The Stars of HeavenOxford University Press, 2001 - 233 pages Do a little armchair space travel, rub elbows with alien life forms, and stretch your mind to the furthest corners of our uncharted universe. With this astonishing guide book, The Stars of Heaven, you need not be an astronomer to explore the mysteries of stars and their profound meaning for human existence. Stars have fascinated humankind since the dawn of history and have allowed us to transcend ordinary lives in our literature, art, and religions. In fact, humans have always looked to the stars as a source of inspiration and transcendence that lifts us beyond the boundaries of ordinary intuition. In the tradition of One Two Three... Infinity, Pickover tackles a range of topics from stellar evolution to the fundamental and awe-inspiring reasons why the universe permits life to flourish. Where did we come from? What is the universe's ultimate fate? Pickover alternates sections that explain the mysteries of the cosmos with sections that dramatize mind-expanding concepts through a fictional dialog between futuristic humans and their alien peers who embark on a journey beyond the reader's wildest imagination. This highly accessible and entertaining approach turns an intimidating subject into a scientific game open to all dreamers. Told in Clifford Pickover's inimitable blend of fascinating state-of-the-art science and whimsical science fiction, and packed with numerous diagrams and illustrations, The Stars of Heaven unfolds a world of paradox and mystery, one that will intrigue anyone who has ever pondered the night sky with wonder. |
Table des matières
CHAPTER | 1 |
CHAPTER 3 | 39 |
CHAPTER 4 | 58 |
Droits d'auteur | |
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Expressions et termes fréquents
alien Alpha ants apparent magnitude appears astronomers atoms Balmer Betelgeuse Big Bang binary black hole Bob looks Bob nods Bob says Bob's bright brown dwarfs Brunhilde carbon Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin Centauri Cepheid color constellation core cosmic creatures dark distance Earth electromagnetic electrons emits energy levels evolve explode eyes figure flexscreen fusion galactic galaxies Galileo grass gravity heavy elements heliopause helium helium flash helium-4 huge humans hydrogen interstellar light light-years lines luminosity magnetic field Main Sequence massive Milky million Miss Muxdröözol Miss Muxdröözol says nebula Nephilim neutrinos neutron stars night sky nuclear nuclei observed orbit Orion parsecs particles photosphere physicist Pickover planets Plex says produce protons radiation reactions red dwarfs red giant says Miss Muxdröözol Science scientists Sirius solar flares solar masses solar system solar wind space spectral spectrum star's stellar parallax Sun's sunspots supernova surface telescopes temperature Universe visible wavelengths white dwarf York