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Does the Universe extend forever, or is there an end somewhere?
Are the quasars radiating through the Universe an echo of its birth? Does it expand
and contract like an accordion with each cosmic spasm lasting billions of years?
Was there a time when it exploded, and will the flying fragments separate until
our own fragment is virtually alone? Does it renew itself, and is it eternal,
unborn and undying? This third edition of Isaac Asimov's
classic history is a complete, up-to-date scientific survey of all that is known
about the Universe, presented with the clarity and precision that have made Isaac
Asimov one of the leading science writers in the world. He has expanded the contents
to include the most current information on such phenomena as black holes, white
holes, and optical quasars, which are generating new debates of cosmic proportions
on the birth of the Universe, its age, and its ever-changing nature. Beginning
with chapters on the earth and our solar system, Asimov guides the reader through
exploration and discovery of the beginning of time, and of unimaginably distant
reaches of outer space. Only fifty years ago, the horizons
of our known universe were pushed back. The Milky Way was recognized as only a
drop in a huge black ocean of space; other galaxies were discovered; the Universe
was found to be expanding -- its rim many billions of light-years away. And as
man daily probes further into the unknown, it is becoming clear that discoveries
dwarfing all those of the past may actually be at hand. The
author of over 200 books, Isaac Asimov is generally recognized as one of the foremost
science writers in the world today. He has elucidated the most complex concepts
and made scientific understanding accessible to adults and children alike. Other
recent books by Dr. Asimov on the subject of astronomy include The
Collapsing Universe, A Choice
of Catastrophes, and Extraterrestrial
Civilizations. |
