Origins: How the Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Began [Paperback]

This book looks at answers to the biggest questions in astronomy  the questions of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the universe were formed. Over the last decade, a revolution in observational astronomy has produced possible answers to three of these questions. This book describes this revolution. The one question for which we still do not have an answer is the question of the origin of the universe. In the final chapter, the author looks at the connection between science and philosophy and shows how new scientific results have laid the groundwork for the first serious scientific studies of the origin of the universe.

This book looks at answers to the biggest questions in astronomy  the questions of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the universe were formed. The book will be easily understood by anyone with an amateur astronomers level of understanding of the subject.

The Series

This new series is aimed at the same people as the Practical Astronomy Series  in general, active amateur astronomers. However, it is also appropriate to a wider audience of astronomically-informed readers. Because optical astronomy is a science that is rather at the mercy of the weather, all amateur astronomers inevitably have periods when observing is impossible. At such times they tend to read books about astronomy and related subjects. The Astronomers Universe Series begins by assuming an appropriate level of knowledge. Basic information about the distance, the solar system, galaxies, etc. is not part of these books, which can take a basic understanding of this as their starting point.

The series is differentiated from popular science series (such as Springers Copernicus books) by a strong design image which will attract active amateur astronomers, but will also appeal to armchair astronomers (or cosmologists) and other readers who already have the necesl3¦