Astrophysics For People In A Hurry

Astrophysics For People In A Hurry, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, W.W. Norton and Co., 2017

What is the nature of time and space? What is our place in the universe? Those are the sort of questions that this book attempts to answer.

Scientists don't know just what dark matter or dark energy is all about. It could be some new particle or new phenomenon, as yet undiscovered. Whatever it is, it accounts for the vast majority of the weight of the known universe. Scientists have been able to recreate conditions the tiniest fraction of a second after the Big Bang. They just can't get back to the actual moment of, or just before, the Big Bang.

Several thousand exoplanets have been discovered orbiting other stars. At interstellar distances, it is usually not possible to see the actual planet. Therefore, scientists have to focus their attention on a specific star, and look for a slight dimming of its brightness as a planet passes in front of it. It would be wrong to think that the space between galaxies, like the Milky Way, is just empty space. All sorts of things have been found, like runaway stars, gas clouds, x-ray emitting gas clouds, high-energy charged particles, dark matter and dwarf galaxies. Visible light occupies only a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Mankind has started to look at the stars using detectors that focus on everything from ultraviolet rays to infrared to radio waves.

This is a gem of a book. It is very easy to read and understand, even for non-scientists. This book was made to be read on the commuter bus, or while waiting at the doctor's office. It is very much worth the reader's time.