Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: Essays on the Universe and Our Place Within It

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As he explains in the preface, that’s Tyson’s very goal: to make you “ culturally conversant in [his] field of expertise.”

PDF / EPUB File Name: Astrophysics_for_People_in_a_Hurry_-_Neil_DeGrasse_Tyson.pdf, Astrophysics_for_People_in_a_Hurry_-_Neil_DeGrasse_Tyson.epubPeople 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." A century later, people developed technology powerful enough to see these waves, and humanity “would finally catch up with the prediction, just days before that gravity wave, which had been traveling for 1.3 billion years, washed over Earth and was detected.” Astrophysics for People in a Hurry contains fascinating information about space and its many mysteries, as well as clear explanations of theories and discoveries."

Carl Sagan – the man who made many people fall in love with science in the 1980s – had a habit of saying that astrophysics is the science of humility – in addition to science itself being a character-building endeavor. And all of it promises to be a magnificent adventure! Key Lessons from “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” Tyson describes Einstein as a “Bad Ass”. Meaning he was strutting his stuff in his theoretical physics world, with just his mind and something to write with – and really clever experimental physicists since have confirmed his theories such as The Theory of General Relativity and Quantum Theory. Einstein’s remarkable work has truly stood the test of time. p. 127 - I did not know much about the Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) and that it's China's way of getting the first call from space. Dig it. "If aliens ever give us a call, the Chinese will be the first to know."Tyson has received numerous awards, including NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal in 2004 and the Public Welfare Medal awarded to Tyson by the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 for his “extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science.” “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry PDF Summary” So, if you want to have your mind spiked into action in a smart, easily digestible (mostly) way – this is a book for you. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Tyson which was excellent, and I found it added to the experience. This book needs a re-listen – for example, next time I might be more interested in the chapter on Between the Galaxies and can read up on that topic and bore family and friends shitless again. Why not?

There’s no better guide through mind-expanding questions such as what the nature of space and time is, how we fit within the universe, and how the universe fits within us than Neil deGrasse Tyson. I mean, numerically we aren’t significant – for example, There are more bacteria in one inch of our colon than all the people who have ever existed. Intellectually, sure we are more intelligent than say Chimps (or Rugby Players) with only a minor genetic variation between us and our furry friends (the Chimps). But what’s to say there are no other intelligent life forms out there, more intelligent than us caused by an equally miniscule genetic variation? Imagine what they could do? Calculus in the womb? The Count from Sesame Street playing with the imponderable infinity?

All in all, this is a book I can heartily recommend to anyone, regardless of how much or how little they know about physics." — Popular Science He suggests, “Our search for life in the universe drives the search for exoplanets, some of which resemble Earth---not in detail… but in overall properties. Latest estimates… suggest as many as forty billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way alone. Those are the planets our descendants might want to visit someday, by choice, if not by necessity.” (Pg. 192) 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.” I just wish he would leave his political and social agenda out of his scientific presentation. I loved the facts he is an expert with, but I could do without the politics and social theory about which, in my opinion, he has no special knowledge to share. Let's just focus on the matter and energy, please! Tyson is brilliant, but some things in this world are truly subjective.

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.” NDT is the bestestestest of everyone I've read in science b/c he knows it so well, he can just say it with joy and love. Too many people in these fields take themselves way to seriously, but all the people I've met that are totally brilliant are more like this tone. Fun, joy, just say it. So great. Anyway, like all geniuses, Neil deGrasse Tyson can only dumb stuff down so much, so there are quite a bit of mathmatical and scientific terms in the book that he assumes we can understand. Those geniuses don't get just how dumb we are. See? I know something he doesn't. People are morons. Myself included. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry] is not quite astrophysics for dummies; while it is simplified, it is not simple. It is more a collection of the best and most thrilling moments; astrophysics’ greatest hits." Fourteen billion years ago the universe was teeny tiny, 'a trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence.' It exploded in 'The Big Bang' and expanded at a phenomenal rate - one second after the big bang the universe was already several light years across (at least 18 trillion miles).And he shares Sagan’s exceptional capacity of making this clear via illustrative simplification of many seriously complex and even counter-intuitive scientific concepts. I am always happy to see "normal" people like me interested in sciences instead of not caring or just accepting what they are told instead of questioning and discovering for themselves. Naturally, we can't all be scientists of the first grade, having deep knowledge of every aspect of the natural world (or technology or whatever). However, curiosity only killed the proverbial cat - in reality, it's vital and good.