100 Stars That Explain the Universe
eBook - ePub

100 Stars That Explain the Universe

  1. 295 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

100 Stars That Explain the Universe

About this book

Visit one hundred extraordinary stars that unveil the mysteries of the universe

Our own Sun—a source of awe, myth, and mystery for untold generations of sky-gazers—is just one of roughly two hundred billion trillion stars. Together, they're a window into the profoundest questions in physics—overturning, again and again, how we understand light, matter, time, and existence itself. Florian Freistetter explains all this and more, in brief, easy-to-read profiles of the hundred most history-making stars, inviting readers to gaze into the past and future of the universe alongside a stellar cast of scientists— from Annie Jump Cannon, who revolutionized how we classify the stars, to Dorrit Hoffleit, who first counted them. Enjoy your journey through the cosmos . . .
  • GRB 080319B, the farthest we've seen into space with the naked eye
  • V1364 CYGNI, pivotal in the discovery of dark matter
  • 72 Tauri, definitive evidence for Einstein's theory of relativity
  • Algol, called the Demon Star for its mysterious blinking—and many more!

Publisher's note: 100 Stars That Explain the Universe was previously published in hardcover as The Story of the Universe in 100 Stars.

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Information

Year
2023
eBook ISBN
9781615197378

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction | The Story of the Universe in 100 Stars
  3. 1. Hikoboshi | The Cowherd and the Heavenly Weaver Girl
  4. 2. 2MASS J18082002-5104378 B | Catching Sight of the Big Bang
  5. 3. 34 Tauri | The Planet That Was Once a Star
  6. 4. Alcyone | Georg von Peuerbach and the Start of a Revolution
  7. 5. Freistetter’s Star | Can You Buy a Star’s Name?
  8. 6. HR0001 | Mrs. Hoffleit Counts the Stars
  9. 7. Vega | Underrated Dust
  10. 8. Rasalhague | Confounded Astrologers
  11. 9. TXS 0506+056 | Ice Cube Astronomy
  12. 10. π1 Gruis | A Simmering Giant
  13. 11. B Cassiopeiae | A Dogma Blows Up
  14. 12. Acrux | One Star, Too Many Names
  15. 13. 51 Pegasi | The Answer to a Thousand-Year-Old Question
  16. 14. 61 Cygni | Killer of the Crystal Spheres
  17. 15. BPS CS 22948-0093 | A Cosmic Shortage of Lithium
  18. 16. 62 Orionis | Caroline Herschel Emerges from Her Brother’s Shadow
  19. 17. Antares | Fluff in the Superbubble
  20. 18. Hairy Stars | Portents of Death and Messengers from the Past
  21. 19. HD 142 | Our Bright Astronomers Frequently Generate Killer Mnemonics
  22. 20. Sidera Medicea | Not Stars, But Still Revolutionary
  23. 21. HD 10180 | Lots of Numbers, Lots of Planets
  24. 22. Teide 1 | A Star Gone Wrong
  25. 23. Aldebaran | Rendezvous in the Distant Future
  26. 24. Wise 0855-0714 | All Alone in the Universe
  27. 25. Wolf 359 | The Battle for Earth
  28. 26. SN 1990O | Dark Energy—an Unsolved Puzzle
  29. 27. Algol | The Demon Star
  30. 28. Polaris | One of Many
  31. 29. TYC 278-748-1 | The Asteroids’ Shadow
  32. 30. SS Leporis | To the Roche Limit
  33. 31. L1448-IRS2E | Star Under Construction
  34. 32. Nemesis | The Sun’s Invisible Escort
  35. 33. Navi | An Astronaut’s Prank
  36. 34. 14 Herculis | Heavy Metal Stars
  37. 35. Alpha Capricorni | The Wellspring of Shooting Stars
  38. 36. Anwar Al Farkadain | The End of the Night
  39. 37. Sirius B | The Future of the Sun
  40. 38. Iota Carinae | The Cosmic Eye Needs Glasses
  41. 39. Sun | The Lengthy Search for the Astronomical Unit
  42. 40. NOMAD1 0856-0015072 | Pluto’s Belated Revenge
  43. 41. Z Chamaeleontis | Too Soon for Black Dwarfs
  44. 42. HD 162826 | The Sun’s Long-Lost Sibling?
  45. 43. 40 Cancri | A Rejuvenating Collision
  46. 44. 171 Puppis A | The Birthplace of Gold and Silver
  47. 45. Alpha Antliae | The Sky’s Toolbox
  48. 46. W75N(B)-VLA2 | A Baby Star Loses Mass
  49. 47. HIP 13044 | A Case for Astro-Archaeology
  50. 48. KIC 4150611 | We Need More Syzygies!
  51. 49. Delta Cephei | Henrietta Swan Leavitt’s Wonderful Stars
  52. 50. The Star of Bethlehem | A Messiah’s Status Symbol
  53. 51. Arcturus | The Speed of Rainbows
  54. 52. Gamma Draconis | And Yet It Moves!
  55. 53. Merak | Bears in the Big Dipper
  56. 54. GS0416200054 | Creative Roads to Discovery
  57. 55. PSR B1919+21 | Smashed and on Its Last Legs
  58. 56. Canopus | Blinding Brightness
  59. 57. Eta Carinae | A Leak in the Hull
  60. 58. Alphecca | A Colorless Jewel in the Celestial Crown
  61. 59. Barnard’s Star | A Controversial Fast Bowler
  62. 60. Deneb | Cecilia Payne Fathoms the Stars
  63. 61. Beta Pictoris | Visions of an Alien World
  64. 62. 72 Tauri | The Star That Made Einstein’s Name
  65. 63. V1 | The Most Important Star in the Universe
  66. 64. Kepler-1 | Bright Sun, Dark World
  67. 65. HD 209458 | The Star with an Evaporating Planet
  68. 66. Proxima Centauri | The Star Next Door
  69. 67. NGS | Killed by Laser
  70. 68. M87* | The Invisible Made Visible
  71. 69. KIC 11145123 | The Roundest Star in the Universe
  72. 70. The Morning Star | Light-Bringer in Disguise
  73. 71. OGLE-2003-BLG-235/MOA-2003-BLG-53 | Starry Spectacles
  74. 72. Orion Source I | A Rather Salty Star
  75. 73. Lich | A Dead Star’s Phantom Planets
  76. 74. S0-102 | The Star Gazing into the Abyss
  77. 75. GRB 010119 | Quantum Gravity and Planck Stars
  78. 76. Scholz’s Star | A Near Miss in the Stone Age
  79. 77. ICARUS | The Light of the Most Distant Star
  80. 78. SIRIUS | The Flood-Bringer’s Dawn
  81. 79. V1364 CYGNI | In Search of Dark Matter
  82. 80. KIC 8462852 | The Rise and Fall of an Alien Civilization
  83. 81. Star 23 | The Riddle of the Sky Disk
  84. 82. SN 2008ha | The Sky Belongs to Everyone
  85. 83. Spica | Climate Change and Celestial Mechanics
  86. 84. Felis | Celestial Ex-Cat
  87. 85. WASP-12 | Wet Asphalt in Space
  88. 86. ULAS J1342+0928 | Shining a Light into the Cosmic Dark Age
  89. 87. Sanduleak -69 202 | The Long-Awaited
  90. 88. 3C 58 | Star Full of Quarks
  91. 89. CoRoT-7 | Home of the Super-Earth
  92. 90. CYGNUS X-1 | The Black Hole’s Bright Light
  93. 91. The Green Star | It’s Black and White
  94. 92. Gliese 710 | A Close Encounter in the Distant Future
  95. 93. GRB 080319B | The Biggest Explosions in the Universe
  96. 94. GW150914 | Gravity’s Light
  97. 95. R136a1 | The Monster in the Tarantula Nebula
  98. 96. Trappist-1 | The Perpetual Discovery of the Second Earth
  99. 97. P Cygni | A Question of Distance
  100. 98. Outcast | Through the Milky Way at Hyperspeed
  101. 99. S Monocerotis | The Spiral Galaxy in the Christmas Tree
  102. 100. Zeta Ophiuchi | Cosmic Rays and Climate Change
  103. Afterword | More Stories About the Universe
  104. Acknowledgments
  105. Further Reading
  106. Image Credits
  107. Index
  108. Also by Florian Freistetter
  109. About the Author
  110. Copyright

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