Author(s): Stuart Clark

Space & Astronomy

What are time and space? When and how did the universe begin - and how will it end? Why has such a rich variety of celestial objects come into being? And was life an inevitable development in the cosmos?The answers to our most profound questions lie in the depths of space. To look here is, in effect, to look back in time, as we see light emitted long ago from distant stars and galaxies. As we stare deep into space, we also gaze deep into the past - back towards the beginning of the universe itself.Now "Deep Space" allows us to see, with our own eyes, the mysterious objects and phenomena that inhabit the far reaches of the cosmos and the earliest times of existence. Each of this book's ten chapters explains one big idea in humanity's study of the origins and evolution of the universe. These fundamental concepts include the big bang and the expanding universe; the formation of stars and planets; the anatomy and lifecycle of a galaxy; the existence of black holes and supermassive black holes; gravity and Einstein's Theory of Relativity; dark matter and dark energy; the cosmic web; and theories of how the universe will end.