Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour

An excellant book. It helps if you have some introduction to physics (elementary level) to fully appreciate the quality of this book but having said that, all it really takes is the motivation to want to know more about the subject matter. It's presented in a very well laid out and logical manner with a touch of easily understood math. I highly recommend it to anyone curious about the universe.

If only "text books" were always this educational and entertaining. I found it absolutely engaging! Hey! That's 3 E's! Which really doesn't mean anything, but it's funny. While this is not an "introduction to reading" book. If you have some knowledge of how things work and a hungry mind you will thoroughly enjoy this read.

I was hoping the reader would have a voice that drew me into the book. Goes on and drags things out a bit. His voice is ok but it is a task to listen to the cd. I probably won't go much further on the CDs.

Generally well written, requires concentration to understand the formulae presented. Unfortunately the final chapter descends into absolute stupidity with bizarre predictions on the future based on highly questionable statistical assumptions.

This book is a must have if you are interested to know more about what happens in the cosmos.

The authors explain the subjects in a way that people with out previous knowledge on astrophysics will understand without much effort. It has some math to explain some of the phenomena that it explains but it is not hard to grasp and it wont take from what you will learn. It will make you ponder and wonder in the mechanics of our universe.

I fully appreciate the authors' approach. This book is by no means dumbed-down nor beyond the grasp of a reasonably intelligent reader. If you want to know, not only how the universe is composed, but at a deeper level how it works, this is the perfect venue. The authors present one dazzling aspect after another. On occasion, they mathematically demonstrate how to derive various findings (the math is clearly explained and, if you don't quite get it, it will not in any way diminish your appreciation of the results.) What happens when two black holes merge? How long can a star live? (You'd be surprised!) Just how dense can a neutron star be? These are just some of the many fascinating details that are presented in this wonderful trip through the cosmos. Some pages contain so many insights that you have to pause and take stock of so many interesting tidbits. You come away with the impression that you have just received a course in astrophysics for a small fraction of the fee that three distinguished astronomers would be expected to charge. Hey, guess what? You did! It's quite a hoot to get so much education for so little; you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended!

I am a PhD chemist, but likes to keep up with astrophysics, evolution and such. I found the book to be wonderful. It has no really heavy math, but covers our solar system, galaxy, and universe in a complete yet entertaining way. It also delves into what quasars, supernovae, dark matter and dark energy, the history of general and special relativity, using mostly qualitative discussions (if you want more math, read Feynman and the like). Any advanced high school student or collegiate person should be able to follow the discussions.

A really fascinating look at our universe and human achievements in our understanding of it. Really makes you ponder the BIG questions. Took off two stars because of the mathematical details in many of the chapters. I felt like I was often back in college physics classes with all the formulas and calculations. (As a surgical specialist, I am no stranger to advanced coursework!) The final chapter left me feeling both depressed and elated! But don't read ahead....wait for it...

Great book. Everybody in the country should read this. Buy this book and give it to every 9th grader you know. Here are some points I would like to make.

1) Princeton University Press makes the best books. Hands down. They are really well made and feel and smell delicious. They charge 20 something for this book, where as they could easily charge 50.

2)It is engaging fun read but different as other pop sci books as you actually can learn something from it. NGT makes you want to quite everything and study the comso's. The other two writers are also fantastic.

I rent about 95% of the books I read from the library. Once in a while I will read a book that I HAVE to buy. In the end, it is a greatly engaging pop sci book, that is made like a 50 dollar hardcopy book, that is educational and that smells fantastic!

Welcome to the Universe is intriguing and inspiring. This book has given me an understanding of our history and physics. I'm also only on the first chapter. This book is truly MIND BLOWING and a must-read.

I hate to say it, but the difficulty of comprehending this book is higher than the other reviews impart. I love Dr. Tyson and his work, but this is not terribly accessible to an intelligent layperson.

For those of us of average intelligence - myself included - this book offers a place to mentally stretch. It's a great astrophysics tour de force and it can be read and appreciated with a fairly quick read, just to get the lay of the land (sky?) and an appreciation of where mankind is treading. And yet it's chock full of algebra, complete formulas and step-by-step explanations of some of the universe's deepest mysteries. It works well for the reader who wants more and the one capable of understanding more. The authors - Tyson, Gott and Strauss - each add depth and do an equally exemplary job in explanation. The cosmos is a marvelous, mysterious place and our level of understanding is impressive, too.

