Space at the Speed of Light: The History of 14 Billion Years for People Short on Time

10 Things You Should Know

by Becky Smethurst

From the big bang to black holes, this fast-paced illustrated tour of time and space for the astro-curious unlocks the science of the stars to reveal fascinating theories, surprising discoveries, and ongoing mysteries in modern astronomy and astrophysics.

Before the big bang, time, space, and matter didn’t exist. In the 14 billion years since, scientists have pointed their telescopes upward, peering outward in space and backward in time, developing and refining theories to explain the weird and wonderful phenomena they observed. Through these observations, we now understand concepts like the size of the universe (still expanding), the distance to the next-nearest star from earth (Alpha Centauri, 26 trillion miles) and what drives the formation of elements (nuclear fusion), planets and galaxies (gravity), and black holes (gravitational collapse). But are these cosmological questions definitively answered or is there more to discover?

Oxford University astrophysicist and popular YouTube personality Dr. Becky Smethurst presents everything you need to know about the universe in ten accessible and engagingly illustrated lessons. In Space at the Speed of Light: The History of 14 Billion Years for People Short on Time, she guides you through fundamental questions, both answered and unanswered, posed by space scientists. Why does gravity matter? How do we know the big bang happened? What is dark matter? Do aliens exist? Why is the sky dark at night? If you have ever looked up at night and wondered how it all works, you will find answers–and many more questions–in this pocket-sized tour of the universe!

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Physics, Astronomy, Space, Popular Science, Audiobook

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2019

Reviews

[Jade Ratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.57 on CAWPILE

[Krysia o książkach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uważam, że super napisana książka, zrozumiale i interesująco, przy czym moja wiedza na temat astronomii i fizyki kosmicznej polega mniej więcej na tym, że wiem, że Ziemia krąży wokół Słońca a Słońce kiedyż zgaśnie. Po przeczytaniu wiem już troszkę więcej, ale dalej nie moge objąć rozumem konceptu czarnych dziur.

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but enjoyable read. Most concepts are presented at a very introductory level and the brevity of the format prevents from delving deeper.

It is similar in spirit to Rovelli’s short volumes.

Not exactly what I hoped for but I enjoyed it! Fast Sunday morning read to tickle ones curiosity and imagination

[Lee Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up browsing in a bookshop today. A quick, accessible and really interesting read - just the sort of book I like, making a huge, weighty subject a little more understandable. The author's passion for her subject is really infectious. Fascinating stuff! Exciting and sobering to think just how *big* the universe is, and amazing how we begin to make sense of it.

[John Desaulniers, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book thanks to www.delanceyplace.com. Their excerpt intrigued me enough. That, and I love stars.

It took me a little time to get accustomed to the book, but by the conclusion I was sad to see it end. It's not a difficult book, which I consider a great compliment to an astrophysicist writing about supermassive black holes, neutron stars, quarks, and the like. It's wonderfully crafted for the average person. And frankly, that's what attracted me to it in the first place.

There's not necessarily a huge plot. It's more a collection of essays on space. Ironically, Dr Smethurst accepts the long age dating of big bang and evolutionary theories but revels in the wonder of this creation in ways that sound much more like the "event horizon" of worshiping the God perhaps she's not yet met.

The ten chapters which comprise the book are relatively interwoven and an entertaining read. One could start at the beginning and read through as I did or pick and choose randomly without getting lost. The chapter titles aren't the best at revealing all that's covered in any of them, but that's certainly not a problem if one simply enjoys the pleasure of exploration.

In her acknowledgements, Dr Smethurst thanks those who convinced her she could write a book the way she speaks. I'm glad she did, too. She's made me convinced there's at least one human astrophysicist out there who's company over lunch would be very enjoyable.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so another title from my Christmas shopping trip - oops.

This is an interesting little vinaigrette at only 120 pages long it was a rather quick read which still was able to pose some interesting questions and provide some easily to understand answers.

Book basically posts 10 questions about the universe and then provides short (about 12 pages long) answers to them which are both easy to follow and highly informative. So if you are interested in such things this book is a great little starting point although I suspect for the die hard enthusiast or professional there is nothing new here.

So for someone who has a passing curiosity and little experience this book is a great starting point. The book is written by an eminent astrophysicist Doctor Becky Smethurst and even though in her own words she never thought she would write a book I think she has gone a very fine job of it. the question now is will she write any more in-depth books on the subject as I would certainly read them (or at least try).

