Our Universe was born billions of years ago in a violent explosion of elementary particles and radiation : the big bang. Joseph Silk now offers this sweeping, readable account of that singular event - the generally accepted scientific theory of creation - and of the evolution of the universe that followed. Silk's story begins with the first moments of the big bang and continues though the formation of the galaxies on to the distant future of our universe. He describes the new cosmology, the story of the first microsecond of the universe that unifies the latest ideas in particle physics and astrophysics. He also recounts the history of cosmological speculation about the universe and examines the evidence for the big bang model. This timely new edition brings you up to date with the phenomena that astronomers are grappling with today, from gravitational lenses to the question of dark matter in the universe to superstrings and cosmic symmetry. Whether you're looking for an accessible history of the universe, answers to questions about matter and antimatter, quasars, black holes, and others oddities, or simply a fascinating story spanning time and space, you will find The Big Bang hard to put down.

Joseph Silk, coauthor of The Left Hand of Creation, teaches astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has received several awards for his contributions to astronomy and has been a featured speaker at numerous international conferences.