Whatever your level of technical education you'll probably enjoy this book. It is filled with insights about the physics that make up her universe at the end Gott talks about colonizing the planets and stars. This discussion only lasts a few pages. It seems like it should have been done throughout the book.

It was a gift to my 15 yr old Grandson and I only am making a visual comment. After quickly flipping thru the book my first impression was that I was a little disappointed. My Grandson's first impression was excitement..so there you have it?

The content of this book is fascinating and covers much more than other books of it’s ilk. The authors even walk the reader through some of the math and that’s why I think that aficionados of astrophysics will enjoy this book. For a general reader like me however, being walked through equations in the body of the text is disruptive to the flow. And while the authors did a magnificent job in trying to translate the math into words, and some of the concrete examples of explaining astrophysical phenomena are among the best I’ve read, the book falls short in many places. An example is showing a three dimensional world view on a two-dimensional page. So I can’t strongly recommend this book for readers like me but if you are willing to work with the math and complexity, this can be a very rewarding book.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

I’m always a fan of science books, and was equal part hesitant and excited when a friend of mine loaned me this book and told me I HAD to read it. Excited in hopes of discovering something new, apprehensive because I’ve read A LOT of science books over the years and when a book is called ‘Welcome to the Universe’, it leads me to believe it will be kind of a Universe 101 class. This ended up being correct. A great book for anyone who is looking into the science of our universe that has no previous understanding, but has a lot of skippable chapters for anyone that has been studying the cosmos for a bit. I ended up skimming roughly 60% of it, due to already knowing the information, but happily devoured the last 4 chapters which were all specific to quantum mechanics and string theory; my bread and pudding when it comes to science. I just love reading about it!

There are definitely some big equations and numerous maths throughout the book so it can be a little heavy to someone that isn’t very number minded. I definitely recommend that if you read this book, follow along with the notes and appendices at the back of the book as you go. They offer additional insight and explanation.

'Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour' by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott III is a phenomenal book about the universe. I was a fan of 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawking, and this book goes steps beyond with newer research.

This book was inspired by the introductory astronomy course that the three authors taught at Princeton. The chapters are shared among the authors and cover a vast array of material. I read about the size and scale of the universe, and how things get measured. How stars radiate energy, and how we might calculate where life could be found. The story behind why Pluto is not a planet and the interesting reaction Neil deGrasse Tyson got about it is amusing. There are chapters devoted to Einstein and his special and general theories of relativity.

The math is broken down pretty well, but I confess that much of it was over my head. I did better with the diagrams and pictures. You should really plan to read this in book form or a color tablet. I started reading it on my Kindle in black and white and switched over to a tablet, and I was happy I did. There are many illustrations, photographs and charts, and they are better viewed in color.

In spite of feeling a bit over my head, I still enjoyed the book and it's approach to the subject. I didn't feel like it was "dumbed down" but I had no problem following along. The writing style feels like a lecture from a professor who is completely engaged with their subject. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the universe who is not daunted by a bit of a challenge.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Princeton University Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book, a breathtaking overview of astrophysics and especially how we obtain the knowledge we do, is indispensable to getting to know the universe as science knows it It's also distinct from most other basic texts because most of those - as De Grasse Tyson noted on a recent CBS Early Show appearance - are "a mile wide and an inch deep". By contrast, this 472 -page book is a "mile wide and a mile deep." Well, not quite but pretty close and hey, it even includes algebraic equations where necessary - so ignores the old rule that each equation given "decreases sales by one percent" - or some such jabberwocky.

Some of the topics covered include: stellar evolution (the lives and deaths of stars), the search for life in the galaxy, the interstellar medium, the Milky Way, the expansion of the universe, the early universe, quasars and Einstein's special and general theories of relativity. Also: black holes, cosmic strings, inflation and the shape of the universe.

The content actually represents a division of labor between Neil De Grasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss and J. Richard Gott. For example, the three chapters on special and general relativity were very ably done by Gott. If you truly wish to get a handle on these abstruse theories there is perhaps no place better then Gott's trio of chapters, so long as you're ok with some intermediate algebra to assist in the task.

Tyson himself is responsible for chapters: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10. The only one I really had issues with was Chapter 9, 'Why Pluto Is Not A Planet'. For one thing, Pluto is not specifically an object for astrophysical inquiry but rather planetary astronomy. Hence, the chapter's inclusion can only be attributed to Tyson having already spent a lot of ink on the subject, so why not include it (since it's firmly in his academic 'wheelhouse') in a new book?

But as I've noted in numerous blog posts, the arguments given don't make any physical sense. For example, Alan Stern, executive director of the Space Science & Engineering Division of the Southwest Research Institute – and Principal Investigator for NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto- observed that the new planet definition was “sadly flawed, particularly due to the vagueness of the third condition- clearing the neighborhood around its orbit - which might also disqualify Earth”.

He added: “A lot of people are going to ignore the (new) definition because it doesn’t make sense.” (Source: Eos Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, Vol. 87, 29 August, p. 350). The other aspect is that Pluto’s dethroning was done by a subjective vote at an IAU meeting, not by any objective measures or consistency. The problem is the IAU definition overlooks the neighborhood of the object. Pluto just happens to be in the Edgeworth –Kuiper belt with thousands of other objects. This is a condition of happenstance, not of actual intrinsic property.

If Earth were to interchange its position with Pluto it would also be in the same belt, and because other substantial objects (e.g. Neptune) crossed its path, it would have to be demoted – by De Grasse Tyson and the IAU's definition. So what to call it, a “demi-Earth”? A jumbo dwarf planet or jumbo shrimp planet? Give me a break!

Tyson is on much firmer ground - as well within the proper astrophysical sphere - when he explores the lives and deaths of stars, as well as the scale of the cosmos, how stars radiate energy and stellar spectra. The last two are especially important cornerstones of astrophysics, and Tyson does a stand up job. One also hopes that when curious readers finish his chapters they will move on to Lawrence Aller's (and now also Leo Goldberg's) 'Atoms, Stars and Nebulae' - which remains the standard for elementary astrophysics in terms of deciphering the nature of stars.

But Tyson and company excel in their own approach presenting the (usual) less advanced reader with numerous examples borne out by superb diagrams such as Fig. 2.4 showing Kepler's laws, and Fig. 6.2 showing the energy levels and associated spectral line series for hydrogen. I also liked how Tyson delved into the historical background, e.g. for the Balmer series, discovered in 1885.

The H-R diagram (Fig. 7.1) is also one of the best, most beautiful I've seen in any astrophysics text, with the relative sizes of specific stars - like Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - in color and projected against their evolutionary tracks. It's also interesting just how the famous diagram was composed: "From a catalog of stellar luminosities and temperatures Hertzsprung and Russell started filling in the diagram and discovered stars did not occupy just any place". Well, no, because it plots the stellar spectra (or surface temperature) vs luminosity so because each stars has distinct pairs of these, it will have differing positions on the H-R grid.

One warning here: Tyson uses an unorthodox form for describing nuclear fusion reactions in stars. For example (p. 101):

ppn + ppn = ppnn + p + p

As opposed to say,

3 He + 3 He ® 4 He + 1H + 1H + 12.85 MeV

with the energy given off. But truth be told, this notation of his would probably only irritate purists or pedants

What really sets the text apart is all the calculations shown, all very basic, such as the total energy a star will generate over its lifetime by multiplying the star's luminosity L by the lifetime. T. In fact, all the math used which leads to so many fascinating insights, is fairly basic. None of it ought to be beyond a person who has taken at least first year algebra though the derivation of E = m c^2 in Appendix I will likely require at least an intermediate algebra background to follow. .

What makes this book so special is that it offers the reader so many more useful insights and "tidbits" - for lack of a better word- than most astrophysics texts would at this level. One learns, for example (p. 51) "Superman can indeed throw an object 5 miles per second . The object will also fall under the influence of gravity but its curved trajectory now matches the curvature of the Earth such that it never hits the surface and ends up in a circular orbit."

De Grasse Tyson's conversational style, which served him so well in his 2014 reprise of 'COSMOS' is apparent throughout his chapters in the current work. For example, on p. 88, we read:

"You can think of the outermost layer of a star as a tree. Do you know what is coming toward the tree (from inside the star)? Mixed nuts. We have a mixed nut cannon (the interior of the star) firing mixed nuts (photons at different frequencies) into the tree, and in the tree we have squirrels. My squirrels like acorns (the photons) - these are acorn squirrels. They see all these mixed nuts coming through but they are grabbing only the nuts they like, the acorns, on the other side. (outside the star) come mixed nuts minus the acorns (the thermal radiation minus the H-alpha photons)"

The reader has to understand that this sort of description is uniquely Tyson's, You won't find it in the chapters by Gott or Strauss, though theirs do remain in a colloquial mode.

The takeaway here is that if you enjoyed the COSMOS series you should find a lot to enhance your reading in this book. There is all one could ask for to gain a foothold in grasping the basic principles of astrophysics - as well as other topics not specifically related to it, such as how the zodiacal constellations came to be (including why astrology is off) and, of course, why Tyson doesn't regard Pluto as a planet.

The preface explains that this book arises from a course run by the three authors at Princeton University – a course on the universe for non-science majors; indeed, for students who perhaps had never taken a science course before. My knowledge of science is pretty basic and my maths is, if anything, even dodgier. So although the idea of the book intrigued me, I feared it might be way over my head.

The book is divided into three sections, each written mainly by one of the authors with the occasional contribution from one of the others. The first section is Stars, Planets and Life with Tyson as the main author and a couple of chapters from Strauss. It starts brilliantly for the beginner, with an introduction to the very simplest stuff, like how long it takes for the Earth to revolve on its axis. At this early stage, Tyson assumes no prior knowledge and lays down some terminological groundwork for the more difficult stuff to come later. For example, he explains exactly what an Astronomical Unit is and that it is abbreviated to AU. He's very funny, so that these chapters are entertaining as well as informative.

Each section takes the history of scientific discovery as a template for explaining what scientists know about the universe today and how they know it. All through the book, the authors are careful to credit those who came before, even when subsequent discoveries may have proved them wrong in some aspect. They show how even disproven theories contributed to the advances made by later scientists. There are a couple of chapters in this first section that are very heavy on maths and, truthfully, lost me so badly that I wondered whether there was much point in continuing. But I decided to struggle on and happily discovered that most of the book is perfectly accessible even to those of us whose eyes glaze over at any equation more complex than 2+2=4. On the other hand, there's loads of very well explained maths in there for anyone whose mind works that way, or who wants to get a feel for whether they would like to study astrophysics at higher levels perhaps.

Tyson takes us through how scientists learned to measure distances between stars, how they work out their composition and age, and goes into considerable depth on the lifecycles of stars. It's fascinating stuff and made me realise how often popular science books just tell the reader something and expect us to accept it. Not this one – every statement is backed up with detail of how we know these things and what they mean in the broader context of the universe. Throughout, the book is superbly illustrated, not just with pretty pictures (though most of them are) but with clear, beautifully designed and explained diagrams and charts that are hugely helpful in understanding the text and visualising things like size comparisons. This section finishes with a chapter on the search for planets that could support life, explaining exactly what scientists are looking for and why, and how they're going about it.

Strauss takes over as the main author for the second section on Galaxies. He takes the reader through the history of how our own galaxy was first mapped and then the discoveries that led to scientists realising that the Milky Way is only a tiny part of the universe. This section has some fantastic images from the various exploratory missions like Hubble, but the really great thing is that Strauss explains in detail what we're actually seeing – how to interpret the images rather than just admiring them. He then goes on to explain the discovery that (almost) all galaxies are moving away from each other, proving that the universe is expanding and enabling scientists to estimate its age and speculate as to its future. There is a fair amount of maths again in this section, but I found it easy to ignore for the most part while still grasping the concepts Strauss describes.

The final section is by Richard Gott and takes us from Einstein's relativity back to the Big Bang and beyond. I hold my hands up – it's at Einstein that my brain always closes down and I find myself overwhelmed with an urgent desire to giggle, somewhat hysterically. However, Gott actually explained the whole E=mc2 thing well enough for me to more or less grasp, plus for the first time I now kinda understand why nuclear bombs work (not sure of the usefulness of that knowledge, but you never know when it might come in handy). His explanation of black holes and spaghettification is both humorous and clear. He then takes us through all the stuff that sound more like Star Trek plots than science (to my limited mind) – cosmic strings, wormholes, time travel, superstring theory, inflation, etc. While I'll never fully grasp this stuff and retain a large degree of cynicism about a lot of it, Gott's explanations are great, and hugely enhanced by some of the best and clearest diagrams I've come across, including a spectacular six-page spread in full colour showing Gott's own map of the universe. He finishes with some speculation about the beginnings of the universe and even what may have come before the Big Bang, and shows how these (crazy-sounding) ideas arise out of the most recent science, while making very clear which bits have been confirmed by observation missions and which haven't yet. Fascinating stuff! His final plea is for Earth to look quickly at colonising Mars to increase our species' chances of longterm survival.

