diamonds, 210
Dicke, Robert, 100, 101
Dirac, Paul Adrien Maurice, 60, 110, 111–12, 114
Dirac field, 116
distance measures
Cepheid variables, 176
light-years, 74, 81, 166, 250n1 (ch. 5)
parallax, 55–57, 74, 82, 176
parsecs, 81–82, 160–61
standard candles, 177–79, 180, 197
standard rulers, 187
Doppler effect, 52, 80–81
Drake, Frank, 239
Drake equation, 239–40
dunkle Materie. See dark matter
dynamics, 80, 86, 91, 93
Modified Newtonian, 152
See also thermodynamics
Dyson, Freeman, 237
Dyson sphere, 237
Earth
atmosphere of, 27, 74, 197, 204–205, 232, 234
as center of universe, 13, 15–16, 18, 166–67
future of, 204–205
orbit of, 18, 82, 85, 167, 204, 217
photo, 226
rotation and revolution of, 191
eclipses, 45–47, 204, 249n4
as omens, 14–15
Eddington, Arthur, 192
Einstein, Albert
cosmological constant, 186
energy-mass equivalency, 116
on gravity, 85–86, 93
photoelectric effect, 108
simplification of equations, 97
subatomic particles, 110
theory of relativity, 30, 84, 87, 186
view of the universe, 85
electric fields, 115
electricity, 50
electromagnetic fields, 115
electromagnetic radiation, 29, 115, 138
electromagnetism, 32, 34–35, 39, 50, 66, 93, 105, 113, 114, 115, 117
electrons, 60–61, 98, 108–109
energy of, 108–109, 117
mass of, 118
electronuclear force, 35–36
electroweak force, 35
electroweak unification, 67
elliptical orbits, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 43, 44, 148. See also orbits
energy
changing states of, 131
conservation of, 183
distortion of space-time by, 30, 86
of electrons, 108–109, 117
and gravity, 31, 114, 145, 200, 237
kinetic, 40, 144–45
as light, 98, 106
loss of, 83, 93, 94, 218
and mass, 85, 86, 111, 116, 132, 193
negative states of, 61
nuclear, 137
of photons, 107, 115, 136
positive states of, 61
potential, 40, 145
quantized, 108
of quantum fields, 130
radiation, 106, 107, 140
released by antimatter, 61
scales of, 32, 35
subatomic quantum nature of, 109
from sunlight, 193, 231, 234
from supernova explosions, 106, 196
vacuum, 117, 130–31, 185–87, 221
vibrational, 106, 117
in wavelengths of light, 33
See also dark energy
entropy, 222, 223
Epoch of Reionization, 141
equilibrium, 40, 66, 99, 145, 148, 150
hydrostatic, 162, 194, 197
Eris, 148
expansion
accelerating rate of, 219
vs. contraction, 125
differing rates of, 175
Hoyle's skepticism about, 94
slowing rate of, 127–28
superluminal, 123
of the universe, 83, 88, 92, 99, 119, 122, 186
Zwicky's skepticism about, 95
extragalactic objects, 143
Fermi, Enrico, 112, 236
fermions, 112
Fermi paradox, 236
Feynman, Richard, 118
fields, 114–15
electric, 115
electromagnetic, 115
gravity, 115
Higgs, 35, 38, 221
magnetic, 37, 115, 200, 234
nuclear, 216
quantum, 115, 117, 130, 185
flatness problem, 40
formalism, 60, 111
Fraunhofer, Joseph von, 51
Friedmann, Alexander, 87, 93
fusion, 193–95
helium, 194, 195–96
hydrogen, 134, 192–93, 206
nuclear, 210, 216
galaxies
distances to, 80
dwarf, 162, 168, 199
elliptical, 201
future of, 256n3 (ch. 13)
irregular, 201
locations of, 161
mass of, 144–45, 153–54
motion of, 82–83
nebulae as, 79–80
orbits in, 165, 167, 199
speed of, 80–81
