The Beauty of the Universe cover

The Beauty of the Universe

Rating 4.0
Word count
135K words
Chapters
212
ISBN
9787559609410

Tags

Summary

Where do galaxies get their colors? Should we really worry about cosmic rays? Where will the Sun end up? Are there other universes? Why has only our universe evolved intelligent life? Everything we know about the universe—what may have happened, what is happening now, and what is yet to come—is in this book. This new edition (the third edition of the original book) adds the latest discoveries, such as the supercontinent Laniakea Supercluster, the setbacks in tracking the Philae probe's landing on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and the gravitational waves discovered by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the eLisa detector... From the Big Bang to the hypothesis of the multiverse and the discovery of the Higgs boson, this book presents every clash of ideas or major discovery in highly concise language, with each topic accompanied by a brilliantly colored, evocative image. Reading this book is like walking along a timeline: along the way you will encounter stunningly gorgeous starry vistas, portraits of scientists who unveiled the mysteries of the universe or even gave their lives, great relics left by people around the world in exploring the vast heavens, and cosmic fantasy works created by artists.

Editor's review

This book presents the history of the universe as a "timeline" you can walk along and look at as you go: starting from the Big Bang, it extends all the way to the multiverse hypothesis and the discovery of the Higgs boson. The information density is high but the narration is restrained, making it suitable for readers who want to build a systematic picture of the universe. Its highlight lies in the "concise text + gorgeous images" arrangement, with each topic accompanied by an evocative image, grounding abstract concepts in intuitive visuals and lowering the barrier to understanding. The new edition adds newer content such as the Laniakea Supercluster, the setbacks of the comet landing probe, and the gravitational waves discovered by LIGO and eLisa, allowing readers to encounter cutting-edge developments rather than only classic popular science. Reading it brings both the shock of starry vistas and the historical warmth of scientists' portraits and stargazing relics from around the world, while the artistic fantasy works extend the imagination. Overall it is suitable as a desk-side popular science book; flipping through a few pages in spare moments is rewarding, but for deeper formulas and derivations, more specialized textbooks are needed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Adult readers interested in cosmology and astronomy but lacking a systematic foundation
  • People who like illustrated popular science books and hope to build an overall framework of cosmic evolution
  • Students in the upper grades of middle school and above who want to broaden their scientific horizons
  • Ordinary science enthusiasts following cutting-edge topics such as gravitational waves and the multiverse

Not a good fit for

  • Professional readers hoping to systematically learn astrophysical formula derivations and calculations
  • Readers who prefer pure-text in-depth argumentation and are not interested in image-assisted reading
  • Young children who need extensive annotations to understand abstract concepts