[Mert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eğer astronomi ve uzay ile uzun zamandir ilgiliyseniz kitap size göre değil. Çünkü zaten adından da anlaşılacağı gibi gerçekten giriş seviyesi bilgiler. Hiç bilginiz yok ama ilginiz varsa tavsiye ederim. Ben hem içeriği hem de çevirisini merak ettiğim için okudum (aslında okumadım Storytel'de sesli kitap olarak dinledim).

Üzülerek söylüyorum; çeviride bilimsel hatalar yapılmış. Çok sayıda değil, ama bir bilim kitabında her detayın doğru olması önemli. Çevirinin geri kalanı güzel ve düzgün ama bilimsel ifadelerdeki hatalar, özellikle giriş seviyesi dinleyici için yanıltıcı. Tabii bu hatalar basılı halinde mi var yoksa seslendirmede mi oldu, o detayı bilmiyorum. Örneğin protonun kütlesi bir kilogramın 28'de biri gibi bir cümle var. Oysa doğrusu protonun kütlesi 10 üzeri -28 kg olmalı. Bu ve benzeri hatalardan söz ediyorum.

Bir de sürekli "evrenin yaratılışı", "evrenin yaratıldığı an" gibi ifadeler var. Bilimsel bir kitapta "oluşum" ifadesinin daha doğru olduğunu düşünüyorum.

[Bogdan Teodorescu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really, even I could have written a book like this one. Indeed, it may be good for people completely off the subject, but there are far better books than this for those people.

[Hanna W · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPECTACULAR 🗣🗣🗣
Błagam niech jakiś dobry człowiek przetłumaczy książkę tej pani o czarnych dziurach bo I need MORE.
Miałam jakieś tam obawy, że to będzie sam naukowy bełkot, ale wszystko było wyjaśnione na bazie "lekkostrawnych" metafor i po prostu super się bawiłam. A nawet w momentach kiedy czułam, że mi się mózg trochę przegrzewa to miałam świat według kiepskich w telewizji na wyjeździe, także balans zachowany 😃
Polecam wszystkim kosmicznym nerdom i nie tylko 🔥

[Vikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brain is blown

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a delight. Dr. Becky is obviously very knowledgeable in her profession but also writes in a way that is super easy to understand. Her passion and excitement about space is also contagious (probably, I guess I’m already pretty jazzed about space) and very fun! Also did everyone just know that there’s a supermassive black hole at the center of every galaxy???

[Danni (bookswithdanni) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 5 Stars ⭐️

Wow I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did. It was very interesting and I couldn’t help but feel excited! The writing was clear and didn’t make me feel dumb when talking about astrophysics.

~~RTC~~

[Aga (książkodramat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krótka i idealna na początek przygody z kosmicznymi zagadnieniami. Bardzo przyjemny i przystępny sposób przekazywania wiedzy. Po prostu dobrze się ją czyta ✨

[Mason Forsyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one’s for all my followers out there. Those that believed and those that didn’t. A book has been finished. We’ve done it!! Please, save your applauses for in person. Specifically you Jack.

A very interesting read with lots of detailed facts throughout whilst still remaining technical. Now unfortunately, my knowledge of space and our universe is so lacking that so much went over head I feel which is a shame, from technical language to space programs which I haven’t (but probably should have) heard of before. Despite the best attempts from Dr Smethurst to dumb it down for me, she failed. “Easily Understand” is a bit of a stretch Miss Doctor but thanks for making me feel great about myself.
The beauty of limited brain power however, I have the option to re-read a lot of it like a new book and will hopefully understand more next time.

Recommend for fellow cool people that love facts coz facts are cool.

[E L K Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's incredible how such a tiny book can be so dense in its information on topics we perhaps don't wonder enough about. Suppose someone is just entering the world of science. In that case, this is the perfect companion for dealing with the most ordinary yet extraordinary topics, such as gravity, time, space travel, and our own Earth.

Becky Smerhurtst write in beautiful language that explains the theory in its absolute basics while keeping you perfectly entertained.

[Brani Spolsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Te bardzo ciekawe i wydawałoby się abstrakcyjne tematy przedstawione są w dość przystępny sposób. Nie nużą nawet kogoś spoza branży. Mimo ogromnego postępu wiemy, jaki wiele jeszcze nie wiemy i że nigdy nie należy spocząć żeby sięgać dalej.

[Hania · Rating 4 out of 5]

kosmos mnie zarówno przeraża jak i fascynuje
(bardziej przeraża)

[Marta Demianiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobra na początek przygody z kosmosem, chociaż jednak bardziej polecam książki Neila deGrasse Tysona wydane przez Insignis.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book lives up to its title, it is short!

