Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: Essays on the Universe and Our Place Within It

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Although difficult to choose from, here are the lessons that are the most fun and useful for you to know: While explaining Einstein’s prediction of gravitational waves and the importance of their first ever detection in 2015 , Tyson beautifully summarizes this full circle. My Thoughts: I thought this was well put together, with interesting facts and visuals. My only complaints are that at times it felt a bit preachy and I wish he had gone a little more in depth/explained better on some topics. (But I suppose it is meant for “young people” so maybe I should read the adult version.) Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia. Now, we have only about 1,000 words to recount you briefly the history of nearly everything and, of course, we are going to need to rush through Tyson’s presentation.

Tyson is quite adamant in insisting that most of the things he talks about are undeniably true . “The power and beauty of physical laws,” he writes, “is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them. In other words, after the laws of physics, everything else is opinion.” During our brief stay on planet Earth, we owe ourselves and our descendants the opportunity to explore,” he writes, in part because it’s fun, but also because it’s critical to our future. The similarities we share with the universe can only make us wonder: What if there are other things we have in common, such as life? Are there aliens out there somewhere? If so, the Chinese people will be the first ones to know! They’ve built the biggest radio telescope on earth to study prospective aliens and discover them. Lesson 3: The Universe started as a tiny, extremely hot dot, but then cooled off and expanded. And secondly, that the Earth is a nothing more than a mote. But “it’s a precious mote and, for the moment, it’s the only home we have.” Tomēr dizaina ziņā 4,5 zvaigznes, jo bildes bija ļoti kvalitatīvas un skaistas, bet to izvietojumi dažviet bija neērti un ievietotas teikumu vidū.Forget about this being a book for people in a ”hurry”, this is complicated stuff. Don’t be in too much of a hurry, take your time when reading this. So, to continue the themes of topsy turvy thinking, upside down confusion and downright blatant ignorance – I will start my review by describing the end of the book. For reasons I have yet to understand, many people don’t like chemicals, which might explain the perennial movement to rid foods of them. <...> Personally, I am quite comfortable with chemicals, anywhere in the universe. My favorite stars, as well as my best friends, are all made of them.” I really liked how Tyson could break down complex topics. Matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to move.And how he was able to inject humor in such dry matter. The power and beauty of physical laws is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them.I would like a sequel called Astrophysics for People with Time on their Hands - just to see what else is out there! The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. Audiobook Comments

I've never been interested in astrophysics, and I'm still not interested... yet, this was AMAZING. The whole writing and explanation is very simple, with easy words and real life examples. He observes, “This universality of physical laws tells us that if we land on another planet with a thriving alien civilization, they will be running on the same laws that we have discovered and tested here on Earth---even if the aliens harbor different social and political beliefs.” (Pg. 38) Later, he adds, “All measurements suggest that the known fundamental constants, and the physical laws that reference them, are neither time-dependent nor location-dependent. They’re truly constant and universal.” (Pg. 44) Even so, none of it should be boring to anyone: exceptionally well written, full of Tyson’s recognizable wit and even more recognizable analogies, “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” is both an accessible and illuminating work.I think it's perfect for someone who wants to know about the most important things in the universe, but not in detail. Just the rough things. And all of it promises to be a magnificent adventure! Key Lessons from “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry”