Celebrated physicist and global bestselling author Paul Davies tells the story of the universe in thirty cosmological conundrums
In the constellation of Eridanus there lurks a cosmic mystery. It's as if something has taken a huge bite out of the universe, leaving a super-void. What could be the culprit? A super massive black hole? Another, bigger universe? Or an expanding vacuum bubble, destined to envelop and annihilate everything in existence?
Scientists now understand the history of our universe better than the history of our own planet, but they continue to uncover startling new riddles-the hole in the universe being just one. In this electrifying book, award-winning physicist Paul Davies walks us through the puzzles and paradoxes that have preoccupied cosmologists from ancient Greece to the present day. Laying bare the audacious research that has led us to mind-bending solutions, Davies reveals how we might begin to approach the greatest outstanding enigmas of all. (Verlagstext)
'Brilliant. You won't find a clearer, more engaging guide to what we know (or would like to know) about the universe and how it is put together' - Bill Bryson
Contents
Preface - vii
1. Journey from the Edge of Time - Seite 1
2. The Search for the Key to the Universe - Seite 4
3. Why is It Dark at Night? - Seite 10
4. The Big Bang - Seite 15
5. Where is the Centre of the Universe? - Seite 24
6. Why the Cosmos is Actually Fairly Simple - Seite 28
7. What is the Speed of Space? - Seite 31
8. What is the Shape of Space? - Seite 37
9. Explaining the Cosmic Big Fix - Seite 46
10. Most of Our Universe is Missing - Seite 49
11. What is Dark Energy? - Seite 53
12. Where Does Matter Come From? - Seite 59
13. Gravity Conquers All - Seite 68
14. Warped Time and Black Holes - Seite 72
15. Is Time Travel Possible? - Seite 78
16. What is the Source of Time’s Puzzling Arrow? - Seite 83
17. The Black Hole Paradox - Seite 88
18. A Theory of Everything? - Seite 93
19. Fossils from the Cosmic Dawn - Seite 104
20. Can the Universe Come from Nothing? - Seite 111
21. How Many Universes Are There? - Seite 117
22. The Goldilocks Enigma - Seite 123
23. What’s Eating the Universe? - Seite 127
24. Is the Universe Actually a Botched Job? - Seite 131
25. Are We Alone? - Seite 133
26. Is ET in Our Backyard? - Seite 136
27. Why Am I Living Now? - Seite 141
28. The Fate of Our Universe - Seite 147
29. Is There a Meaning to It All? - Seite 155
30. What’s New on the Cosmic Horizon? - Seite 160
Index - Seite 167