The Amazing Unity of the Universe And Its Origin in the Big Bang
In the first chapters the author describes how our knowledge of the position of Earth in space and time has developed, thanks to the work of many generations of astronomers and physicists. He discusses how our position in the Galaxy was discovered, a
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The Amazing Unity of the Universe And Its Origin in the Big Bang Second Edition
Astronomers’ Universe
Series Editor Martin Beech
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6960
Edward van den Heuvel
The Amazing Unity of the Universe And Its Origin in the Big Bang Second Edition
Edward van den Heuvel Astronomical Institute University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, The Netherlands
ISSN 1614-659X ISSN 2197-6651 (electronic) Astronomers’ Universe ISBN 978-3-319-23542-4 ISBN 978-3-319-23543-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-23543-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016934059 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Original Dutch edition published by Veen Media, Amsterdam, 2012 Original Dutch title: Oerknal: Oorsprong van de eenheid van het heelal © 2012 by Edward van den Heuvel & Veen Media, Amsterdam Cover Image credit: Cover illustration: Star cluster Pismis 24 and the emission Nebula NGC 6357, (c) NASA Hubble Space Telescope Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland
Preface
This book resulted from the amazing fact that human beings, with only some three pounds of brain cells, on a small planet in an insignificant corner of the universe, have been able to unravel in considerable detail how the universe is built and has evolved with time, from a fraction of a second after its beginnings until the present. This is possible thanks to the fact that the laws of physics that during the past centuries were discovered here on Earth have been found to be valid throughout the observable universe. Already in the eighteenth century, it was discovered that stars in double-star systems orbit each other according to the laws of gravity and motion discovered by Isaac Newton a century earlier for our solar system. It thus was found that these laws are valid not only on Earth and for the mot
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