spiral, 143
study of, 190
See also Andromeda galaxy (nebula); clusters; Milky Way galaxy; superclusters
galaxy rotation curves, 147, 152, 154
Galileo Galilei, 16, 25–26, 49, 189
and the rings of Saturn, 50
Sidereus Nuncius, 21
Gamov, George, 100
Gerlach, Walther, 110–11
GeV (giga-electron volt), 34, 248n5
Gliese 445, 160
gluons, 69
Grand Unification epoch (GUT epoch), 36, 67, 69
Grand Unified Theories (GUT), 36, 38, 216
gravitational attraction, 44
gravitational constant, 32
gravitational fields, 115
gravitational lensing, 151–52, 153
gravity
and baryons, 151
and the big bang, 118
and the cosmic web, 165–66
Einstein's view of, 85–86, 93
and energy, 31, 114, 145, 200, 237
and the expansion of the universe, 93–94, 124
as natural force, 30–31, 34–35, 39, 44, 103, 113–14
positrons’ use of, 218
quantum, 33, 118
universal, 44–45, 84
and universe formation, 133
Great Attractor, 167–69, 207
great voids, 254n1
Great Wall (CfA2 Great Wall), 162
Guth, Alan, 38, 129
Halley, Edmund, 43, 45–47
Hawking Radiation, 217
heat death, 218
Heisenberg, Werner, 110
helium, 71, 72, 76, 92, 150, 193, 203, 211
helium fusion, 194, 195–96
Herman, Robert, 100
Herschel, William, 47–49
Hertzsprung, Ejnar, 191–92
Higgs, Peter, 35
Higgs boson, 117, 221
Higgs field, 35, 38, 221
Hooke, Robert, 43
Hooke's law, 30
horizon problem, 39
Hoyle, Fred, 94, 95–97, 101
Hubble, Edwin
discovery of Cepheids in the Andromeda Nebula, 78–79, 83, 84, 176, 186
discovery of “island universes,” 137
on the expansion of the universe, 161
on extra-galactic nebulae, 200
use of telescope by, 189
Hubble's constant, 219
Hubble Space Telescope, 83, 143, 175
hydrogen, 72, 150, 192–93, 203
hydrogen fusion, 134, 192–93, 206
neutral, 139–40
plasma soup, 192
hydrostatic equilibrium, 162, 194, 197. See also equilibrium
inertia, 85
infinity, 29, 30, 54–55, 185, 223
inflation
and dark matter, 151
discovery of, 67
eternal, 242
and the expansion of the universe, 38, 40–41, 62, 116, 129–32, 174
explanation for, 38–39
unknown aspects of, 223
intergalactic
motion, 167–68
interstellar neighborhood, 228
interstellar travel, 238, 258n6
island universes, 58, 78, 137, 199, 207
James Webb Space Telescope, 139
Janssen, Jules, 52
Jeans, James, 106
Jupiter, 191, 204, 234–35
moons of, 26
orbit of, 23, 234
kaons, 64
Karman Line, 257n1 (epilogue)
Kepler, Johannes
use of Brahe's tables, 18
on our connection to the cosmos, 34, 244
Harmonices Mundi, 21
ideas of, 16
laws of, 44, 20, 22, 23–24
on the order of the universe, 19–20, 22–23, 25
Rudolphine Tables, 24
on the rule of geometry, 19, 23, 171
Kirchhoff, Gustav, 51
Laniakea Supercluster, 169, 225
Large Hadron Collider, 35, 155–56
Leavitt, Henrietta Swan, 74–75
Lemaître, George, 87, 93
leptons, 70–71, 113, 117
life
alien, 238
conditions necessary for, 231–36
planets suitable for, 229, 235
reasons for, 242
search for, 230–31, 237–39
uniqueness of, 227–28, 239–40
light
in the dark ages, 138–39
energy as, 98, 106
infra-red, 49
speed of, 32, 33, 166
tired, 94–95, 251n2
See also redshift
light-years, 74, 81, 166, 250n1 (ch. 5). See also parsecs
LINERs (low ionization nuclear emission-line regions), 199
