Feb 08, 2015 12:13 AM
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(Updated Feb 08, 2015 11:03 PM)
Space, the final frontier is a line which is well popularized by the scientific world.The concept of space has captured my fascination and I consider myself an avid space lover or amateur astronomer who right from childhood have been fascinated by the way the Universe functions.Right from childhood, I have been reading a book from the Childcraft book series, named The Universe, which introduced me to the world of astronomy.I clearly remember reading about the Solar system, the Sun, nine planets and their satellites, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and black holes.This fascination of space has tempted me to scan through various sources of information to gain more and more knowledge about the Universe.It has finally led me to ready a book based on world famous physicist and cosmologist, Mr Stephen Hawking.
Stephen Hawking, a genius in himself has won several accolades on his study of the cosmos for the past several decades.He is a director of research at the Center for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. His unfortunate tryst with a motor neuron disease named ALS has left him paralysed and he uses a special device to communicate.
One of his bestsellers, A Brief History of Time gives a fascinating description of our Universe, as well as major laws of physics and science in general, which ultimately describe as to how our Universe functions, its birth and its ultimate fate.
This book is divided into eleven basic chapters, each describing the various phases of our Universe as well as the various forces functioning within it.In the first chapter, Hawking describes our perception of the Universe from Earth on the basis of scientific imagery through the Hubble Space telescope and scientific or cosmological research. He also explains as to how various theories came about regarding the birth or creation of the Universe through various scientific discoveries.Hawking has quoted references from his friends in the scientific society as to how their research and inputs have helped him develop or conceptualise these theories.
The book is an interesting read through as Hawking takes you through a journey from the Big Bang to Space and Time to Time Travel to Wormholes to Black holes as well as the principles of physics, which govern the Universe and Quantum theories.
One of the important concepts which was fascinating was the concept of Time Travel.Although we dismiss this or know/have heard of it simply as science fiction, he explains that this could be a possible reality, as Time along with Space is considered the fourth dimension in which we live in.Time is a common constraint for people on Earth or in any other part of this Universe, although it may vary in measure from place to place. But, time according to Hawking could be altered if humans have advanced to a stage where we could control it along with the other forces of nature.So, this means that people would not just remember the past, but also the future.He explains that UFO sightings worldwide could possibly be Aliens or Humans from the future living in a different timespan.
Another interesting concept, related to Time travel is that of Wormholes.According to astronomers and as per our understanding, the distances in space are quite vast and are impossible to cover in an average lifetime.For eg, the distance from the Sun to the nearest star, Alpha Centauri is 4 light years or nearly 40 trillion kilometres.Even if one had to travel at the speed of light, it would take a journey of atleast 4 years to reach.However, the distances between galaxies or the furthest parts of the Universe are in several millions or billions of light years.The only solution in this case according to Mr Hawking is having a shortcut, also known as a Wormhole, which joins distant regions in space, just as you could fold a sheet of paper connecting both the ends.This too, which we have considered as Sci-fi could be a possible reality.
The information provided in this book may seem quite high level or hi-fi for readers having a first hand encounter with the detailed topics regarding our Universe.But overall, it is a delight for self confessed space lovers and provides a useful input of information about theories or concepts which were previously unknown about the vast and magnificent Universe we live in.
