Name: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
ISBN: 9780393609394

Synopsis

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!

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About Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Born 1958

Born in Manhattan, New York, he earned his doctorate in astrophysics in 1991 from Columbia University. He is best known in the popular media as the host of "Origins" a mini series on PBS and "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" on FOX television network and the National Geographic channel on cable TV.

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Quotes

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“With only one proton in its nucleus, hydrogen is the lightest and simplest element, made entirely during the big bang. Out of the ninety-four naturally occurring elements, hydrogen lays claim to more than two-thirds of all the atoms in the human body, and more than ninety percent of all atoms in the cosmos, on all scales, right on down to the solar system. Hydrogen in the core of the massive planet Jupiter is under so much pressure that it behaves more like a conductive metal than a gas, creating the strongest magnetic field among the planets.”

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“In the beginning, nearly 14 billion years ago, all the space and all the matter and all the energy of the known universe was contained in a volume less than one-trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence.”

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“Last I had kept count, there were fifty-six moons among the planets in the Solar System. Then I woke up one morning to learn that another dozen had been discovered around Saturn. After that incident, I decided to no longer keep track.”

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“The element carbon can be found in more kinds of molecules than the sum of all other kinds of molecules combined. Given the abundance of carbon in the cosmos—forged in the cores of stars, churned up to their surfaces, and released copiously into the galaxy—a better element does not exist on which to base the chemistry and diversity of life. Just edging out carbon in abundance rank, oxygen is common, too, forged and released in the remains of exploded stars. Both oxygen and carbon are major ingredients of life as we know it.”

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