This is a great book, managing to be both hugely informative and entertaining – undoubtedly the best and most comprehensive of its kind that I've come across. It seems to me it is indeed suitable for a beginner so long as s/he has an enquiring mind and either the ability to understand the maths or the willingness to skim over those bits that are maths-heavy. Highly recommended, but do get the hardback rather than the Kindle – it's beautifully designed and produced, and the illustrations are an essential aid to understanding the text.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Princeton University Press.

Are you an astronomer or astrophysicist? If you are, then this book is for you. Authors Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott, have written outstanding book that aims to better acquaint you with the universe in which you live.

Author Tyson begins by discussing the stars, the galaxy, the universe, and beyond. Next, Tyson covers 3,000 years of astronomy. Then, author Strauss discusses Newton's law of inertia: force. Also, Tyson shows a complete and thorough understanding of the distances to the stars; and, look at curves showing the thermal emission of radiation from stars. Tyson continues by focusing on the thermal emission curves for the Sun at 5,800 K, a hot star at 15,000 K, a cooler star at 3,000 K, and a human at 310 K. Then, Tyson analyzes what goes on when photons move through matter. Then, Tyson discusses the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram, where two astronomers working independently: Henry Norris Russel and Ejnar Hertzsprung, decided to take all of the known stars and plot their luminosity, versus their color. In addition, Strauss explores the nature of stars in a bit more detail: What makes an object qualify as a star? Next, Tyson explains why Pluto lost its planetary status and was demoted to an ice ball in the outer solar system. Then, Tyson discusses Fran Drake's equation: Which is a way to organize our ignorance about the prevalence of intelligent life in the universe. Also, Strauss looks at a broader view of how stars fit into our own Milky Way galaxy and the interaction between stars and what is called the interstellar medium. Strauss continues by visualizing how large the Milky Way actually is. Then, Strauss explains that most luminous galaxies are either ellipticals or spirals; but, some galaxies don't fit into either category, and they are simply called irregular galaxies because of their irregular shapes. In addition, Strauss examines the spectra of galaxies, which shows their physical nature. Next, through the use of equations, Strauss does detailed calculations of the expected state of matter in the early universe; it is a fertile area for physicians, because it involves the calculation of the properties of matter at extremely high temperatures and densities. Then, Strauss explains that from the numbers of quasars that are seen in the early universe, supermassive black holes in the present day universe must be ubiquitous. Also, author Gott looks at the known laws of electromagnetism through Maxwell, and how he showed that they were inconsistent with the law of charge conservation. Gott continues by drawing spacetime diagrams of some of the thought experiments that Einstein proposed on the concept of simultaneity. In addition, Gott explores Einstein's greatest scientific achievement: General relativity, which is his theory of curved spacetime to explain gravity, that has replaced Newton's theory of gravity. Next, Gott explores what the curved geometry of the exterior of the black hole looks like. Then, Gott explains that Jinn particles are possible under the laws of physics, but that they are just improbable; and, that the more massive and complex the jinn particles are, the more improbable they become. Finally, Gott looks at the shape of the universe, by revisiting the question of how many dimensions the universe has.

In addition, Gott explores the very early universe in this excellent book, by going back as far as the Big Bang and even before. He also explores the future of the universe in this great book.

If you ever wanted to take a college-level course about Astrophysics, this book might be the next best thing. "Welcome to the Universe" is a concise and accessible summary of the state of human knowledge on Astrophysics. Neil deGrasse Tyson is obviously the most famous author of the three and a renowned communicator of science, and this book shows why. It deals with pretty advanced subjects, including M-theory, black holes, string theory, etc., but manages to distill them to a level accessible to anyone who has had some science in high school or college. They also make good use of diagrams and illustrations. In some ways, this book is the heir apparent to Stephen Hawking's "The Universe in a Nutshell." It would make for a great holiday gift for anyone interested in astronomy.

[Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

If you dont have a science/math background, this book is not for you. I was really excited to read this book, but I have no real fundamental base of math, astronomy or the sciences. I labored through several chapters as if I was back in college reading a text book. I appreciate their enthusiasm, but the authors do not make the material accessible to the average person. I miss Carl Sagan. :(

I really enjoyed this tour of the universe with a little bit of math thrown in (I have a PhD in math so still love proofs of scientific statements). I just have one little quibble (or maybe not so little). In Dr. Tyson's description of the Drake equation he uses the one example of life in the universe that we know of - the Earth - to estimate the percentage of planets in habitable zones - f sub L - that develop life. And I agree that it is probably very high (based on books such as A New History of Life by Peter Ward and Joe Kirschvink and The Vital Question by Nick Lane). However, Dr. Tyson used a different argument - the evolutionary advantage of intelligence - to come up with an estimate of < 0.1 for the estimate of those planets with life to develop intelligence. I would argue that those same books I quoted above pointed out an alternative argument. Again using the one example of a planet with life, those books point out that even though life developed relatively quickly on Earth, it was single celled life. Multi-celled life took another 2 billion years and only happened once (since all life can be traced to that one event). Hence could make a couple of conclusions here. One is that you obviously need multi-celled life to develop intelligence. And, second one could say that there is one chance in 4 billion of a planet with primitive life developing an intelligent species.

Thus, instead of about 190 planets with intelligent life in our galaxy, I would argue that this number should be 190 x 2.5E-10 or .000000475. This means that 4 out of every 10 million galaxies would have an intelligent civilization. And, based on a recent estimate of a trillion galaxies in our observable universe, there would be only 4750 civilizations.

I would love to get Dr. Tyson's view of this much more pessimistic estimate of the value of f sub I - the Drake equation's estimate of the number of planets with life that develop intelligent life.

I should also point out my estimate above ignored other factors, i.e., multi-celled life wouldn't necessarily result in an intelligent species. However, I agree with Dr. Tyson's feeling that intelligence is an advantage in evolution and so that might almost be a 100% probability.

-- Horace Heck

Excellent review for the beginning to current thoughts, In spite of being multi author book there is continuity, with excellent colour Plates when needed. The Authors are not shy to include equations and Maths when needed . The math does not need Calculus and easy to understand . There are enough Historical details to make it a human touch. This book will be a good resource for number of years . Thank you

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I haven't thought specifically about astrophysics since perhaps college but with the increasing astronomy information that comes through my news feed, my interest has definitely increased. Add to that StarTalk podcasts that Ive started downloading and this purchase was a no-brainer. The book starts off very readable but it definitely has its challenging moments. The challenge more lies with the material itself (weird cosmic phenomena) and not the authors, who do a commendable job trying to explain the essence of the topics without dumbing it down too much. I plan to re-read some of the chapters to help solidify it. The people for whom this book is made for selects for themselves: if you even think you will like it, give it a try! Overall, highly recommended.

Real ego deflator for anybody who had tried to keep abreast of contemporary scientific thought about our universe. Authors are very convincing about what you don't know. Unless you love numbers more than words or your heading to MIT to study applied mathematics leave this one alone.

If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be fascinating. Despite only a very basic grounding in physics which left me a little adrift at times , overall this book serves as a great introduction to a complex topic. The authors do a good job of introducing the reader to increasingly complex ideas gradually, with lots of examples and diagrams to illustrate their points, as well as some stunning photographs of our universe. The book takes us from the basics of how stars are formed to the complex theories that could make time travel possible, at least in theory with digressions along the way to explain the demotion of Pluto and introductions to some of the brightest and most important scientific minds in history. Reading this book gave me a new appreciation for the complexity of the universe that we are part of and the ongoing struggle to understand and explain it by the greatest minds of not only our generation, but of those who have gone before us.
I read and ARC of this book from NetGalley

Perfect blend of historical perspective and current status of astrophysical findings that is explained in easy layman's terms with a level of basic math to supplement words that will enable the ambitious reader to perform their own calculations.

My daughter bought it for her boyfriend's birthday. She read it before giving it to him. He can be entertaining to watch and has a nice voice, but he comes across to me as a Hollywood "smart guy" trying to convince us of a specific agenda and to hell with actual science.