Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology All books

Joseph Silk
Une brève histoire de l'univers
Joseph Silk is the author of an authoritative book on the Big Bang. In the present work, he covers the history of the universe from that first great explosion and shows how the most recent discoveries in astrophysics i.e. of the cosmic fluctuations from which the great structures of the universe emerged provide the missing link between the Big Bang, which occurred 15 billion years ago, and the present state of the universe. When did time begin? This is the question, already asked by Stephen Hawking, that A Short History of the Universe sets out to answer. It is the subject of current debate among theologians: Did time begin with the Big Bang, in which case God could not have created the universe, or has time existed for all eternity, which would mean that the Big Bang was just one event among others, that God could have existed before it occurred and that He could thus have created the universe? This highly accessible book will be of interest to a wide readership, since the issues examined here concern all of us. Joseph Silk, an astrophysicist and cosmologist, teaches at Oxford University.

Joseph Silk
The Future of Cosmology Dark Matter and Dark Energy
A sweeping tour of the major questions of contemporary cosmology

Dava Sobel
Galileos Daughter
This is a most unusual biography about Galileos daughter. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was regarded by Albert Einstein not only as the father of modern physics but as the father of all modern science. His eldest child, Virginia, mirrored Galileos own brilliance, industry and sensibility, and by virtue of these qualities became his confidante. Their correspondence, reproduced throughout the book, reveals their intense relationship, based on tender attachment and intellectual stimulation. The little-known life of Maria Celeste gives a human dimension to one of the major seventeenth-century scientists. His struggle with the Church is a lasting symbol of the conflict between science and religion. Galileos Daughter offers a powerful account of papal Rome and of Florentine intellectual life during the time of the Medicis. Dava Sobel is a writer who lives in New York

Sylvie Vauclair, Claude-Samuel Lévine
The Music of the Spheres
A fascinating work on a the latest findings in the study of the stars

Sylvie Vauclair
Dialogues With the Universe
A great scientist recounts astrophysics, clearly and accessibly

Sylvie Vauclair
Origins of the World, Origins of Life
The last two centuries have revolutionized our perception of the world, a perception that has had to adapt to the notion of perpetual change. A very accessible reflection on the evolution of the Universe and of life.

Sylvie Vauclair
The New Symphony of the Stars
A very accessible book written by an astrophysicist who deals with the questions and concerns of modern humans.