Origins: How the Planets, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Began

The Series This new series is aimed at the same people as the Practical Astronomy Series - in general, active amateur astronomers. However, it is also suitable for a wider audience of readers who already have some interest in astronomy. Because optical astronomy is at the mercy of the weather, all amateur astronomers inevitably have periods when observing is impossible. The Astronomers' Universe Series has been produced for those cloudy evenings. The series is differentiated from popular science series (such as Springer's Copernicus books) by a strong design image which will attract active amateur astronomers, but will also appeal to "armchair astronomers" (or cosmologists) and other readers who already have some interest in the subject. The Book The biggest questions in astronomy are those of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the Universe were formed. Origins describes how over the last decade astronomers have discovered the answers to three of these fundamental questions. Starting with the space missions that uncovered the haphazard history of our own planetary system, the book travels out into space and backwards in time. It describes the discovery of other planetary systems and their connection to extraterrestrial life, the first moments in the life of a star, the birth of galaxies and the biggest question of all - the origin of the Universe itself. Origins also tells the human stories behind the discoveries: of the pioneers of the last electromagnetic frontier, of the cosmic archaeologists who deciphered the history of galaxies, and of BOOMERANG, the telescope that bounced back and showed that space is flat. The book also contains the first account in print of how astronomers showed that Pluto is not a planet.