LIRGs (luminous infra-red galaxies), 199
lithium, 71, 72, 92, 150
Local Bubble, 225
Local Group, 168–70, 207, 225, 230
local superclusters, 232
Lockyer, Joseph, 52
Lockyer, Norman, 46
logarithms, 19
luminosity, 76
MACHOs (MAssive Compact Halo Objects), 154
Magellanic Clouds, 74–75, 199
magnetic fields, 37, 115, 234
self-reinforcing, 200
magnetism, 50, 52, 58
Mars, 23, 204
mass
of black holes, 148, 253n9, 257n2
electron, 118
energy and, 85, 86, 111, 116, 132, 193
of galaxies, 144–45, 153–54
of stars, 196
of the universe, 151
matter
and antimatter, 62–64, 92, 117
density of, 128, 183–84
excess of, 65
in the Milky Way, 61
Maxwell, James Clerk, 50, 110
Mercury, 23, 148–49, 204
orbit of, 23, 204, 248–49
mesons, 113
Messier, Charles, 49–50
microwave antenna, 100–101
Milky Way galaxy
appearance of, 129
black holes in, 137
collision with Andromeda, 205–207
evolution of, 137, 203, 212
formation of, 151
as galaxy, 225, 228–29
images of, 166–69, 190
intelligent species in, 240
and the laws of physics, 244
location of a Cepheid star in, 77
matter in, 61
observation of, 190
as one galaxy among many, 225
orbits within, 190
photo, 229
planets in, 228
size of, 78–79, 81–82, 160, 199, 200, 226
stars in, 95, 160
Minkowski, Hermann, 84. See also space-time
MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics), 152–53
monopole, 37–38, 39
moon (Earth's), 15, 26, 43, 54, 166, 204, 234
orbit of, 44, 47
recession of, 47
sketches of, 21
moons
of Jupiter, 26
of the outer worlds, 43, 53, 204, 230, 234, 239
of Saturn, 26
Mount Wilson Observatory, 78, 143
nanozoology, 112
nebulae, 49, 53, 74, 190, 197–98
disappearance of, 209
planetary, 195
spiral, 58, 78–79, 143, 161
velocity of, 81
See also Andromeda galaxy (nebula)
Neptune, 15, 149
neutral atoms, 110–11
neutrinos, 70, 113, 193
neutrons, 69, 71, 92, 113, 196, 216
neutron stars, 213
Newton, Isaac, 43–44, 51, 54, 55, 84, 118
laws of, 47
Newton's constant, 33
Norma Cluster, 169, 170
novae, 196. See also supernovae
nuclear forces, 34–35
strong, 35, 64, 69, 117
weak, 35, 63–66, 113, 117, 155–56
nuclear fusion, 210, 216. See also fusion
nuclear reactors, 70, 71
nucleation points, 37
nucleosynthesis, 72
Olbers, Heinrich, 54
Olbers’ paradox, 54–55, 102
Oort cloud, 160
orbits
of asteroids, 204
atomic, 92, 218
circular, 17, 27
of comets, 234
of Earth, 18, 82, 85, 167, 204, 217
elliptical, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 43, 44, 148
in galaxies, 165, 167, 199
of Jupiter, 23, 234
of Jupiter's moons, 26
of Mars, 23
of Mercury, 23, 248–49, 204
in the Milky Way, 190
of the moon, 44, 47
planetary, 16–17, 20, 22, 27, 118, 172, 212–13
of Saturn, 79
speed of, 44, 147
of the sun, 18, 167
of Uranus, 149
of Vulcan, 149
oscillations, 41
baryon acoustic, 164, 187
parallax, 55–57, 74, 82, 176
parsecs, 81–82, 160–61. See also light-years
particle-antiparticle pair, 257n2
particle colliders, 34–35, 70
particles
antiparticles, 114 (see also antimatter)
baryons, 71, 113, 117, 197
bosons, 35, 112, 117
electrons, 60–61, 98, 108–109
fermions, 112
gluons, 69
kaons, 64
leptons, 70–71, 113, 117
mesons, 113
neutrinos, 70, 113, 193