Reading tips

  1. First read through in table-of-contents order to connect the thread from the Big Bang to the multiverse, then go back to topics of interest.
  2. When encountering concepts such as gravitational waves or the Higgs boson, read the text first and then look at the accompanying image, retelling the key points in your own words.
  3. Keep the book within easy reach, read two or three sections at a time, and combine it with night-sky observation or popular science videos to deepen impressions.
  4. For the probes and discoveries mentioned in the book, make simple timeline notes to help distinguish classic conclusions from new developments.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 前言
  3. 致谢
  4. 多重宇宙
  5. 宇宙初期
  6. 大爆炸
  7. 奥伯斯佯谬
  8. 量子引力
  9. 普朗克期
  10. 暴胀
  11. 暗物质粒子
  12. 原始汤
  13. 重子物质
  14. 氘
  15. 氦
  16. 宇宙微波背景
  17. 黑暗时期
  18. 大尺度结构
  19. 第一代恒星
  20. 化石恒星
  21. γ射线暴
  22. 遥远的星系
  23. 最古老的星系团
  24. 梅西耶13星团的形成
  25. 已有星系的宇宙
  26. 年轻宇宙的温度
  27. 恒星形成的巅峰时期
  28. 基本常数
  29. 星系盘
  30. 银河系
  31. 宇宙岛
  32. 肉眼可见的爆发现象
  33. 本超星系团拉尼亚凯亚
  34. 本星系群内的碰撞
  35. 暗能量
  36. 太阳系的诞生
  37. 太阳的诞生
  38. 核能
  39. 行星的形成
  40. 小行星带
  41. 月球
  42. 土星环
  43. 奥尔特云
  44. 重轰击
  45. 海卫一
  46. 奧林帕斯山
  47. 埃奇沃思-柯伊伯带
  48. 生命起源
  49. 不可见物质
  50. 大氧化事件
  51. 星系团
  52. 天然核反应堆
  53. 雪球地球
  54. 大熊座
  55. 下落不明的质量
  56. 星族
  57. 双黑洞
  58. M32的潜入
  59. 极端粒子
  60. 宇宙膨胀
  61. 小行星撞击
  62. 火星上的火山喷发
  63. 蓝色恒星团
  64. 撞击月球
  65. 现在的宇宙
  66. 撞击地球
  67. 星暴熄灭
  68. 宇宙线
  69. 活动星系核
  70. 哈雷彗星
  71. 褐矮星
  72. 吞噬恒星的黑洞
  73. 行走在地球
  74. 一颗脉冲星的疯狂移动
  75. 中微子
  76. 激波
  77. 磁星
  78. 更新世的撞击
  79. 比光快?
  80. 反物质
  81. 超大质量黑洞
  82. 爆前超新星
  83. 黑洞双星
  84. 爆发中的海山二
  85. 超新星
  86. 脉冲星
  87. 礁湖星云
  88. 古代天文研究
  89. 历法
  90. 巨石阵
  91. 斐斯托斯圆盘
  92. 古埃及天文学
  93. 观测数据归档
  94. 雅各布量天尺
  95. 泰勒斯定理
  96. 阿那克西曼德和世界模型
  97. 球体的和谐
  98. 大千世界
  99. 阿那克萨哥拉原子论
  100. 日心说
  101. 阿卡德米
  102. 亚里士多德的《论天》
  103. 地月距离及地日距离
  104. 埃拉托斯特尼测量地球尺寸
  105. 交食理论
  106. 岁差
  107. 星盘
  108. 安提基特拉机械
  109. 凯撒彗星
  110. 托勒密的《天文学大成》
  111. 希帕提娅之死
  112. 中国星表
  113. 星座
  114. 玛雅历法
  115. 伊斯兰天文学
  116. 新星
  117. 巴约挂毯
  118. 东方三博士来朝
  119. 接近无限
  120. 意大利透视法
  121. 近代天文研究
  122. 哥白尼革命
  123. 乌拉尼亚堡
  124. 格里历
  125. 无限宇宙
  126. 伽利略望远镜
  127. 开普勒的《新天文学》
  128. 猎户座星云
  129. 太阳黑子
  130. 我思故我在
  131. 木星气旋
  132. 国家天文学
  133. 伟大世纪的学者
  134. 帕斯卡的《思想录》
  135. 牛顿的《光学》
  136. 天文望远镜
  137. 格林尼治天文台
  138. 光速
  139. 多重世界
  140. 理性主义
  141. 天象观测台
  142. 六分仪
  143. 引力
  144. 提丢斯-波得定则
  145. 平衡点
  146. 经度奖
  147. 征服天空
  148. 暗星
  149. 巴黎子午线
  150. 天体力学
  151. 太阳风暴
  152. 从地球到月球
  153. 天体物理学
  154. 火星运河
  155. 业余天文学
  156. 星际战争
  157. 宇航学
  158. 现代天文研究
  159. E=mc2
  160. 通古斯河
  161. 距离尺度
  162. 临界半径
  163. 大辩论
  164. 康普顿对密立根
  165. 征服太空
  166. 地外文明探索
  167. 载人飞行
  168. 宇宙干扰
  169. 科学幻想
  170. 黑洞
  171. 脉冲星的发现
  172. 行走在月球
  173. 第一次飞掠彗星
  174. 空间望远镜
  175. 视超光速射电源
  176. 系外行星的首次发现
  177. 多波段天文学
  178. “先驱者”号异常
  179. 天体粒子物理学
  180. 悼念被降级的行星
  181. “菲莱”号登陆
  182. 火星上的河流
  183. 宇宙观测新窗口
  184. 未来的宇宙
  185. 星际介质中的旅行者2号
  186. 毁神星飞掠地球
  187. 空间引力波探测
  188. 地外生命
  189. 飞向火星
  190. 空间电梯
  191. 千年风暴
  192. 北极星
  193. 发送信息?
  194. 旅行者2号——人类使者
  195. 潮汐力
  196. 争斗时末期
  197. 殖民银河系
  198. 中子星并合
  199. 最后一次日全食
  200. 地球上生命的终结
  201. 星系大碰撞
  202. 红巨星
  203. 太阳末期
  204. 大撕裂
  205. 大坍缩
  206. 本星系群融合
  207. 空洞的宇宙
  208. 最后的恒星
  209. 质子分裂
  210. 最后一批黑洞的蒸发
  211. 参考文献
  212. 插图版权声明

FAQ

Can I understand this book without an astronomy background?
Yes. The book explains topics with concise text and images, without relying on formula derivations, and focuses on building an overall picture. When encountering technical terms, you can skip the details first and grasp the two threads of "what happened" and "why it matters"; it won't be too difficult to read.
What are the main differences between the new edition and the old one?
According to the materials, the new edition adds newer content such as the Laniakea Supercluster, the setbacks of the comet landing probe, and the gravitational waves discovered by LIGO and eLisa. Readers can focus on these chapters to learn about recent progress in cosmology and gravitational-wave detection.
Are the images in the book merely decorative?
No. Each topic is accompanied by a brilliantly colored, evocative image, covering starry vistas, scientists' portraits, stargazing relics, and artistic fantasy works. They serve to aid understanding and inspire imagination, and the effect is better when text and images are read together.
Is it suitable as an astronomy primer for children?
It is more suitable for readers in the upper grades of middle school and above. The book involves abstract concepts such as the multiverse and the Higgs boson; younger children may need parents to read along and simplify explanations, so it is not ideal as a primer for very young children.

Comments

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About the author

Jacques Paul is an author about whom limited public information is currently available; basic details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded in existing materials and remain to be verified. As far as the library's holdings are concerned, only one work by him, The Beauty of the Universe, is listed under the category of popular science. Judging from the title and category, the book is likely to focus on the universe and is intended for general readers. Works of this kind usually explain astronomy and the universe in accessible language, seeking a balance between scientific accuracy and readability, and helping readers understand the structure of the universe, the motion of celestial bodies, and human exploration of space. Although little is known about Paul's life and academic background, the choice of subject suggests that he is concerned with communicating scientific knowledge to the public, and that his writing tends toward popularization and explanation rather than specialist argument. For readers seeking an initial understanding of the universe, such popular science writing can offer useful reference and lay a foundation for more advanced astronomical reading.

Jean-Luc Robert-Esriel is an author about whom limited public information is available; his only confirmed representative work is The Beauty of the Universe. Judging from this title and from the common classification of the book, his writing falls within popular science, most likely exploring the universe, celestial bodies, and the beauty of nature, and introducing astronomy and cosmology to general readers. Because only one of his works is held in the collection, his dates of birth and death, nationality, and full biography cannot be verified, making it difficult to assess his overall body of work or academic background. On the basis of the available information, he may be regarded as a popular-science writer who takes the universe as his entry point and balances scientific content with readability. The Beauty of the Universe, as his only work in the collection, is the main basis for understanding his writing style and areas of interest, and readers may form an initial impression of his thematic interests and manner of expression from it.

陈海钊 Author

Chen Haizhao is an author about whom limited public information is currently available, and whose writing is chiefly associated with popular science. The library holds one work by this author, The Beauty of the Universe, classified under science popularization, which serves as the main basis for understanding his writing. Judging from the subject matter, he attends to the beauty of the universe and nature, seeking to introduce astronomy and cosmology to general readers in an accessible way so that abstract scientific ideas become easier to approach. Writing of this kind calls for a balance between scientific accuracy and readability, respecting the facts while accommodating non-specialist readers. On the available evidence, it is difficult to confirm his nationality, dates of birth and death, education, or other experiences, nor to determine whether his work extends to other fields or has continued over time. Chen Haizhao is therefore best introduced through The Beauty of the Universe, as a popular-science writer addressing a broad audience; a fuller picture of him may emerge as more information becomes available.

李钰 Author

Li Yu is an author about whom limited public information is available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and full career cannot be confirmed at present. Judging from the five works held in the collection, her writing interests span film and television, foreign literature, popular science, and medicine, showing a relatively broad range. Among these, the three-volume Great Movies series focuses on the art of cinema at considerable length, reflecting a sustained attention to film. The Beauty of the Universe introduces the wonders of the cosmos and science to general readers, while A Practical Handbook for Clever Memorization of Formulaes turns to methods for learning and remembering traditional Chinese medicine formulas, with a strongly practical orientation. Overall, Li Yu's works combine appreciation with utility, ranging from arts and popular science books for general readers to practical handbooks for professional study. Despite this breadth, public sources say little about her personal background.

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