The Scale of the Universe - Paperback

by Jeffrey Bennett (Author)

Have you ever wondered how big the universe really is, or how we fit into it? These questions have been asked throughout history by people of virtually every race, religion, culture, and nationality. Indeed, they seem integral to the human experience, which probably explains why children everywhere love to learn about our planet and space. This book is designed to help you understand the evidence-based answers that modern science now gives us to these ancient questions, along with the implications that these answers may hold for us as a species. The book opens with a remarkable image from the James Webb Space Telescope that encapsulates thousands of galaxies spread over more than 13 billion years of time. Two chapters then focus on the structure and scale of space as we work our way outward from Earth to the solar system, galaxy, and the universe as a whole. The book then follows with a chapter that covers our cosmic origins from the Big Bang to the present, along with ways of making sense of the scale of time. A final chapter summarize the key lessons learned. The book uses a Q&A format with two levels of questions: a first level that covers the key ideas of scale, and a second level that provides a deeper level of insight. It also incorporates an extensive set of endnotes, designated as " Teacher Notes" because they are designed to help K-12 teachers (and other readers looking for greater depth) understand background information that will be helpful when discussing the topics in this book with students. No matter whether you are a teacher, student, parent, or general reader, The Scale of the Universe will leave you constantly amazed as you learn the true meaning of the word " astronomical." You'll also come away with a new " cosmic perspective" that will permanently change how you view our planet, our species, and yourself. Rarely has such a short book offered such life-changing new perspectives.

Author Biography

Jeffrey Bennett has been teaching and writing about the scale of the universe for more than 40 years, and was the original creator of a project to build scale model solar systems that are now permanently installed in more than two dozen cities, including on the National Mall in Washington, DC. He holds a B.A. in Biophysics (University of California, San Diego) and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Astrophysics (University of Colorado). He is the lead author of college textbooks in astronomy, astrobiology, mathematics, and statistics that together have sold more than 3 million copies, and of critically acclaimed books for the general public including Beyond UFOs (Princeton University Press, 2008/2011), Math for Life (Big Kid Science 2014), What is Relativity? (Columbia University Press, 2014), and On Teaching Science (Big Kid Science 2014). His seven books for children have all been selected for launch to the International Space Station for the " Story Time From Space" program (storytimefromspace.com). Dr. Bennett has received numerous awards for his teaching and writing, including the prestigious American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award and the 2023 Klopsteg Memorial award for education from the American Association of Physics Teachers. His personal web site is www.jeffreybennett.com.