Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour

471 Pages·2016·12.19 MB·English

P r i n c e t o n
U n i v e r s i t y
P r e s s
P r i n c e t o n
& o x f o r d
A N
A S T R O P H Y S I C A L
T O U R
W E L C O M E
J ·
T O T H E
R I C H A R D
U N I V E R S E G O T T
M I C H A E L
A
·
N E I L
S T R A U S S
D E G R A S S E
T Y S O N
Copyright © 2016 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tyson, Neil deGrasse. | Strauss, Michael Abram. | Gott, J. Richard.
Title: Welcome to the universe : an astrophysical tour / Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and
J. Richard Gott.
Description: Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifers: LCCN 2016013487 | ISBN 9780691157245 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Cosmology—Popular works. | Stars—Popular works. | Relativity (Physics)—Popular works.
Classifcation: LCC QB982 .T974 2016 | DDC 523.1—dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016013487
British Library Cataloging-i n-P ublication Data is available
Tis book has been composed in Adobe Text Pro and Trade Gothic LT Std
Printed on acid-f ree paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the memories of Lyman Spitzer, Jr., Martin Schwarzschild,
Bohdan Paczyński, and John Bahcall, indelible infuences on
the three of us in astrophysics research and education.
c o n t e n t s
Preface 11
Pa rt i . S tarS, Pl ane tS, and l ife 15
1 the size and scale of the Universe 17
Neil deGrasse Tyson
2 from the day and night sk y to Pl anetary orbit s 26
Neil deGrasse Tyson
3 new ton’s l aws 42
Michael A. Strauss
4 how s tars r adiate energy (i) 54
Neil deGrasse Tyson
5 how s tars r adiate energy (ii) 71
Neil deGrasse Tyson
6 stell ar sPectr a 81
Neil deGrasse Tyson
7 the lives and de aths of s tars (i) 93
Neil deGrasse Tyson
7
8 the lives and de aths of s tars (ii) 111
Michael A. Strauss
9 why PlUto is not a Pl anet 126
Neil deGrasse Tyson
10 the se arch for life in the gal a x y 146
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Pa rt i i . G al a xieS 171
11 the inters tell ar mediUm 173
Michael A. Strauss
12 oUr milk y way 183
Michael A. Strauss
13 the Universe of gal a xies 197
Michael A. Strauss
14 the e xPansion of the Universe 207
Michael A. Strauss
15 the e arly Universe 222
Michael A. Strauss
16 QUasars and sUPermassive bl ack holes 241
Michael A. Strauss
Pa rt i i i . e inS te in and the Unive rS e 255
17 einstein’s road to rel ativit y 257
J. Richard Gott
18 imPlications of sPecial rel ativit y 270
J. Richard Gott
19 einstein’s gener al theory of rel ativit y 289
J. Richard Gott
8 con t en t s
2 0 bl ack holes 300
J. Richard Gott
21 cosmic s trings, wormholes, and t ime tr avel 321
J. Richard Gott
2 2 the shaPe of the Universe and the big bang 347
J. Richard Gott
2 3 infl ation and recent develoPment s in cosmology 374
J. Richard Gott
2 4 oUr fUtUre in the Universe 400
J. Richard Gott
acknowledgments 425
aPPendix 1
2
Derivation of E = mc 427
aPPendix 2
Bekenstein, Entropy of Black Holes, and Information 431
notes 433
sUggested reading 439
index 441
con t en t s 9