Summary of Cosmic Queries Book by Neil deGrasse Tyson, James Trefil
4.8 . 2928 reviews
Short summary
What if we are not alone in the universe? What happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang?
Space is a most intriguing topic that excited the minds of our ancestors. Modern science made the stars and galaxies closer as technologies are constantly developing, but there are plenty of fascinating theories and legends that blow our minds.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a famous popularizer of science and astrophysics, collaborated with physicist James Trefil to explain the most important stages of the emergence of space and humankind. This summary will open the doors of space’s beautiful mysteries like the Big Bang, gravitation, dark matter, and string theory. You will meet famous scientists who have changed the world and even peek into the future of Earth while exploring our universe from the very first seconds of its creation till the modern times of technology.
”Many questions about our own humble universe — perhaps just one of the infinite number of universes — remain to be unanswered. For the goal of our short life is not to find the answers, but to search for new places to stand so that we can formulate questions not previously imagined.” ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
From magic to education: how people explained the universe before science
Listen the first key point
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Aristotle and Isaac Newton walked into a bar after arguing about what happens when an object falls to the ground. Each had a specific opinion: Aristotle believed that four basic elements — earth, water, fire, and air — make up everything on Earth, and objects made of the Earth move to the center of the universe, then fall to the ground. He considered our planet the center because he thought all celestial bodies moved around it.
Newton was more interested in the object's mass. He knew that all things on Earth obey the law of gravity; therefore, every thrown object will fall to the ground precisely because of it. Newton stated that due to gravity, two objects thrown at the same time would reach the ground simultaneously, but Aristotle was sure that the one with a larger amount of the earth element would fall first. They dropped an expensive bottle of bourbon and a coin and saw them fall simultaneously. So, Aristotle paid for the bourbon.
This anecdote illustrates how differently people imagined our universe. In 150 A.D., Claudius Ptolemy described the ancient Greek views on the universe's structure in his astronomical book Almagest. He claimed there were seven celestial bodies: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon. He did not define Earth as a planet but as the indestructible center of space and home for all living things (as Aristotle believed). The ancient Greeks did not imagine the possibility of extraterrestrial life and another “Earth,” and they also thought that all celestial bodies were smooth, ideal spheres made of specific material. In the 15th century, knowledge about the structure of the universe was developing; for example, people hardly believed that the Earth was flat.
If the planet were flat, darkness would descend on it simultaneously in different parts of the world.
Enjoy this summary if you are a fan of science, cannot imagine your life without space, or just want to take the first steps in understanding your place in the universe. Join the spaceship, and let's find out what lies between the stars.
second key point
Finding our place in space: history-changing milestones
We first need to determine space’s size and how large it is compared to Earth in order to understand our place in it. In medieval people’s imagination, even after Copernicus' discovery of the Sun as the center of our universe, space seemed to be a small, cozy place until Galileo Galilei turned his telescope to space in 1610. When scientists measured the distance to Mars for the first time in 1672, ideas about space changed: it became much larger, and Earth began to seem much less prominent.
In this captivating book, two brilliant minds, one a renowned astrophysicist and the other a distinguished physicist, join forces to explore the mysteries of the universe. Through a series of thought-provoking questions and insightful answers, they delve into the origins of humanity, our place in the cosmos, and the future that awaits us. With their engaging and accessible style, they take readers on an enlightening journey, unraveling the cosmic queries that have fascinated us for centuries.
Who should read Cosmic Queries
Science enthusiasts seeking a comprehensive exploration of the universe's mysteries.
Curious individuals eager to understand humanity's place in the cosmos.
Fans of Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk podcast craving insightful cosmic revelations.
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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.
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