neutrons, 69, 71, 92, 113, 196, 216
photons, 35, 60–61, 92, 93, 94, 107, 113–14, 116–17, 193
pions, 64
positrons, 60–61, 193
protons, 69, 71, 92, 113, 193, 216, 217
subatomic, 110–11, 115, 139, 155, 185, 192, 215, 217
transformation of, 117
virtual, 117
Pauli, Wolfgang, 110
peculiar velocity, 82. See also velocity
Penzias, Arno, 100, 101, 132
phantom dark energy, 219. See also dark energy
phase transitions, 36–37, 67, 68, 220
philosophy, 242–43
photoelectric effect, 108
photography, 53, 57
visible light, 201
photons, 35, 60–61, 92, 93, 94, 113–14, 116–17, 193
decoupling of, 98
energy of, 107, 115, 136
physics
factors governing, 240–41
high-energy, 62
particle, 64
plasma, 100, 105
subatomic, 221
theoretical, 87
pions, 64
Planck, Max, 33, 99, 106–107, 110
Planck collaboration, 133, 252n1 (interlude), 253n5
Planck constant, 33, 107–108
Planck era/epoch, 32, 67, 208
&nb
sp; Planck length, 33
Planck scale, 186
Planck units, 33
planetary nebulae, 195. See also nebulae
planetary systems, 198
planets
atmosphere of, 51, 128
elliptical orbits of, 20, 22
end of, 211–12
Eris, 148
Jupiter, 23, 26, 191, 204, 234–35
laws of motion, 20
Mars, 23, 204
mass of, 191
Mercury, 23, 148–49, 204
in the Milky Way, 228
Neptune, 15, 149
orbits of, 16–17, 20, 22, 27, 118, 172, 212–13
Pluto, 148
rogue, 213
Saturn, 26, 50, 79, 249n9
suitable for life, 229
Uranus, 15, 48, 149
Venus, 234
See also Earth
plasma, 66, 92, 94, 98, 134, 136, 140, 141, 150, 162, 164, 191–92, 200
physics, 100, 105
quark-gluon, 69, 98
Pluto, 148
positronium, 218
positrons, 60–61, 193
probabilities, 243
protogalaxies, 136. See also galaxies
protons, 69, 71, 92, 113, 193, 216, 217
Proxima Centauri, 160, 209, 226
P-symmetry, 64, 67
Ptolemaic system, 15, 16
quanta, 107
quantization, 107–108
quantum fields, 115, 117, 185
energy of, 130
quantum field theory, 115–16, 118, 186–87
quantum fluctuations, 131–32, 221
quantum foam, 117
quantum gravity, 33, 118
quantum gravity theory, 118
quantum mechanics, 33, 34, 99, 111, 115, 139, 185, 221, 223, 244
quantum physics, 60
quantum theory, 252–53n3
quark-gluon plasma, 69, 98
quarks, 63, 68, 113, 252n4
quark soup, 67, 68–69
quasars, 199
radiation, 93–94, 98, 106, 108
21-cm, 140
blackbody, 98–99, 101–102, 106
density of, 94, 183, 235
electromagnetic, 29, 115, 138
Hawking Radiation, 217
high-energy, 62, 67, 71
high-frequency, 106
high-intensity, 71
infrared, 99
low-frequency, 106, 107
microwave, 129
thermal, 98–99
ultraviolet, 140
X-ray, 140, 150, 195
Rayleigh, John, 106
recession, 47, 81, 83
recombination, 98, 151, 164
redshift, 81, 83, 88, 93–95, 99, 123, 136, 143, 145, 147, 167, 175, 180, 207–208
relativity
Einstein's theory of, 30, 84, 87, 186
general, 29, 30–31, 84, 85, 86, 87, 118, 171–72, 211, 244
special, 32, 60, 86, 115, 123, 152–53, 185
repulsiveness, 39
Riemann, Bernard, 85
Robertson, Bob, 87
Rubin, Vera, 146–47
Russell, Henry, 191–92
Sagittarius A, 137, 211
Saturn
moons of, 26
orbit of, 79
rings of, 50, 249n9
Schrödinger, Erwin, 60, 110
Schwinger, Julian, 118
scientific revolution, 15–16
Seyferts, 199
Shapley, Harlow, 77–78, 79
singularities, 30, 31–32