Physical Cosmology

[ShapeShifter]

A question for the Astronomy Experts here:

Is there a good, relatively recent book on Physical Cosmology written for non-specialists who do not have an advanced degree in the field, i.e. for the monkey-brained masses? Watching shows like The Universe and How the Universe Works have whetted my appetite for more, but, given the daunting nature of the subject, I hesistate in my purchasing choices until I hear something from those in the know.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Voyage Across The Cosmos by Giles Sparrow might be a good starting point.

 

[ShapeShifter]

Voyage Across The Cosmos by Giles Sparrow might be a good starting point.

Perhaps I should have been more specific. I am a college-educated adult, however with no academic background in the field of Astronomy nor in Cosmology, though I did take a single Astronomy course about 25 years ago when the cosmos was younger. That book is for children 7+, so it will be too simplistic.

Does anyone else have other suggestions?

 

[jcrocker]

Is there a public library nearby?

The Cosmos tv series has some good information. I think it's aimed at a younger audience, but oh well.

"A Briefer History of Time" by Stephen Hawking is pretty good, it assumes a reader with a general background so it's pretty well explained. It's the follow-up to his first "Brief History of Time" with a bit of re-working to make it all more accessible. All I had was 'intro to astronomy' in college, and a bunch of Scientific American articles since then, so you should do fine.

If it's in the library, see what's near it on the shelves. Or, go to amazom.com to look it up and check out the "frequently bought together" and "customer who bought this item also bought" recommendations, you might have to look up those for reviews but depending on how big the library is, it might have them. If not, there's always inter-library loans.

 

[Scratches]

A Scientific American subscription lets you access their archives and it's full of the latest accessibly written physical cosmology and much else too. Personally I think it's better than a single book.