A Brief Welcome to the Universe: A Pocket-Sized Tour

by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Strauss, J. Richard Gott

A pocket-style edition based on the New York Times bestseller



A Brief Welcome to the Universe offers a breathtaking tour of the cosmos, from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes and time loops. Bestselling authors and acclaimed astrophysicists Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott take readers on an unforgettable journey of exploration to reveal how our universe actually works.

Propelling you from our home solar system to the outermost frontiers of space, this book builds your cosmic insight and perspective through a marvelously entertaining narrative. How do stars live and die? What are the prospects of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? How did the universe begin? Why is it expanding and accelerating? Is our universe alone or part of an infinite multiverse? Exploring these and many other questions, this pocket-friendly book is your passport into the wonders of our evolving cosmos.

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

248 pages, Paperback

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia.

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. And among Tyson’s fifteen books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered in September 2004.

Two of Tyson’s other books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.

In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.

For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.

During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a cadre of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular Podcast, for three years it enjoyed a limited-run Television Series on the National Geographic Channel. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy.

Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists, with the naming of Indirani Tysoni, a native species of leaping frog in India. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine in 2000.

More recently, Tyson published Astrophysics for People In A Hurry in 2017, which was a domestic and international bestseller. This adorably readable book is an introduction to all that you’ve read and heard about that’s making news in the universe—consummated, in one plac

Reviews

[Mook Woramon · Rating 3 out of 5]

เล่มเล็ก ๆ แต่เนื้อหาอัดแน่นอย่างโหด อย่างตึง หัวจะปวด
ชื่อหนังสือ a brief welcome to the universe แต่จากการอ่านรู้สึกว่าเหมือนจะไล่เราไปไกล ๆ มากกว่า 😅😅

ผู้เขียนอ้างอิงทฤษฎี ยกสมการมาอธิบายเอกภพ พหุภพ กาแล็กซี่ หลุมดำ ดวงดาว ใส่มาจุก ๆ ไม่อั้น
ถ้าเป็นนักฟิสิกส์หรือคนที่สนใจเชิงลึกด้านเอกภพมาก ๆ น่าจะอ่านสนุกเพราะที่มาที่ไปอธิบายชัดเจน ข้อมูลอัพเดทสุด ๆ

แต่สำหรับเราคนทั่วไปนั้นนนนนน มากไปปปปปปแม่ ใช้ขุมกำลังสติปัญญาของเรามากกกไปปปป
จริง ๆ ก็อยากรู้ ก็ชอบ แต่ไม่ต้องลึกขนาดนี้ ร้องไห้แล้ววว 😭😭

ใครสายโหดเชิญเลยค่ะ ดิชั้นลาก่อนนนน แต่ก็ยังรักเอกภพอยู่นะ 🥹🥹

[Liliana Fonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, but a little hard to keep up, maybe because I heard it and not read it, but well. It's always amazing to know a little more about the universe and I really like to hear Mr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.

[Robert Yokoyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been a good student of science because all of the concepts seemed too advanced for me to comprehend. The components of the universe are seemingly endless, but the three astrophysicists do a good job of making the composition easy to understand. The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and helium. Stars are made up of hydrogen and helium. I might sound ignorant, but I did not know that stars generated heat. I have a new respect for stars, upon learning this. This book motivates me to want learn what else contains hydrogen and helium in the universe.

The universe is also composed of substances called dark energy and dark matter. Dark energy is a vacuum like force that contains positive energy and negative pressure. Dark energy is the force is that causes the universe to expand. Dark matter are particles with a gravitational force that sucks in everything I also learned that there are moons on Jupiter and Saturn. These moons are called Europa and Enceladus. respectively. All the insights in this book are fascinating to learn. I have a greater appreciation for science because of this book.

[ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great quick read book and a great introduction to astronomy. The first half was intriguing and engaging with great quick facts and explanations of complex concepts. The second half got a bit carried away with explanations and I felt like it was harder to follow and stay engaged. I was able to pick up bits and pieces of understanding, but I might have to reread those chapters again to fully grasp the concepts, as they were hard to conceptualize. Overall a good read if you're interested in the topics.

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 A brief book with an appropriately astronomical scope. Despite its brevity, it is not a quick read - requires concentrated and continues rereading to understand many of the topics, especially in later chapters. Would’ve benefitted from more visualizations.

[Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself was really well written, but it wasn't for me. I've found I have a problem with educational books, because I WANT to learn more stuff, but the books where I'll learn A LOT of new stuff are way too complex and frustrating and are basically text books so I'll end up giving up. Meanwhile, the more lowkey books like this one are a bit too laid back and are more talking about the more commonly known stuff. I don't mean to say at all, "I already knew everything in this book," as I adjust my monocle, because that's not true at all. However, reading a long chapter about something you're already somewhat familiar with can get monotonous, especially when it's being explained to you like you're learning it for the first time. But still, this book was really well written stylistically and is a great introduction the the larger book by the same authors. I most likely will not be picking up that book, but I am glad I read this one.

