If you have ever wondered how we get from the awesome impersonality of
the Big Bang universe to the point where living creatures can start to
form, and evolve into beings like you, your friends and your family,
wonder no more. Steve Miller provides us with a tour through the
chemical evolution of the universe, from the formation of the first
molecules all the way to the chemicals required for life to evolve.
Using a simple Hydrogen molecule – known as H-three-plus - as a
guide, he takes us on a journey that starts with the birth of the
first stars, and how, in dying, they pour their hearts out into
enriching the universe in which we live. Our molecular guide makes its
first appearance at the source of the Chemical Cosmos, at a time when
only three elements and a total of 11 molecules existed. From those
simple beginnings, H-three-plus guides us down river on the violent
currents of exploding stars, through the streams of the Interstellar
Medium, and into the delta where new stars and planets form. We are
finally left on the shores of the sea of life. Along the way, we meet
the key characters who have shaped our understanding of the chemistry
of the universe, such as Cambridge physicist J.J. Thomson and the
Chicago chemist Takeshi Oka. And we are given an insider’s view of
just how astronomers, making use of telescopes and Earth-orbiting
satellites, have put together our modern view of the Chemical Cosmos.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781441984449
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Vendor
Springer
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter