After a wonderful career, I have returned to my passion; space. At Universe Today, I advocate that everyone looks as far into the future as they dare and then envisions how our current actions can bring about this potential utopia. Our future is what we make of today.
What happens when you see something that just doesn't make sense? Perhaps you rub your eyes and consider it an anomaly. But what if you see it in an experiment? Say, travelling electrons that make different patterns depending upon whether they were detected? Then, you might want to change your sense of reality. Now, if you can develop a theory for the observations, then maybe you can start a new field of science. It has happened. Quantum mechanics is the name given to this relatively new field and it's the topic that Sean Carroll writes in his book, "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe – Quanta and Fields". In his book, there's much ado about particles, fields, groups and diagrams; all with the aim of enabling any reader to make sense of it.
Has your dinner time conversations been dragging a bit of late? Feel like raising its knowledge level to a bit higher than the usual synopsis of the most recent reality TV show? Then take the challenge presented by Sean Carroll in his book "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe – Space, Time and Motion". Using this, your conversation might soon be sparkling with grand thoughts about modern physics, time travel, going faster than light and the curvature of the universe.
When you think of a spaceport, what do you imagine?
Check out André van der Hoeven's book "Treasures of the Universe - Amateur and Professional Visions of the Cosmos". Within it are striking images that display the natural wealth and beauty that constantly surrounds us and that no treasure chest could ever lock up.
Wondering if the science in that sci-fi movie you just saw is real? Get a hold of the book "Hollyweird Science - From Quantum Quirks to the Multiverse" by Kevin Grazier and Stephen Cass. With it, you can sift through a lot of "tropes and conceits" and glean some wonderful insights of both modern science and modern cinema.
Robin Biesbroek's book "Lunar and Interplanetary Trajectories" will show you some of the tricks of the trade in optimizing missions, whether choosing the best launch system or balancing an orbit about a Lagrange point.
Universe Today