The Cosmic Web : Mysterious Architecture of the Universe / J. Richard Gott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gott, J. Richard, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gott, J. Richard.

Astronomers--Biography.

Astronomers.

Astronomy--History.

Astronomy.

Cosmology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

J. Richard Gott was among the first cosmologists to propose that the structure of our universe is like a sponge made up of clusters of galaxies intricately connected by filaments of galaxies-a magnificent structure now called the "cosmic web" and mapped extensively by teams of astronomers. Here is his gripping insider's account of how a generation of undaunted theorists and observers solved the mystery of the architecture of our cosmos.The Cosmic Web begins with modern pioneers of extragalactic astronomy, such as Edwin Hubble and Fritz Zwicky. It goes on to describe how, during the Cold War, the American school of cosmology favored a model of the universe where galaxies resided in isolated clusters, whereas the Soviet school favored a honeycomb pattern of galaxies punctuated by giant, isolated voids. Gott tells the stories of how his own path to a solution began with a high-school science project when he was eighteen, and how he and astronomer Mario Jurič measured the Sloan Great Wall of Galaxies, a filament of galaxies that, at 1.37 billion light-years in length, is one of the largest structures in the universe.Drawing on Gott's own experiences working at the frontiers of science with many of today's leading cosmologists, The Cosmic Web shows how ambitious telescope surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are transforming our understanding of the cosmos, and how the cosmic web holds vital clues to the origins of the universe and the next trillion years that lie ahead.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1. Hubble Discovers the Universe

Chapter 2. Zwicky, Clusters of Galaxies, and the Discovery of Dark Matter

Chapter 3. How Clusters Form and Grow-Meatballs in Space

Chapter 4. The Great Void in Boötes-A Swiss Cheese Universe

Chapter 5. Inflation

Chapter 6. A Cosmic Sponge

Chapter 7. A Slice of the Universe-the Great Wall of Geller and Huchra

Chapter 8. Park's Simulation of the Universe

Chapter 9. Measuring the Cosmic Web-the Sloan Great Wall

Chapter 10. Spots in the Cosmic Microwave Background

Chapter 11. Dark Energy and the Fate of the Universe

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

ISBN:

9781400873289

1400873282

OCLC:

931879539