And while it's not as good as the author's most recent book, "A Brief History of Black Holes" - that one is fantastic! - "Space at the Speed of Light" is still an enjoyable read. So much so, that I'm tempted to bump the rating to four stars, but I think the short format hurts the book somewhat. It feels rushed and is simply just not as informative as I would have liked.

However, if you know very little about space and astronomy, this might just be the perfect introductory read. Conversely, you can skip this one if you're fairly well read on the topic - especially if you are indeed short on time. Even if there's nothing new to you in this book, though, the author did a smashing job making it an entertaining read. So maybe still pick it up. It is, after all, very, very short.

Recommended.

[Ravi Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is meant for people who would like to know more about space and who don't already have a lot of knowledge about it. I thought the book didn't do a good job as there are other books which do a better job of explaining things like black holes and the big bang.
One of the biggest let downs for me was that the book does't explain a lot of things and some of the chapters don't really add much value (especially the last one).
The only group of people I might recommend this book to are teenagers who are interested in this subject. The book is easy to read and I hope that it might spark an interest in them to learn more about this beautiful subject.

[Qijia Zhou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book that captures all the whimsy and wonder of astronomy! This book is perfect for people beginning their journey in astronomy, as it is very accessible and easy to understand- Dr. Becky breaks down all of the jargon and difficult concepts into everyday language and analogies, much like she does in her YouTube videos. Even if you are more advanced in knowledge, this book is a great big picture view of astronomy and outlines the questions we still seek to answer.

[Abi Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am definitely not a scientist but get SO excited by concepts particularly when it comes to astronomy. This was a great book for me and not dry as sometimes they can be. Really enjoyable read and a great way to rekindle the excitement of space

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space at the Speed of Light is an awesome book. It is decently easy to understand with a conversational prose. Dr. Smethurst's prose is engaging and I can sense her enthusiasm as I read the book. The book itself was intriguing throughout and never dry. I also liked the variety of concepts that it went over. When I first came across the book, I thought it would be solely a history of the universe. While it does contain a good amount of information about this, it goes far beyond. It talks about black holes, the possibility of aliens, the likelihood of finding another Earth, what we've learned about other galaxies and stars, dark matter, and much more. In the end, it left me inspired to both learn more and appreciative of how amazing our universe is. It is such an incredible place and there is so much that we don't know (and that makes it even more interesting).

The explanations provided in this book are more high-level, but, again, they made me want to learn more in detail.

I recommend this book :).

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I was excited about this book because I have always had an interest in space but I'm not an expert so thought this book would be perfect for me!
Sadly in my opinion it fell a little flat. The information and writing was fine but the title and cover of this book looks to be marketed at people that want to take a first step into learning about space and it jist disnt fulfil that. At times it was a little boring, and I don't think the 10 things included are necessarily what should have been chosen.
I did learn a few things though and I enjoyed a few chapters so a 3 syar review from me.

Please note that I was gifted this ebook in return for an honest review.

[Nils · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and pithy summaries of key ‘space’ concepts. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Nothing wrong with any of the content and some of it is really good. It just didn’t grab me as much as it seems to have done others.

I might have given it a 3-star but the the shape and feel of the book (ie physically) is perfect. And the cover is simply perfect, like a piece of art. I could put it on my wall! So an extra star for that.

[ExtraGravy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good popular audience overview. I like her focus on what we know that we don't know. I would personally like her to eventually go deeper as I was very familiar with these topics, but this was for a different audience and I think it could serve as a great introduction.

Recommended for an introduction.

[Trâm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read, so I don't know why I've been putting it off for almost two years. If you have two hours, and are in need of some wonder, this is the book for you. Can also double as an elegant coffee table book (& conversation starter).

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I learned a few things about space and had fun reading it at the same time.

[Martyna Wieczorek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zawsze będzie mnie to fascynować i będę czytać o kosmosie z dziecięcą ciekawością. Chociaż pewnie nie zrozumiem nawet kawałka!

[Dominika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girllllllll, narazie najlepsza książka w tym roku.
Jaka ekscytująca, wciągająca. Czułam się jak małe dziecko odkrywające kosmos.
Czytałam jedno zdanie i przez następne 20 minut sobie to wyobrażałam - tak przeszłam przez całą książkę.
Inspirująca, magiczna.
Dziękuję, jestem jakoś tak głodna wiedzy po tym, głodna jakiś popularnonaukowych książek. Nie wiem. I mam ochotę jeszcze raz obejrzeć Interstellar.
Ciemna materia trochę we mnie wywołuje ciarki strachu, but it was a good shit to read.