Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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"The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe"--… (more)

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We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe by Jorge Cham (themulhern)
themulhern: Both have a lightish treatment of similar topics. I think "We Have no Idea" has more verve, though.

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A good read, though I would have appreciated an overall picture via an introductory chapter and more tying together of each chapter. (

)

lschiff | Sep 24, 2023 |

This book takes me back to conversations at the university café and sharing our favorite parts of new lectures that week. The best lectures left us with ample space to question, investigate and just keep digging and would lead to hours of conversation, debates and throwing our own theories up in the air for someone to expand upon.

Now, in the case of Astrophysics, the mystery that keeps on giving remains Lambda
Dear, dear Dark Matter you mysterious entity you; will we actually see you in our lifetime? Will we actually lay eyes on you or, in the words of Neil deGrasse Tyson:

"For now, we must remain content to carry dark matter along as a
strange, invisible friend, invoking it where and when the universe
requires it of us."

At least we all, almost 8.5 billion people share the same invisible friend. (

)

RoadtripReader | Aug 24, 2023 |

How much can one learn about the workings of the universe in just over 200 pages? Quite a lot! About a month ago I borrowed Tyson's lecture series "The Inexplicable Universe" from the library and found it both fun and informative. Fast-forward to today: this book had been on my to-read list for more than five years, but little did I know that the two titles overlapped somewhat. As I began to read, a fair amount of the content was immediately familiar, which was quite welcome as it reinforced what I had just recently learned. One need not have a background in physics, much less astrophysics, to enjoy this book, but a rudimentary knowledge of physical sciences, not to mention an insatiable curiosity, will serve you well. It is a treasure trove of eye-opening facts and concepts. (

)

ryner | May 9, 2023 |

As the title says, Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down big questions of the universe into a quick and comprehensible book. Topics include the Big Bang, dark matter and dark energy, and exoplanets. For me this is a bit of a review of the awe-inspiring cosmology course I took in college. Of course, I never fully understood it all back than so learning it again never hurts. Tyson is probably the most well-known living public scientist, and his writing style (and narration on the audiobook) makes for an engaging book on complex topics. (

)

Othemts | Apr 10, 2023 |

Mostly harmless. (

)

publiusdb | Apr 4, 2023 |

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(Interview of Neil deGrasse Tyson by Stephen Colbert about the book, on YouTube).

added by Cynfelyn | editThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert (May 2, 2017)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (36 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Neil deGrasse Tyson	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Tyson, Neil Degrasse	Narrator	main author	some editions	confirmed
Garceau, Pete	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Liu, Ingsu	Art Direction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Mäkelä, J. Pekka	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Valtaoja, Esko	Foreword	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has the adaptation

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Audie Award (Finalist – Narration by the Author or Authors – 2018)

Goodreads Choice Awards (Winner – Science & Technology – 2017)

Notable Lists

30 Nonfiction Books That Are Sure to Make You Smarter

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (2017)

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Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2017-05-02

People/Characters

Important places

Universe

Important events

Big Bang

Related movies

Epigraph

The universe is under no obligation
to make sense to you.

—N D T

Dedication

For all those who are too busy to read fat books

Yet nonetheless seek a conduit to the cosmos

First words

In the beginning, nearly fourteen billion years ago, all the space and all the matter and all the energy of the known universe was contained in a volume less than one-trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence.

Quotations

The world has persisted many long year, having once been set in appropriate motion. From these everything else follows. Lucretiius, C 50 BX

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Stewart, Jon

Original language

English US

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

"The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe"--

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