Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson-208 pages
I have wanted to read this since it came out. I am not an astrophysicist by any means and I am not extremely interested in the subject. However, this book intrigued me because it's a short, readable introduction by one of the foremost astrophysicists of our time. I am not really a subscriber to the Big Bang Theory, but I like to read and understand different perspectives than my own. I am mildly interested in science in general (more so biology than physics or astrophysics). I did learn a few things from reading this book. I learned about dark matter and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The temperature of the CMB is 2.725 degrees Kelvin, but 2.7 or 3 degrees is acceptable. Also, there are myriad galaxies out there and some are millions of light years away. Dark matter is still invisible, nearly undetectable, but scientists are convinced of its existence. It is mind-boggling to consider that billions of stars permeate the Milky Way Galaxy and that there are billions of stars in the universe. On top of that, it's possible that there could be other universes. Earth is a tiny blue dot compared to the universe and even our own Milky Way Galaxy. I enjoyed Tyson's short anecdotes and humble humor, such as when he mentions that an asteroid is named after him and he's glad it hasn't hit earth (yet). He also mentions that his asteroid is one of hundreds of thousands that have been discovered and one each is named after Merlin, Santa, and James Bond. Neil DeGrasse Tyson also briefly discusses the history of Astronomy/Astrophysics and some of the early names of scientists. Overall, I enjoyed reading this brief introduction to Astrophysics and I found it very readable.
