Universe Down to Earth

294 Pages·1995·5.427 MB·English

by  Neil de Grasse Tyson

UNIVERSE
DOWN TO
EARTH
Also by
Neil de Grasse Tyson
from
Columbia University Press
'
MERLIN S TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE
UNIVERSE
DOWN TO
EARTH
Neil de Grasse Tyson
...
Columbia University Press
NEW YORK
Columbia University Press
York Chichester, West Sussex
New
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For
Alice Mae Young

Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
List of Figures xiii
Methods of Science 1
PART ONE
1 A Sentimental Journey to the Googolplex 3
A romp through numbers big and small
2 The Structure of Science 13
Behind the scenes of the scientific process
3 Measure for Pleasure 37
Measurement is the lifeblood of all science
4 The Confused Person's Guide to
Astronomical Jargon 47
Names and words that do not always mean what they say
Some Unifying Ideas in the
PART TWO
Physical Universe 77
5 Center of Mass 79
You will never leave home without it
6 Energy 91
Where it comes from and where it goes
viii CONTENTS
7 The Electromagnetic Spectrum 111
The world of light
8 Shapes of Radiation 125
Why blue-hot is hotter than red-hot
9 The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram 145
The most unifying concept in all astronomy
10 Highlights from the Periodic Table of
the Elements 163
Some of your best friends are composed of elements
Astronomy Is Looking Up 185
PART THREE
11 Menagerie 187
A cynic's guide to the constellations
12 Horrorscope 205
An astronomer's rebuttal
13 Celestial Windings 213
Making sense of heavenly motions
Suggested Reading
253
Index
261
Preface
It is not the intent of this book for you to learn the latest
scientific discoveries in astronomy; unfortunately, many
such books are out of date even before they make it to press.
It is not the intent of this book to train you to recite science
facts at a cocktail party; there is no shortage of books with
that as a mission. Nor is it the intent of this book to amuse
you with anecdotal stories on science personalities.
Contained in these pages is the consequence of my at­
tempts to convey science concepts to working adults, college
students, and to the average person. There is a greater need
than ever for educators and the community of research scien­
tists to find conduits through which the principles of science
can be conveyed to the lay audience. It is my experience that
success requires not only the proverbial translation from
jargon to lay terms-it also requires that an instructor de­
velop sensitivity to those tangled mental roadways that
a
may confuse a person's attempt to understand a concept.
Only then can one claim to communicate with an audience
rather than simply lecture to it.
It is not always obvious what it takes to remember a
morsel of trivia, a physical principle, or a profound idea. But
it is well known that if you seek intellectual enlightenment,