Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: Preface

            The universe. An ever-expanding space filled with a hundred billion galaxies, most of which are significantly larger than our own. A place filled with everything there is and everything there ever was. A place that holds so many questions, it can make even the smartest people on earth feel ignorant. For example, how did the vast amount of energy and matter in the universe originate from a point only a trillionth the size of this period . ?  Or, what is dark matter, the invisible stuff that makes up 85% of the mass in the universe? And is there anything out there, in the deep reaches of space, that may resemble life on earth?

            Questions like these naturally intrigue us all, and works of science fiction provide us with awesome explanation to these questions. Sadly, many of these works do not accurately depict our universe, although I also wish I could travel through hyperspace one day. The real science behind space can be just as intriguing though (and I’m not only saying that because its my job). For example phenomena such as time dilation, which due to the relativeness of time, would allow us to slow time down. Or the collisions of galaxies, that give us a look at some of the coolest crashes and biggest explosions of all time.

With its unmeasurable size and infinite number of unanswered questions, the universe can often make us feel insignificant in the scheme of things. To really let it sink in, we can take a look at the cosmic calendar. If we put the history of the universe into scale on a calendar, with the big bang on 12:00 AM January 1^st, and the present at 11:59 PM, December 31^st, humans have only been around for 8 minutes. While we may feel that all of history started with humans, that is simply not the case. We are new arrivals to the universe, and if we could accomplish all of this in 8 minutes, imagine what has been accomplished elsewhere in hours, days, weeks or even months. Regardless of how intimidating it may be, the universe is our home, and through the work of astrophysics and other branches of scientist, we seek to better understand it every day.

            In this short novel, I hope to do my best to answer some of these questions for you. In no way will I be able to describe everything about the universe. It would take thousands upon thousands of these novels to even really get started. And in no way are you going to completely understand all the information contained in this book. That is alright though. Even the brightest minds on the planet struggle to wrap their minds around some of this information. My only wish is that you pick up some knowledge that you can carry with you. Some knowledge that will make you want to talk about the universe, and enlighten others. Creating dialogue about space is one of the best ways to answer its question. And even if this knowledge doesn’t inspire you to become the next great astrophysicist, I hope that it can make the universe feel a little less mysterious. So, when you look up into the night sky, at all the different worlds littering the black canvas of space, you can feel a little more at home.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry: MicroBlog 1

     When I first picked up this book, I thought that it would be easy to understand, since it said it was one of the more easy to understand books on Astrophysics out there. After the first chapter though, I was beyond confused, and although it was interesting information, it was clear that I was going to need to employ some special reading strategies to truly comprehend what I was reading. Some of the strategies I am currently using are:

Note Taking:
     While reading I decided to jot down some stuff about what I was reading. I usually do this after every page. I start by writing down what the page covered and then try to summarize some of the information, and if I can't summarize it, I will re-read the page and try to get a basic understanding. Although this helps me on some pages, I realize that I will not completely get everything the book is talking about, and that leads me to my next strategy.

Independent Research:
    Some of the things in the book are very intriguing, but the book only skims over some of these topics. In these cases I jot down the concept. So far I have compiled a pretty long list. On my free time I then go through this list and attempt to get a solid understanding about some of the topics. This research also leads me to learning about other things that I hadn't thought about reading about. By doing research apart from he book, I better understand some of the things the author talks about, and it makes reading more enjoyable. It also increases my knowledge about astrophysics, which was the main reason for reading the book in the first place.

Dictionary:
     Many of the terms in the book I also don't understand. In fiction stories, I am usually able to use context clues to get a decent understanding of what the author is trying to say. In non-fiction though, terms often require a dictionary to understand them. By having my computer next to me whenever I read, I am able to look up words and concepts I don't already know about. Although it may sound simple, by having the dictionary right next to me it encourages me to look stuff up and understand it, not just skim over it.

     While reading non-fiction, I have noticed that it requires some different strategies than I am used to. I am discovering what works best for me, and by experimenting with these strategies, I am bettering my understanding of the book. I have been able to follow along as Tyson talks about topics such as Cosmic Microwave Radiation, Einsteins Theory of Relativity and Gravitational lensing. These topics are brand new to me, but my strategies help me to understand them.