Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold.The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil … acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
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This book is very informative and brings a new perspective and insight to the world of astrophysics. I highly recommend this book for someone just starting out in this field and wants to learn about the general ins and outs of the universe. This book introduced me to many theories and more, and it’s a definite must read, in the genre of science.
It’s simple. Whether you follow astrophysics or can barely spell ‘astronaut’ this book is easily digestible and gives good insight into the workings of the cosmos.
Fascinating and entertaining
This is an interesting read for people who are interested in getting into astrophysics. I did not find it as easy to read as a layperson than I hoped, however. That’s not to say it was incredibly difficult to digest, but the first couple chapters had me struggling. Then again, I’m someone who has limited mental capacity after a work day. I think if the reader has a solid interest in astrophysics, and is likely to pursue it further, or is smarter than me (low bar there), this read is a great starting point. Lists names of many people throughout history, what their contribution was to the field, and what implications that had on modern-day studies/understanding of astrophysics.
Each one-third of this book left me with me different feelings. The first third was primarily a history of physics and astronomy, which consisted of infk that each of us got in our middle school science classes. The second third got into some very interesting concepts that I had been unaware of. The last third lost my I terest again as it went back into delivering a history lesson.
Tyson didn’t miss an opportunity to take shots at religion and politics (mostly religion) as a means of asserting the superiority of scientific inquiry. I thought that was a poor job by him. Science has done some amazing things to the benefit of all humanity. As a firm believer in science and also a firm believer in God, I was very disappointed in his decision to do this. Let the accomplishments of science stand on their own merits. To disparage others is to only diminish one’s own accomplishments. I have no use for politics, but even when Tyson slighted politics, I found it off-putting. At the book’s conclusion, Tyson’s trademark arrogance is on full disay even as he tells us how science has shown humanity how insignificant it is in the grand scheme of things.
When this book was good, it was very good. It just didn’t happen enough. Even with the knowledge that this was essentially an “Astrophysics for Dummies” book, I thought that my extremely limited knowledge of the field would’ve made me a prime candidate for this book. Yet I found myself yearning for more than I was given.
The essential first read for anyone who is interested in astrophysics or cosmology or both. This book speaks about almost all the things you need to know to get a basic overall idea about how far modern physics has reached and what are the prospects of mankind to flourish or perish with the application of it. It is a concise guidebook to the modern science enthusiasts, and a must read for someone who recently discovered his interests in the realm of cosmology and astrophysics.
I’m mostly interested with theoretical physics(the stuff Stephen Hawking dealt with). But this book, nonetheless, gave me the thrills. It was a brilliant read which took me from the very beginning of mankind’s venture in the realm of the laws of nature and the physical sciences, to the very latest discoveries of modern physics.
One more thing I’d like to appreciate of this book was the contents of the last chapter. It mostly talked about how insignificant we are when compared to the entire reality hidden before our very eyes. There’s a whole new world waiting to be observed, but is obscured by our worthless feuds and worldly quarrels. We forget that in a sense we are all one and indifferent, the kind of thought which is crucial to promote peace and establish a society where people genuinely care for each other’s needs and are willing to help in all sorts of distress.
A great read, an amazing book, recommended for anyone interested in the physical sciences.
Best book ever
Read to expand your mental universe.
Very informative, short, good read
For any and all of us who want to understand.
I always sucked at physics. My pulley experiments got hopelessly tangled, and I just couldn’t make heads or tails of the formulas. I have a stubbornly literary brain. Still, this hasn’t stopped my fascination with the science of space or my desire to understand it better. Enter Neil de Grasse Tyson’s wonderful introduction to astrophysics, black holes, negative space, and quasars. He wrote about these topics in a way I could understand, even though the concepts are so majestic as to be almost beyond the realm of human comprehension. A fabulous, humorous look at the science of the cosmos.
Loved the way he brings the subject matter to a level that almost anyone can understand. He adds humor to a deep discussion on a path to get you to understand. You can tell he loves what he does and wants to share it with the world. A great author who gets you into the story. Loved the book.
I am not this stupid
I loved it!
This book precisely delivers on its title: a primer of basic early-21st century astrophysics, delivered in simple language and bite-sized bits. I didn’t learn anything particularly new that I hadn’t learned in 1st and 2nd year college physics and astronomy classes, but it was still quite an enjoyable read.
I devotedly watched the Cosmos TV miniseries that aired in 2014, hosted by NdGT, so I was able to hear his voice in my head as I read. He wrote this book with clarity and humor and self-deprecation, and at times, he waxed quite poetic.
Great primer by a popular author!
I really enjoyed this book as it answered a couple of questions I’d had about the universe. Not sure I understood everything and I’ll have to give this a second read. I did learn one thing: Never forget to put whipped cream on his cocoa. 🙂
I am not a science person, so no one was more surprised than me when I actually really enjoyed this book. DeGrasse Tyson’s has such an easygoing, funny tone of voice and the way he broke down the complex into easy-to-understand bits of information was really good. I kept shouting to my 10-year old son (who loves space) cool little nuggets of information, and he was as enthralled as I was.
A great summary of the things that make our planet (and beyond!) so remarkable.
Astrophysics for really intelligent people in a hurry.
Great book for those who did not major in astrophysic in college.