On the Shores of the Unknown
A Short History of the Universe

Illustrated story of the Universe from its beginnings to its ultimate fate.

Joseph Silk (Author)

9780521836272, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 January 2005

254 pages, 16 b/w illus. 18 colour illus.
23.6 x 15.9 x 2.4 cm, 0.585 kg

'This is … a concise and authoritative tour of cosmological thought stripped of unnecessary complexity. … in these 240 pages you will find a pared-down story that covers the essentials … written by one of the greats of the field, Joseph silk, and it shows. The great pleasure of this book is that it does not read like an abridged version: it is written with precision, confidence and a sure eye for the essentials. … it's a page-turner - a really compelling read. One reason for this is the confidence of Silk's style. … The other reason is that the history of the universe is so fascinating - and this is a book that illuminates both that story and the way that scientists have unravelled it so far.' Astronomy & Geophysics

In this fascinating book, astronomer Joseph Silk explores the Universe from its beginnings to its ultimate fate. He shows how cosmologists study cosmic fossils and relics from the distant past to construct theories of the birth, evolution and future of the Universe. Stars, galaxies, dark matter and dark energy are described, as successive chapters detail the evolution of the Universe from a fraction of a microsecond after the Big Bang. Silk describes how physicists apply theories of subatomic particles to recreate the first moments of the Big Bang, and how astronomers chart the vast depths of space to glimpse how the most distant galaxies formed. He describes the search for dark matter and the dark energy that will determine the ultimate fate of the Universe. This highly readable account will appeal to all those with an interest in the story of the Universe.

Prologue
1. Building blocks of the cosmos
2. The expansion of the universe
3. Cosmic microwave background
4. The first 10-43 seconds of the Universe
5. Genesis of baryons and helium
6. Testing the Big Bang
7. Dark matter
8. Baryonic dark matter
9. Intergalactic matter
10. Origin of structure
11. Large-scale structure
12. Galaxy formation
13. What lies ahead.

Subject Areas: Astronomy, space & time [PG], Popular science [PDZ]