The Universe Unfolding

Unfolding Our Universe is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to astronomy. With a clear, crisp text and beautiful colour illustrations, it takes readers to the heart of the Universe - explaining the facts, concepts, methods and frontiers of astronomical science. The book can be read right through without referring to any mathematics. For the more ambitious reader, key points are developed in more detail and basic mathematics provided in self-contained boxes. A unique feature of Unfolding Our Universe is the careful balance it strikes between the basics of the subject and its frontiers. Step by step, it carefully assembles a complete understanding of astronomy. Full colour throughout and a very readable text make this book a delight for the casual reader to browse, while the clear and concise explanations will appeal to amateur astronomers, science teachers and college and university students seeking a no-nonsense introduction to astronomy.

This volume collects the personal reflections of 20 of the world's foremost astronomers. These original, vibrant and sometimes controversial lectures provide a unique record of trends in astrophysics during the last two decades. Accessible to the general reader, they cover topics ranging from comets to cosmic rays, from astrology to eclipses, from the origins of life to the age of the universe. As an overview of the most dazzling accomplishments of modern science, these writings offer an unprecedented opportunity to hear Nobel Prize winners and world-famous cosmologists tell about their insights and discoveries in their own words.

The authors tell the epic story of the universe from an inspired new perspective, weaving the findings of modern science together with enduring wisdom found in the humanistic traditions of the West, China, India, and indigenous peoples. This book is part of a larger project that includes a documentary film, educational DVD series, and Web site.

The central theme of this book is understanding. Moreover, in a study of astronomy understanding has two facets that we can regard almost separately. One kind of understanding is to see why things behave as they do. The second kind concerns our own knowledge and how it develops. A humane study of astronomy should continually ask about our own ways of searching and knowing. This book expresses this view of astronomy.

Focuses on techniques and discoveries in astronomy during the last 25 years.