[Elton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read that slowed down near the end. It was definitely looking at a five star rating from me, but I grew tired of the speculative math by the end of the book. I wasn't too interested in what multiverses might be out there or the equations calculating their probability.

Regardless of that, it's was great just reading about scientists figuring out what has been seen in the universe. It's such a short read that it was hard to put down.

[Matthew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was real good but light years (pun intended) over my head. I didn't understand probably 70 to 80% of this book but the 20 to 30% I did get I enjoyed haha.

It's very mathematical and technical. If you're like me and have no education or knowledge on physics or advanced mathematics then you too will probably have a hard time with this one.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book that has sparked my curiosity in a variety of subjects. Highly recommend to any curious in understanding our universe, the multiverse, and the probabilities/theories of how we got here.

[Pongsak Sarapukdee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is an appetizer for more of an astrophysical tour. It is not too deep and easy to understand.

[Carlos Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um livro essencial para quem gosta do tema da astrofísica! Com 3 físicos de grande nível a destacar Neil deGrasse Tyson que é, simplesmente, um contador de histórias nato! Fantástica forma de comunicar ideias complexas de forma tão simples para leigos (como eu😂). Recomendo a leitura para quem, como eu, é entusiasta de tudo o que tem a haver com o universo e cosmos. Para o resto, servirá apenas contra a insónia😂😂!!!

[Eva Prestamo Jasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Neil deGrasse Tyson’s books but was unsure what to expect with this one as he had two other co-authors I was not as familiar with. I’d say none of the three of them disappointed. I found myself breezing through the pages and wanting to know/learn more about the intricacies of the theories, outlooks, principles, etc they presented. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I was especially captivated by the way Gott presented Copernican principles; he closed off the book elegantly with his final chapter on that subject matter. As is true with my experience with most of deGrasse Tyson’s books I was left with a feeling of awe of our universe/science, a very (imo) realistic/pure understanding of our (the human race) current situation and history, and the immense work to be done if we are to ensure our survival by colonizing even just one neighboring planet like mars (colonizing the rest of the galaxy/universe tbd… baby steps first 😅). It further fuels my optimism and fulfillment in the current work I am doing in the aerospace sector; an optimistic reminder that my efforts in supporting the future of aerospace might not be in vain after all and I cross my fingies in hopes that the Copernican formula proves to be on our side….
“While there’s life, there’s hope” - Hawking

______

Excerpts that I liked from this book
Funny excerpt from deGrasse Tyson:
“If we found life forms in Europa [a moon of Jupiter], we might just have to call them ‘Europeans’!”

Sweet excerpt form Strauss:
“On a clear moonless night in May, away from city lights, in Chile, the view is breathtaking. Among my fondest memories are those times I spent looking up at the sky at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile next to the woman whom I would later marry, with the Milky Way dramatically splayed across the sky over our heads.”
(Goals!!)

Concluding excerpt from Gott:
“If we look around, we can see the universe showing us what we should be doing. We live on a tiny spec in a vast universe. The universe tells us: spread out and increase your habitat to improve your survival prospects.… We should spread out before we die out. We have a space program only a little over a half a century old that is capable of sending us to other planets. We should make the wisest possible use of it before it is gone. Will we venture out, or turn our backs on the universe?… Our intelligence gives us great potential, the potential to colonize the galaxy, and become a super civilization, but most intelligent species must not have been able to achieve this – or you would be special to find yourself still a member of a one-planet species… We are weak, and we have not been around for very long. But we are intelligent creatures, and we have learned a lot about the universe and the laws that govern it – how long ago it started, how long it’s galaxies and stars and planets formed. Stunning accomplishment whose story we have told here.”

[Robert Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Brief Welcome to the Universe is a nice booklet about astronomy and cosmology. The book covers the planets and explains why Pluto is not a planet. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth are rocky planets and thats one family. Jupiter, Sature, Uranus and Neptune are gaseous planets and that is another family. PLuto is a icy world that does not fit in with either family. Pluto belongs to the Kuiper belt. The pamplet shifts gears and examines the life and death of stars. The stars are ranked using the Hertzsprung - Russell diagram that shows luminosity versus temperature. At the top are the gas giants such as Betelgeuse. In the center are the main sequence stars such as the sun. At the bottom are white dwarfs such as Sirius B. The gas giants when they die will colapse into a black hole where not even light escape. When a main sequence star dies it novas and becomes a neutron star or a white dwarf. Niel deGrasse Tyson looks into the prospect of finding intelligent life in the universe. Tyson examines the Drake equation and analyses each variable and comes up with a value of 108 civilizations within the Milky way. Michael Strauss looks at the big bang. Astronomers know the universe had a begining because the cosmic background radiation is constant no matter what direction scientist look. Hubble discovered that the galaxies are expanding outword and they are redshifted in the spectrum. Finally, Richard Gott examines inflation and the multiverse. The universe is smooth and this is the result of rapid expansion after the big bang. As the cosmos expands other universes pop into existence. The book ends with the universe dying and there is not much hope for intelligence of surviving. Maybe in the distant future humanity may open up a wormhole and transfer to another universe.

[pnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect little pocket-sized tour of the universe. the first chapter was my absolute fav. i learned so many new things, which is great bc at this point i’ve read my fair share of cosmology books.

my fav fun fact from that chapter (and the entire book) is: if you counted one number every second since the day you were born, it’d take 31 years to count to a billion. 31!!! the universe has been thriving for 13.8 billion years. that just puts it into perspective how massive these scales even are. it’s incomprehensible, but neil degrasse tyson sure made it easier to fathom.

i enjoyed tyson’s chapters the best. he explained everything in a fun and intriguing way. as far as the other authors apart of the book, they had good examples, but some sections were better explained than others.

some of the concepts and the stats behind the equations were a little difficult for me to understand. especially the last chapter talking about the copernican principle and the 95% range.

but one of my favorite descriptions in the book was how they illustrated the expanding universe. i was always someone who thought “what is it expanding into?”. and this book finally helped me grasp the concept. the short answer: it’s not expanding into anything, plot twist! the universe is expanding and stretching its own fabric of space-time instead of into what lies beyond it. the universe we live in creates the boundaries we see, and is not succumbing into the mysterious, outside unknowns.

pretty good read. think i’m gonna get into some of tyson’s books bc i’ve heard good things about them and have quite a few on my to-read list.

[Lynda Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 3 ends with these sentences: “In fact, we occupy a humble corner of the galaxy, which occupies its own humble corner of the universe. Every astrophysicist lives with that reality. So should you.”

Written for non scientists, this book explores the size and origins of the universe, our galaxy, black holes and multiverses. Much of it is mind blowing, such as the illustration of the number of stars in our galaxy. Starting with the McDonalds slogan “over 99 billion served” the authors imagine laying 100 billion hamburgers (4” diameter) end to end, starting in New York City, heading west and circling the globe. That trip would have to be made 215 times….and you’d still have hamburgers left over. So you start stacking them (each one 2” high) and when you go to the moon and back, only then will you have used your 100 billion hamburgers. AND our galaxy alone has 300 billion stars! There are over 10 sextillion stars in the observable universe!

Another fun example is an exhibit that displays the 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang. It is the size of a football field and every step you take is 50 million years. The time of human existence, at the very end of the field, is the thickness of a single strand of hair.

Much of what was written I was able to understand on a basic level. Some of it was over my head (such as all the equations, which I couldn’t begin to grasp, but didn’t need to) while other parts of it had me googling for further reading.

I recommend this to anyone who looks up at the night sky and is filled with awe and wonder.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertainment & Engagement: Poor. The book is not very entertaining or engaging. Chapters are long and information-dense, with few stylistic choices to keep the reader engaged.

Educational Value: Great. It covers a wide range of astrophysics topics in detail without getting too bogged down in heavy mathematics or technicalities.

Effort, Accessibility & Aesthetic Impact: Good. It is not a difficult read, but due to the subject matter, even readers somewhat familiar with the topic may find it hard to absorb. Best suited to readers in STEM fields.

Practical Application: Poor. The book is not practical in nature, so this category is largely irrelevant.

Value for Writers: Poor. There may be some material of interest for science-fiction writers—particularly discussions of relativity, space travel, and the multiverse—but there are likely better books to draw from for these topics.

[Cloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I like to think ive got a pretty good understanding of basic astrophysics concepts, and this book certainly did a good job of explaining more complex theories to someone like me who doesnt study the subject. I enjoyed the way things were explained and it felt like a nice handheld guide through the topics. In all honesty some of the last chapters did become a bit harder to understand and comprehend but in no way do I beleive this to be the fault of the authours, and instead is entirely because of my own lack of knowledge about the subjects. In general I enjoyed this, and would definetly recomend this to someone that is insterested in knowing more about astronomy and astrophysics.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even for a "Breif" history on the physics of the universe, there were some parts that were way over my head. But it was still a fascinating read. I may not have a PhD in physics now, but I do have a slightly bigger understanding of the topic. And I think that would make the authors happy to know their work is helping to educate the public about these important topics. I will definitely be reading more books on the topic. Especially the other books written by Neil deGrasse Tyson. He has a way of writing that can make the complex topic of astrophysics understandable and fun.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think of this book as a pocket-sized travel -guide to the universe and a VERY brief introduction to astrophysics. It tells you the basics of what you need to know to get by, and goes out of its way to be simple, lucid, and understandable. It is the pocket-sized précis to a much larger, more in-depth guide book, namely “Welcome to the Universe”, by the same authors.

