Cosmic Questions: Galactic Halos, Cold Dark Matter and the End of Time

by Richard Morris

Did the Big Bang really happen?

Is space infinite?

When did time begin?

In this "superb new book" (San Francisco Chronicle), acclaimed science writer Richard Morris probes a host of far-reaching questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. The result is a masterful exploration of the newest discoveries and theories in the field of cosmology-the study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe. With dramatic flair and enthusiasm, he introduces us to the intriguing world of cosmic strings and quark nuggets, shadow matter and imaginary time. He brings emerging theoretical concepts into clear focus, offering keen insight into science's most puzzling riddles, the very questions that have challenged and confounded humankind through the ages. Featuring a thorough explanation of the breakthrough voyage of NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and its effects on the Big Bang theory, this remarkable book is a fascinating journey along the cutting edge of cosmological discovery.

Praise for Richard Morris...

"Mr. Morris's genius is an ability to reveal the wonderful. --Kansas City Star

"Morris does a clearer job explaining Hawking than Hawking did." --Library Journal

Genres: Physics, Science

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

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Reviews

[J.D. Steens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Morris's book sets up some fairly standard questions in cosmology (e.g., what is time; is space infinite; did the big bang really happen, etc.). His responses were sometimes helpful and sometimes not. For example, after stating that we have matter and anti-matter (for every particle there is an antiparticle) he then says that we have matter in the universe but very little anti-matter. What happened to anti-matter? He writes that black holes can emit no light, but then goes on to say that they emit radiation, "including light." This could use more explanation.

Still, this book prompts interesting questions for those with a lay interest in cosmology. The book has an excellent diagram (p. 140) to describe the expansion of the universe. In one model, all matter is compressed into a mathematical point, at zero time, which is called a "singularity" where "the density of matter and energy" is infinite." While Morris does not describe why matter and energy is infinite, a question might be that if matter and energy that we typically understand as occuping space and existing in time collapse into a singularity because of gravitational pull, does this stop time and eliminate space? Might that point be not a point after all, but Nothing? This also seems to presume that time and space are dependent variables that are created by something else. If so, what? This issue of gravitational pull prompts yet another question about the attempt to unify the four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetic, strong and weak nuclear force). Is gravitational pull so powerful that it overwhelms the other three forces that can only emerge in the fraction of a second after the Big Bang when pressure lessens and temperatures cool? Could three of the four forces be "emergent" forces that are less fundamental than gravitation?

This is all fun stuff to consider. Morris's book is not the best in this area, but there's a lot of good material here.

[Hassan Arab · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes you wonder