Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Universe: And Our Place Within It

Description

The Universe is a beautiful, awe-inspiring place - from glowing nebulae to the sweeping majesty of the Milky Way, from complex cloud patterns on Jupiter to the rippling curtains of aurorae. But many of us struggle to grasp the complex ideas and science behind it all, or to see how it relates to our everyday lives. In this mind-expanding book, Professor Andrew Newsam draws on his vast expertise to show us what's going on beyond the limits of our planet, from our solar system to distant galaxies - and what this tells us about our own place in this vast expanse called 'the Universe'. Will our explorations of our neighbouring planets reveal life or a new place to settle? What happens inside black holes? Is dark matter real? Would a solar flare have a devastating effect on our planet? Could we do anything to prevent being wiped out by an approaching asteroid? What can observations of stars reveal about our origins - and our future? Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Universe is a brilliantly vivid and entertaining guide to the incredible phenomena of outer space - and to ourselves.

Andrew Newsam is Professor of Astronomy Education and Engagement at Liverpool John Moores University. After studying cosmology at Glasgow University, and working as an observational astronomer at the University of Southampton, he joined LJMU in 1998 to help set up the educational arm of the Liverpool Telescope, which later became the National Schools' Observatory, one of the largest astronomy education projects in the world. As well as astronomical research and education he is a keen science communicator, giving talks to many thousands of schoolchildren, amateur astronomers and the general public throughout the UK and beyond, as well as working with artists of all kinds on new ways - from show gardens to street theatre - to bring the delights of astronomy to as many people as possible. br> br/>Published in association with Liverpool John Moores University.