The cosmic mystery tour A high-speed journey through space & time

Nicholas Mee

Book - 2019

This is a lively, inspiring beginner's guide to how the universe works. This book contains bite-sized chapters present the discoveries of modern physics, astronomy, and cosmology. It also has background stories of the research and researchers bring the science to life.

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2nd Floor 523.1/Mee Due Sep 11, 2024
Subjects
Published
Oxford : Oxford University Press 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
Nicholas Mee (author)
Edition
First edItion
Physical Description
x, 207 pages : illustrations, color ; 21 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9780198831860
  • Part I. The Laws of the Cosmos
  • The Path to Immortality
  • The Rosetta Stone and Quantum Waves
  • We're Having a Held Day!
  • Cosmic Ripples
  • Lovely LISA
  • Animated Atom Boy
  • Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
  • Forces of the World Unite!
  • Most of the Universe is Missing!
  • Part II. The History, Geography and Architecture of the Cosmos
  • From Genesis to Revelation
  • The Battle for the Cosmos!
  • Alchemical Furnaces of the Cosmos
  • Diamonds in the Sky!
  • From the Leviathan to the Behemoth
  • The Crab and the Jellyfish
  • The Ultimate Heavy Metal Space Rock
  • Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
  • Cosmic Spacequakes
  • Doctor Atomic and the Black Hole
  • Supermassive Black Holes
  • Part III. The Biology of the Cosmos
  • The Gorgon's, Head!
  • Raise Your Glares to the Skies!
  • Life, But Not as We Know It!
  • To Boldly Go ...
  • Somewhere over the Rainbow
  • Where Is Everybody?
  • Further Reading
  • Illustration Credits
  • Index
Review by Choice Review

Science books for people in a hurry are all the rage these days. British science popularizer Nicholas Mee, who holds a PhD in particle physics, took on the challenge with The Cosmic Mystery Tour and has succeeded splendidly. At nearly the speed of light, Mee introduces readers to the basic laws that govern the universe, describes the variety of its celestial objects, and discusses the hottest topics in astronomy, such as dark matter, supermassive black holes, and exoplanets. "By the end of the book," he promises on page 10, "your knowledge will surpass Newton's.... You will even know where and how gold is created." What this slender book lacks in depth is made up in its engaging prose, which provides a broad overview of the universe's significant workings. Along the way, the reader also gets to meet some of the men and women who revealed these cosmic wonders. A curated selection of further reading provides interested readers with options for pursuing topics in more depth. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduates. --Marcia Bartusiak, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review

Through a combination of engaging historical snippets and succinct overviews of recent and historical scientific discoveries, Mee (The Physical World, 2017) introduces readers to the evolving science of the cosmos. The first section explores the laws that govern the cosmos and the quest to find meaning in the universe. The second section examines the history of the cosmos along with its geography. The final section discusses the possibility of life beyond Earth. The entries are brief and wide-ranging, offering short introductions to numerous topics ranging from Einstein to Galileo to supermassive black holes and the Large Hadron Collider. Mee's engaging writing style enlivens the text. For example, the chapter on gravitational-wave detection is titled Lovely LISA as an ode to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. Images appear throughout the text, along with brief (sometimes too brief) annotations. The book concludes with suggestions for further reading and an index. An accessible introduction to all things cosmos, this would be a welcome resource for students or browsers with an interest in the subject.--Maren Ostergard Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.