187. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Rating: ☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Genre: Non-Fiction, Science
222 pages, published May 2, 2017
Reading Format: Audio Book on Hoopla
Summary
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a series of essays written by well known Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Some of the fascinating topics covered are: What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? What is the impact of the Big Bang? How do black holes work? What are anti-matter, quarks and quantum mechanics? Will we find other planets with intelligent life in the universe? Are there multi-verses?
Quotes
“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.”
“Matter tells space how to curve; space tells matter how to move.”
“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.”
“We do not simply live in this universe. The universe lives within us.”
“Every cup that passes through a single person and eventually rejoins the world’s water supply holds enough molecules to mix 1,500 of them into every other cup of water in the world. No way around it: some of the water you just drank passed through the kidneys of Socrates, Genghis Khan, and Joan of Arc. How about air? Also vital. A single breathful draws in more air molecules than there are breathfuls of air in Earth’s entire atmosphere. That means some of the air you just breathed passed through the lungs of Napoleon, Beethoven, Lincoln, and Billy the Kid.”
““What we do know, and what we can assert without further hesitation, is that the universe had a beginning. The universe continues to evolve. And yes, every one of our body’s atoms is traceable to the big bang and to the thermonuclear furnaces within high-mass stars that exploded more than five billion years ago. We are stardust brought to life, then empowered by the universe to figure itself out—and we have only just begun.”
“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.”
“The power and beauty of physical laws 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.”
“But what if the universe was always there, in a state or condition we have yet to identify—a multiverse, for instance, that continually births universes? Or what if the universe just popped into existence from nothing? Or what if everything we know and love were just a computer simulation rendered for entertainment by a superintelligent alien species? These philosophically fun ideas usually satisfy nobody. Nonetheless, they remind us that ignorance is the natural state of mind for a research scientist. People who believe they are ignorant of nothing have neither looked for, nor stumbled upon, the boundary between what is known and unknown in the universe.”
“The cosmic perspective shows Earth to be a mote. But it’s a precious mote and, for the moment, it’s the only home we have.”
“Earth’s Moon is about 1/ 400th the diameter of the Sun, but it is also 1/ 400th as far from us, making the Sun and the Moon the same size on the sky—a coincidence not shared by any other planet–moon combination in the solar system, allowing for uniquely photogenic total solar eclipses.”
“At least once a week, if not once a day, we might each ponder what cosmic truths lie undiscovered before us, perhaps awaiting the arrival of a clever thinker, an ingenious experiment, or an innovative space mission to reveal them. We might further ponder how those discoveries may one day transform life on Earth. Absent such curiosity, we are no different from the provincial farmer who expresses no need to venture beyond the county line, because his forty acres meet all his needs. Yet if all our predecessors had felt that way, the farmer would instead be a cave dweller, chasing down his dinner with a stick and a rock.”
My Take
I liked, but did not love, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. A collection of essays by famous Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, there are some very interesting ideas in the book, but it felt a little disjointed to read. I preferred Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli, a short book that I read earlier this year. I’m not sure what it is about astrophysicists, but they tend to write short books.
