Welcome to the Universe

This is an interesting book, both in its content and in its concept. Three prominent astrophysicists have written a textbook on the subject of astrophysics for students at Princeton with little or no prior training in the physics and math upon which the subject is based. Based on the success of the course, the book is now being marketed to the general reading public, which is a noble experiment. I have a lifetime of prior experience in the type of math and physics upon which astrophysics is based, but no experience of applying that math and physics to the problems discussed in this book. I can imagine that a Princeton student, given some examples and some exercises (not included in the book), could work through most of the math at the level discussed, and the subject is sufficiently interesting to motivate them to do so (I found myself wanting to do this.) With my background, I could understand how it should be possible to work through the calculations that they described to “measure” the composition and temperatures of stars, the distances to distant galaxies, etc. However, I suspect that readers without at least a BS in Physics sort of background will feel that they are being asked to take a lot on faith, despite the authors’ efforts to the contrary. However, this is a breathtaking and profusely illustrated story of how stars and planets and galaxies are formed, evolve and die, of how the (perhaps multiple) universe is expanding, of the necessity of “dark” matter/energy, of the implications of relativity, the geometry of space-time and of how we have determined all of this.

This is one the most fascinating and enjoyable books I have read. For someone like me who is an astronomy and physics novice, but yet captivated by the cosmos, this book is more than I could have hoped for in terms of combining fun reading with education. DeGrasse Tyson and the other authors do a great job of explaining complex concepts with understandable terms and examples, while also providing enough of the science and math foundation and principles to challenge and allow the reader to exercise his or her brain. It is written for the truly curious, not for the passive. It is a book to fully contemplate each chapter, not to rush. It also provides plenty of fun and almost incomprehensible quick facts with which readers can amaze their family and friends. With all of the recent strange events going on in the world, this book is fun and smart escapism, with fascinating real facts but also yet to be explained phenomena, certain to keep things for us here on Earth in "universal" perspective.

This is an extremely well done book. The authors are to be particularly commended for excellent coordination between topics, referencing each other across chapters. Given the breadth of the topics, the effort to insure integration and coherence is notable.Starting with "astronomy 101", recounting history and discoveries to provide understanding of 'how we got to the present', the book moves from the solar system outward ... finally to the cosmology of the universe. At the start concepts are elemental, imparting knowledge many with interest in astronomy learned in early years. As the story grows more complicated, astronomy becomes astrophysics with authors incorporating necessary physics background. There are extensive discussions on aspects of galactic structure, star types, stellar evolution. Later, in the book there are select chapters on special relativity, general relativity, black holes, time travel. It is a seemingly whirlwind tour, but one well designed and described. The authors have taken great pains (and succeeded) in helping us understand what they have learned about the universe and associated complex physics.As a grade school child, I became fascinated with astronomy, encouraged by a Cal Tech aeronautical engineer neighbor who was similarly attracted. Not having joined the astrophysics family, reading this book rekindled the old interest. On a higher level anyone pondering the core existential questions lacks adequate knowledge without a grasp of the nature of our universe. This is a good volume from which to find that knowledge. Bravo!

Written in a conversational style, with a lot of information on current astronomy.Does not work as a text book because the subjects are long narratives, with no headings & subheadings, which astandard text book has. These headings divide subjects into smaller sections, which are easier to digest & remember.Also, subjects are easily to look up in a standard text book.But if you want to read about astronomy, & don't have to study for a final exam, this book is very good.

I have had this book for about a year and have re-read much of it several times. Cosmology and physics have been my hobby of decades and now that I am retired, I have time to at least notice the incredible progress made in the last half century. This book is an excellent source to do that. Of course, I long ago appreciated that men like the three authors here, even when they set out to explain all this to students with no science background, will leave me behind from time to time. The subject matter is not so easily grasped and integrated by we lesser minds BUT curiosity is a driver!!!It is true that illustrations would be very helpful to explain many concepts. More and more of this is done now b/c of digital capture and the outgrowth of television programs. The art of scientific illustration has made great strides in some fields and I have seen some of it in physics and cosmology. Not in this book, however. Too bad: Einstein understood that many very difficult concepts would be conveyed to and understood by people if they were 'pictured': his whole insistence on delivering his completed research as to a child, beginning with 'picturing' yourself racing alongside a light beam. But for all of that, this is a five star book for me.

A fascinating introduction to Astrophysics. The authors are academics who have translated their first year University course into plain English (or at least plain American), providing both a historical overview of key discoveries and developments with up to date explanations of our current understanding of the Universe, and discussion of the gaps in our knowledge. Some basic maths/physics are needed (I have A level Physics and still struggled in a few places - for example "we need to integrate the Planck function"!) but generally the principles behind the maths is fully explained and you don't have to delve too deeply into the equations unless you want to. On the other hand the way some basic physical principles can be derived purely from maths is a revelation - for example just two equations show that gravitational force does not depend on mass, a principle since proved empirically. A great read for anyone interested in current science.

This book arrived today, i was expecting promise and having a browse i am not dissapointed. If you are a relative laymen to this great field of science who wants to read just a BUT wants a little more than a standard popular book provides, this is it. Cannot wait for a quiet moment now to really digest this.

It's a really excellent explanation of what's going on in the universe and explains a lot you may have wondered about. But be under no illusions - you do have to have a good school level grasp of at least maths and physics to get the most out of this. That being said, the authors are excellent at engaging and illustrating their points to enhance understanding and have a very easy way of cimmunication. Am I a fan of this book? Definitely! I just wish I'd learnt a bit more in class. But you WILL learn from this book.

Probably the best astronomy book I have ever read. The closest you will ever get to really understand the universe and the beginning of everything. Immensely fascinating. A joy to read

One of the best books to cover basic and advanced topics in Astronomy I have come across. This is a worthy addition for anyones bookshelf/reference source. Highly recommended