Needless to say, this brief welcome succeeds admirably. The 8 chapters/essays, each by one of the authors, are models of clarity, and read like transcripts of superb lectures for undergraduates.

[Aom Ruka · Rating 4 out of 5]

เราค่อนข้างชอบเล่มนี้มากๆ ช่วงแรกๆอ่านเพลินมาก แม้จะไม่ค่อยเข้าใจเลย โดยเฉพาะเรื่องการคำนวณ ตัวเลขยกกำลังอะไรพวกนั้น แต่เพราะภาษาและทักษะการเขียน ทำให้อ่านแล้วเหมือนมีคนมานั่งเล่าเรื่องของจักรวาลให้ฟัง

ทำให้เราเห็นภาพว่าตัวเราเป็นสิ่งที่เล็กๆๆๆๆๆมากกกกก ของจักรวาลนี้

เนื้อหาบางส่วนอ่านแล้วเหมือนย้อนไปสมัยมัธยมที่โดนบังคับเรียนเรื่องดาราศาสตร์ และคืนความรู้ให้อาจารย์ไปหมดแล้ว...

ช่วงแรกจึงอ่านเข้าใจบ้าง (ตรงไหนไม่เข้าใจก็ปล่อยเบลอ) แต่ช่วงหลังๆไป คือยากมากเลย เอาทฤษฎีมา เอาภาพประกอบมา งื่อออ ยากเกินไปไหม?

แต่นั้นแหละให้ 4 เพราะวิธีการเล่าดี เราเลยอ่านเพลินไปนิดนึง

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space, and it's eternal vastness. This book is an amazing introduction to many items in space, and only a small fraction of what is contained, in the vastness of space. All information, as well as amazing explanations and examples. Neil is an amazing author as well as astrophysicist, as well as person. This book is amazing for all those interested in space, getting interested in space, as well as those who just want a little more knowledge in their data banks.

[Erik Folkerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible little book. I live with general anxiety which has manifested, at times, as panic about my limited life. The first chapter gave me a panic attack as it dove into the age of things. We are very small and do not live long. In universal terms we practically do not exist. By the end of the book I’m am more relaxed than ever and have and idea of an idea of what scientists think the universe is.

[Felipe Rivera Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book.

I love how real science can come so close to science fiction and how passionate these guys are about these things.

I was never really good in school and never really paid attention to these subjects but somehow at 30 im really drawn to learn about them. Probably will pick up the extended version soon.

[Felipe Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good as a first approach to understand some of the processes taking place in the near universe however it got quite difficult to follow in the second half of the book when explaining multiverse and dark energy. I guess there is no easy way to explain very difficult concepts. Very satisfied with the read in general terms and learnt a lot.

[Carolina Moraes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short read for those somewhat familiar with the topic. All authors do a really great job at keeping this book very easy to read. They do delve into more complex concepts that might require a couple of reads for full understanding, but in general it felt really intuitive. Feeling really inspired and humbled after reading.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This book did a great job at simplifying some of the the largest, most complex topics in our universe into terms normal people can comprehend and visualize. The visuals were so cool, and the statistics were mind boggling. I really enjoyed it even though it was a difficult read at times (complexity).

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the only book anyone will ever need on the universe. Admittedly, there were sections with high-level math that I just skipped over--I was never going to remember that anyway. But huge concepts and the authors, especially Tyson, explained with verve.

[Apisilp Trunganont · Rating 4 out of 5]

เป็นหนังสือที่อธิบายเรื่องอวกาศได้อย่างครบถ้วน ตั้งแต่เอกภพเกิดขึ้นมาได้อย่างไร จะดับสิ้นอย่างไร มีดาวเคราะห์ที่มีโอกาสมีสิ่งมีชีวิตมากแค่ไหน พหุภพ (มัลติเวิร์ส) เป็นอย่างไร เนื้อหาบางส่วนเข้าใจได้ยาก เนื่องจากอธิบายแบบนักวิทยาศาสตร์สุดๆ

[Joshua Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant. The book was witty, inspiring, mind boggling, and enthralling. The universe and what we know of it keeps growing and expanding. It’s quite amazing the entirety of it all. Amazing book.

[Jo]

The fact that I can't get my head around nuclear fusion and quantum tunnelling and bubble universes, no matter how hard I try (okay, I'm not trying very hard tbh) sure dampened my joy of reading this book. But that doesn't make the subject one bit less fascinating.