book is well written - and explains how it started - what we know about star birth and death process - how different initial conditions control the trajectory a heavenly body will take and many more things. While I was disappointed not to find a detailed discussion on exobiology in this - the content that was present more than made up for it.

I would definitely recommend this to everyone who is interested in knowing about the universe we live in. The book covers technical aspects - so perhaps not for a complete layman - but this shouldn't stop a layman from picking this book up and giving it a read. Definitely recommended.