Facts and Speculations in Cosmology

Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-0-521-86504-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 182 mm x 257 mm, Gewicht: 718 g

A thought-provoking insight into the evolution of cosmology for undergraduate students and general readers, this book shows that the mystery of the origin of the universe is far from being solved. Cosmology has advanced over time through observational evidence as well as a lot of speculation. In this historical approach, the authors argue that the speculative element has become a dominant part of modern cosmology. They show how assumptions have been made and portrayed as confirmed facts. This unique book gives not only a critical assessment of the big bang theory, but presents a host of anomalous observations, and puts forward an alternative, controversial theory on the origin of the universe. A non-mathematical account, it contains analogies from everyday life so that readers can understand the concepts easily and follow the arguments presented.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Narlikar, Jayant

Burbidge, Geoffrey

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Kosmologie, Urknalltheorie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Ancient cosmologies; 2. The Greek epicycles; 3. Reaching out to the milky way; 4. Our position in the galaxy; 5. The world of galaxies; 6. The expanding universe; 7. Modelling the universe; 8. What is the geometry of the universe like?; 9. A universe without a beginning and without an end; 10. The cosmological debate 1950-1965; 11. The origin of the chemical elements; 12. Cosmic microwave background; 13. The very early universe; 14. Dark matter and dark energy; 15. An alternative cosmology; 16. Unfaced challenges in cosmology; 17. Epilogue.

Über Autor(innen)

Narlikar, Jayant
Jayant V. Narlikar is Emeritus Professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, India. Known for his work on cosmology, Narlikar served as President of the Cosmology Commission of the International Astronomical Union (1994-97). Other books by Professor Narlikar include An Introduction to Cosmology (now in its third edition, 2002) and Current Issues in Cosmology (with Jean-Claude Pecker, 2006), both with Cambridge University Press.

Burbidge, Geoffrey
Geoffrey Burbidge is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. He is best known for his work on stellar nucleosynthesis and quasi-stellar objects. Professor Burbidge has been the recipient of several awards, most recently the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society with Margaret Burbidge. He co-authored A Different Approach to Cosmology (with Jayant Narlikar and Fred Hoyle, Cambridge University Press, released in paperback in 2005).