If you're wondering what the universe looked like just after its birth and how it will die, then Colin Ronan's
thorough exploration
into the history of the universe is a must. Beginning at the Planck time (defined as 10^-23 of a second) when the entire universe occupied a space smaller than an atomic nucleus, continuing into the present and the distant future, when it is theorized that the universe will collapse upon itself to create a singularity, the life of the universe is revealed as the wonderfully curious and bizarre entity that it is.
This is a challenging book for the layperson to read, yet fully worth the effort. It covers not only the expected subjects of cosmology like The Big Bang and the Hubble constant, but the more foundational topics, such as quantum mechanics, grand unified theories, relativity and chemistries of life. There are no equations to speak of, rather the difficult subject matter is explained with diagrams, illustrations and intricate flow-charts that seem to speak to the reader from another dimension.
Nestled amongst the oftentimes misunderstood science of the quantum world and theories of parallel dimensions and unified theories is a section covering our own back yard. One by one the planets of our solar system are explored, in greater depth than most books on planetary science. Learn about the rotation of Jupiter or how much ice lies under the surface of Triton, Neptune’s largest satellite.
At the conclusion of the text is a great amount of convenient information, including star charts, an illustrated
glossary, a wonderful Biography section and
thorough index. Most will flip to the glossary to refresh their memory on key topics, or just to get a simple picture of an idea.
The universe can be seen as complicated and scary, or beautiful and unpredictable. But with Ronan’s excellent coverage in The Natural History of the Universe, no longer can it be considered boring.