Hardcover: February 2000
Publisher: Joseph Henry Press (Washington D.C.)
Online Version: 2002
Publisher: Joseph Henry Press (Washington D.C.), National Academies of Sciences
From the Publisher:
For every reader awed by the spectacle of our universe, a new window opens onto the cosmos in this stunning and illuminating book.
Almost every day we are challenged by new information from the outermost reaches of space. One Universe explores in everyday language the physical principles that govern the workings of our world, and the cosmos, on the largest and smallest scales—from bands of color in a sunlit crystal to the spectrum of starlight in giant telescopes, from the arc of a hard-hit baseball to the orbit of the moon, from the ups and downs of a yo-yo to the universal laws of motion.
Scientists put the principles of physics into action when they explore the universe with space probes. Earth-bound and orbiting telescopes, and experiments that mimic nature's conditions in the laboratory. They understand what they observe in distant galaxies through the application of universal laws. The authors show how these same principles operate in our daily lives. Many of our day-to-day experiences, in our kitchens and backyards, are microcosms of cosmic processes.
Glorious photography and original diagrams expand and enrich the text. Evocative and clearly written, this book explains the most complex concepts in ways that every reader can grasp and delight in. One Universe captures the sweep and scope of the cosmos, expanding our understanding and appreciation—and above all a sense of wonder for our One Universe.
One Universe will be published in conjunction with the launch of the new Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The centerpiece of the Rose Center is the spectacular new Hayden Planetarium, which will be housed in a sphere eighty-seven feet in diameter that appears to float in a glass cube. Using the most sophisticated technology available, the new Hayden Planetarium will transport visitors to the farthest reaches of the universe and back to the explosive beginnings of time and space.