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$8.13The Story
A heartpumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in betweenThe overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, more than 90 percent of the universes 70 billion trillion suns had nonattentiongetting births and are burning through their nuclear fuel in steady, predictable fashion. But when cosmic violence does unfold, it changes the very fabric of the universe, with megaexplosions and ripple effects that reach the near limits of human comprehension. From colliding galaxies to solar storms, and gamma ray bursts to spaceandtimewarping upheavals, these moments are rare yet powerful, often unseen but consequentially felt.Likewise, here on Earth, existence as we know it is fragile, always vulnerable to hazards both natural and manufactured. As weve learned from textbooks and witnessed in Hollywood blockbusters, existential threats such as biological disasters, asteroid impacts, and climate upheavals have the alltooreal power to instantaneously transform our routinecentered lives into total chaos, or much worse. While we might be helpless to stop these catastropheswhether they originate on our own planet or in the farthest reaches of spacethe science behind such cataclysmic forces is as fascinating as their results can be devastating.In EarthShattering, astronomy writer Bob Berman guides us through an epic, allinclusive investigation into these instances of violence both mammoth and microscopic. From the sudden creation of dazzling new stars to the furiously explosive birth of our moon, from the uncomfortable truth about ultrahighenergy cosmic rays bombarding us to the incredible ways in which humanity has harnessed cataclysmic energy for its gain, Berman masterfully synthesizes some of our worst fears into an astonishing portrait of the universe that promises to transform the way we look at the world(s) around us.In the spirit of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carlo Rovelli, what emerges is a rollicking, profound, and even humbling exploration of all the things that can go bump in the night.
Description
A heartpumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in betweenThe overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, more than 90 percent of the universes 70 billion trillion suns had nonattentiongetting births and are burning through their nuclear fuel in steady, predictable fashion. But when cosmic violence does unfold, it changes the very fabric of the universe, with megaexplosions and ripple effects that reach the near limits of human comprehension. From colliding galaxies to solar storms, and gamma ray bursts to spaceandtimewarping upheavals, these moments are rare yet powerful, often unseen but consequentially felt.Likewise, here on Earth, existence as we know it is fragile, always vulnerable to hazards both natural and manufactured. As weve learned from textbooks and witnessed in Hollywood blockbusters, existential threats such as biological disasters, asteroid impacts, and climate upheavals have the alltooreal power to instantaneously transform our routinecentered lives into total chaos, or much worse. While we might be helpless to stop these catastropheswhether they originate on our own planet or in the farthest reaches of spacethe science behind such cataclysmic forces is as fascinating as their results can be devastating.In EarthShattering, astronomy writer Bob Berman guides us through an epic, allinclusive investigation into these instances of violence both mammoth and microscopic. From the sudden creation of dazzling new stars to the furiously explosive birth of our moon, from the uncomfortable truth about ultrahighenergy cosmic rays bombarding us to the incredible ways in which humanity has harnessed cataclysmic energy for its gain, Berman masterfully synthesizes some of our worst fears into an astonishing portrait of the universe that promises to transform the way we look at the world(s) around us.In the spirit of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carlo Rovelli, what emerges is a rollicking, profound, and even humbling exploration of all the things that can go bump in the night.
