Beyond Contact: Exploring Our Search for Extraterrestrial Life, a translation of the 2012 book "Comment se Comporter Face Aux Etraterrestres?" by Swiss author Philippe Barraud, delves into the age-old question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. This essay explores the human fascination with the heavens and recapitulates how scientists have framed the issue of extraterrestrial intelligence over the years. Barraud exposes the limitations of their analyses and lays out a convinci...

Lee Smolin offers a new theory of the universe that is at once elegant, comprehensive, and radically different from anything proposed before. Smolin posits that a process of self organization like that of biological evolution shapes the universe, as it develops and eventually reproduces through black holes, each of which may result in a new big bang and a new universe. Natural selection may guide the appearance of the laws of physics, favoring those universes which best reproduce. The resu...

Any amateur astronomer who is interested in astrophotography, particularly if just getting started, needs to know what objects are best for imaging in each month of the year. These are not necessarily the same objects that are the most spectacular or intriguing visually. The camera reveals different things and has different requirements. What objects in the sky tonight are large enough, bright enough, and high enough to be photographed? This book reveals, for each month of the year, the ch...

This book provides an accessible introduction to the fascinating and topical subject of black holes. It bridges the gap between popular non-mathematical expositions and advanced research texts, using simple undergraduate level calculations and the most basic knowledge of relativity to explain current research. This means the theory can be understood by a wide audience of physicists, including those who are not necessarily interested in learning higher-level mathematical techniques.The thir...

Is your child interested to know what's out there? Well, let him see for himself! This beautiful book features the universe with all its twinkling stars and pretty planets. Use this book to encourages your child to like space science because it provides a memorable visual experience. Don't forget to grab a copy today!

This second edition has been updated and substantially expanded. Starting with the description of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, this cogently written textbook introduces the reader to the astronomy of galaxies, their structure, active galactic nuclei, evolution and large scale distribution in the Universe. After an extensive and thorough introduction to modern observational and theoretical cosmology, the focus turns to the formation of structures and astronomical objects in the early Uni...

Astronomy is a subject that covers a wide variety of topics. Although some of the terminology is basic and clear from the start, other words used in the more scientific and theoretical aspects of astronomy are often misunderstood or mixed up. This is why it is vital to own a terminology study guide when learning about astronomy. A subject-specific study guide can help students and those just learning out of personal interest to understand the concepts and can clarify what specific words me...

This richly illustrated book is unique in bringing Einstein's relativity to a higher level for the non-specialist than has ever been attempted before, using nothing more than grade-school algebra. Bondi's approach with spacetime diagrams is simplified and expanded, clarifying the famous asymmetric aging-of-twins paradox. Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, is simplified for the reader using spacetime diagrams. The theory is applied to important topics in physics such as gravi...

Eclipses have amazed and terrified people for thousands of years. The sky grows dark. Daytime animals go to sleep and nocturnal animals wake up. Roosters crow and cows come in for milking. The sun is slowly covered by some mysterious celestial object. Sometimes it is blocked out completely. What had the people done wrong? Would the sun ever come back? Was it the end of the world?Today we know that eclipses are caused by the movements of the sun, the moon and the Earth. They still am...

Our Solar System gives kids an overview of the planets that make up our solar system in a fun and engaging way. Kids engage with the pictures and learn fun facts. Colorful pictures help bring the planets to life. Kids are transported to outer space where they visit each planet and learn more about that planet. This easy to read book is just right for intermediate readers and younger kids will not have a problem following along with a parent. This book is educational as well as entertaining...

Classic telescopes are of interest to amateur astronomers for a variety of reasons. There are the dedicated collectors, but there are also many amateurs who love the nostalgia they inspire. These telescopes "feel" different from any contemporary telescope and perhaps have a unique ability to reconnect the owner to a bygone age of craftmanship. This book takes a look at traditional telescopes built by the great instrument makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the dynastic tele...

This book discusses the theory, general principles, and energy source conditions allowing for the emergence of life in planetary systems. The author examines the material conditions found in natural hydrothermal sites, the appropriate analogs of prebiotic environments on early Earth. He provides an overview of current laboratory experiments in prebiotic materials chemistry and substantiation of a new direction for the experiments in the origin of life field.Describes ther...