The First Three Minutes: A Modern View Of The Origin Of The Universe

Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy

Kip S. Thorne · 619 pages

Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy is a 1994 popular science book by physicist Kip Thorne. It provides an illustrated overview of the history and development of black hole theory, from its roots in Newtonian mechanics until the early 1990s.

Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos

Michio Kaku · 428 pages

Is our universe dying? Could there be other universes?In Parallel Worlds, world-renowned physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku--an author who "has a knack for bringing the most ethereal ideas down to earth" (Wall Street Journal)--takes readers on a fascinating tour of cosmology, M-theory, and its implications for the fate of the universe.In his first book of physics since Hyperspace, Michio

The Universe in a Nutshell

Stephen Hawking · 224 pages

"One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen's terms the principles that control our universe.".

From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time

Sean Carroll · 451 pages

A rising star in theoretical physics offers his awesome vision of our universe and beyond, all beginning with a simple question: Why does time move forward?Time moves forward, not backward-everyone knows you can't unscramble an egg. In the hands of one of today's hottest young physicists, that simple fact of breakfast becomes a doorway to understanding the Big Bang, the universe, and other univers

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

Brian Greene · 378 pages

From the best-selling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos comes his most expansive and accessible book to date—a book that takes on the grandest question: Is ours the only universe? There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be

Coming of Age in the Milky Way

Timothy Ferris · 495 pages

From the second-century celestial models of Ptolemy to modern-day research institutes and quantum theory, this classic book offers a breathtaking tour of astronomy and the brilliant, eccentric personalities who have shaped it. From the first time mankind had an inkling of the vast space that surrounds us, those who study the universe have had to struggle against political and religious preconcepti

Three Roads To Quantum Gravity

Lee Smolin · 235 pages

"It is a search for a view of the universe that unites two seemingly opposed pillars of modern science: Einstein's theory of general relativity, which deals with large scale phenomena like planets, solar systems and galaxies, and quantum theory, which deals with the world of the very small - molecules, atoms and electrons. In the last few years, physicists have made big steps toward their goal

Cycles of Time: An Extraordinary New View of the Universe

Roger Penrose · 296 pages

"A groundbreaking book providing a new take on three of cosmology's most profound questions: What, if anything, came before the Big Bang? What is the source of order in our universe? What is the universe's ultimate future? Current understanding of our universe dictates that all matter will eventually thin out to zero density, with huge black holes finally evaporating away into massless energy. Ro

Origins: 14 Bllion Years of Cosmic Evolution

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Donald Goldsmith · 336 pages

"Drawing on the current cross-pollination among geology, biology, astrophysics, and cosmology, Origins explains the soul-stirring leaps in our understanding of the universe while capturing the importance of such extraordinary events as the first image of a galaxy being born and the exploration of Martian frontiers by Spirit Rover. Distilling complex science into clear and lively prose, coauthors N

Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe

Martin J. Rees · 185 pages

Using data from very recent scientific discoveries, the author reveals the six numbers upon which all physical reality rests, from atomic structure to human tissue.

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe

Jorge Cham, Daniel Whiteson · 368 pages

Humanity's understanding of the physical world is full of gaps. Not tiny little gaps you can safely ignore--there are huge yawning voids in our basic notions of how the world works. Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson team up to explore everything we don't know about the universe, and while introducing the biggest mysteries in physics, they also helpfully demystify many complicated things we do know. A

The Inflationary Universe: The Quest for a New Theory of Cosmic Origins

Alan Guth · 358 pages

The classic big bang theory is great at describing what happened after the bang. Yet until recently, particle physicists and cosmologists were stuck on many questions that the big bang theory couldn't answer, including: What made the big bang BANG in the first place? If matter can be neither created nor destroyed, how could so much matter arise from nothing at all? Why can we only see a minute par

A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing

Lawrence M. Krauss · 202 pages

"Internationally known theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss offers provocative, revelatory answers to the most basic philosophical questions: Where did our universe come from? Why is there something rather than nothing? And how is it all going to end? Why is there something rather than nothing?" is asked of anyone who says there is no God. Yet this is not so much a philosop

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Neil deGrasse Tyson · 209 pages

A short book for almost all ages, it’s simply astrophysics for people in a hurry, taught by acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how the universe works!

The Grand Design

Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow · 200 pages

When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the nature of reality? Is the apparent grand design of our universe evidence for a benevolent creator who set things in motion? Or does science offer another explanation? In The Grand Design, the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe is presented, in language marked by both brilliance and simplicity. The G

The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

Richard Panek · 297 pages

In exhilarating and behind-the-scenes detail, Panek takes his readers on a tour of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have fuelled the search, redefined science, and reinvented the universe. Science journalist Panek (The Invisible Century) offers an insider's view of the quest for what could be the ultimate revelation: the true substance of

Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space

Janna Levin · 241 pages

"In 1916, Einstein became the first to predict the existence of gravitational waves: sounds without a material medium generated by the unfathomably energy-producing collision of black holes. Now, Janna Levin, herself an astrophysicist, recounts the story of the search, over the last fifty years, for these elusive waves--a quest that has culminated in the creation of the most expensive project ever

Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang

Paul J. Steinhardt, Neil Turok · 284 pages

The Big Bang theory--the leading explanation for the origin of the universe--posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades, the theory has repeatedly had to be revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up--let a

The Collapsing Universe

Isaac Asimov · 214 pages

In a time of spectacular developments in the new astronomy, the concept of black holes captures top honors. As scientific evidence for them mounts, black holes loom as an ominous development in the life, measured in billions of years, of the universe.

The Universe in Your Hand: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Beyond

Christophe Galfard · 393 pages

"Christophe Galfard's mission in life is to spread modern scientific ideas to the general public in entertaining ways. Using his considerable skills as a brilliant theoretical physicist and successful young adult author, The Universe in Your Hand employs the immediacy of simple, direct language to show us, not explain to us, the theories that underpin everything we know about our universe. To unde

The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics

Leonard Susskind · 480 pages

Wenn etwas in einem Schwarzen Loch verschwindet, geht es dann für immer verloren? Stephen Hawking, der berühmte britische Physiker, und Leonard Susskind, Physiker und Theoretiker aus den USA, gerieten über diese Frage in Streit. Hawking vertrat die These, dass alles, was je von einem Schwarzen Loch verschluckt worden sei, nicht wiederkehren könne. Wäre dem wirklich so, würde das unser ganzes Verst

The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life?

Paul Davies · 368 pages

Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality

Max Tegmark · 432 pages

"Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present, and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and ground-breaking science, he not only helps us grasp h

Wrinkles in Time

George Smoot, Keay Davidson · 342 pages