the Universe - A Journey Through Space, Time, Stars, Galaxies, and Search for Life

The Universe - A Journey Through Space, Time, Stars, Galaxies, and the Search for Life Included: The Universe- Why This Book Was Written- How to Use This Book- The Wonder of the UniverseUnderstanding the Universe- Definition of the Universe- Size and Scale- Observable vs. Entire Universe- Why We Study the UniverseThe History of Astronomy- Ancient Civilizations and the Night Sky- Greek Astronomy- Medieval Astronomy- The Scientific Revolution- Modern Astronomy- Space Age DiscoveriesMeasuring the Universe- Light Years- Astronomical Units- Parsecs- Cosmic Distances- Redshift The Birth of the Universe The Big Bang Theory- What Is the Big Bang?- Evidence Supporting the Theory- Cosmic Expansion- Formation of Matter- Birth of LightCosmic Inflation- The Inflation Era- Expansion Faster Than Light- Solving Cosmic MysteriesThe Early Universe- Elementary Particles- Formation of Atoms- Cosmic Microwave Background- First Structures Matter and Energy Atoms and Elements- Building Blocks of Matter- The Periodic Table- Nuclear FusionGravity- Newton's Law- Einstein's General Relativity- Gravity Across the CosmosDark Matter- Discovery- Evidence- Candidate Particles- Current ResearchDark Energy- Discovery- Accelerating Expansion- Possible ExplanationsStars Birth of Stars- Nebulae- Protostars- Nuclear Fusion Begins Life Cycle of Stars- Main Sequence- Red Giants- White Dwarfs- Neutron Stars- Black Holes Types of Stars- Red Dwarfs- Yellow Dwarfs- Blue Giants- Supergiants- Variable Stars Galaxies What Are Galaxies?- Spiral Galaxies- Elliptical Galaxies- Irregular GalaxiesOur Milky Way- Structure- Spiral Arms- Galactic Center- Solar System's LocationNeighboring Galaxies- Andromeda- Large Magellanic Cloud- Small Magellanic Cloud- Local Group The Solar System Birth of the Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Dwarf Planets- Pluto- Eris- Haumea- Makemake- Ceres Asteroids Comets Meteors and Meteorites Cosmic Objects Nebulae Star Clusters Pulsars Quasars Black Holes Supernovae Gamma-Ray Bursts Space-Time and Physics Einstein's Theory of Relativity Space-Time Quantum Physics Time Travel >The Search for Life What Makes a Planet Habitable? Exoplanets The Search for Extraterrestrial Life The Drake Equation The Fermi Paradox SETI and Modern Searches