New from the makers of All About Space, this special edition explores the wonders of the universe. Astrophysics helps us understand the nature of the universe by investigating the properties and behaviours of astronomical objects and phenomena. Understanding Astrophysics explains the science behind cosmic questions, including how galaxies form, what planets are made of, and how we know the universe is expanding. This book will also delve into the various theories astrophysicists have for some of the biggest mysteries, such as how the universe began and whether there is life beyond Earth.
Welcome
Complete guide to the universe • …from how it began to its ultimate fate
Life in the universe
Exploring the multiverse
Bigger and bigger • The scale of the universe is so vast that it can be hard to grasp. One of the best ways to comprehend it is by starting on a relatively small scale with our home planet, Earth, and working outwards
Universe by numbers
The Big Bang theory • It’s our best model of how the universe works, but where did it come from?
Observing the cosmic microwave background • We can’t see the Big Bang itself, but the CMB is the next best thing
Expansion vs explosion
Webb and the Big Bang
Bubble universes? • Our Big Bang may have been just one of countless similar events
Dark energy: is it real? • Science writer Brian Clegg has doubts, as he explains
What happened before the Big Bang? • Could there have been a time before the birth of the universe?
What is the Big Bang?
What caused the birth of the universe? • Many scenarios illustrate how our universe may have come into being
What is a light year? • How we measure vast distances across the universe
Astronomical distances • A light year is 63,241 times the Earth-Sun distance, called an astronomical unit
How to build a galaxy • The making of these billion-star structures has been puzzling astronomers for decades. All About Space puts together the pieces for building a galaxy
Galactic evolution • How their different sizes can affect how galaxies form
Lighthouse of the cosmos • Quasars blaze radiation that can be seen from the other side of space
Galactic arithmetic • The basic space formulae for creating galaxies
Secrets of black holes • Places where the laws of physics are pushed to the extreme
They’re a massive X-ray source
How are black holes made? • Black holes are born from the deaths of massive stars
How black holes grow • The earliest black holes to form will be much bigger today
SECRETS OF BLACK HOLES
Different kinds of black hole
Gamma-ray bursts are evidence
Famous black holes and candidates
The network that imaged a black hole • These global telescopes blazed a trail for black hole imaging and revolutionised astrophysics
How the Event Horizon Telescope works • The planet-sized array used cutting-edge technology to reveal the edge of a black hole
Everything you need to know about the Solar System • Join us on a tour through our current understanding of the planetary system we call home
An evolving system
Life in the Solar System
The eight major planets
Does the Sun stay still in the Solar System? • We tend to think of our star as the stationary centre of our system, but the planets do make it wobble
Complete guide to exoplanets • Our knowledge of worlds beyond the Solar System has exploded in the last three decades
Types of exoplanet
Past exoplanet missions
Kepler-47 system
Present exoplanet missions
Finding an Earth-like planet • Is there a planet identical to ours...
