A Quick History of the Universe From the Big Bang to Just Now

Strap in for a rip-roaring ride through the history of the universe, starting with the Big Bang, and bringing us right up to present day.

What was the universe like when it was a few seconds old? How had it changed by its millionth birthday? And when did time even start, for that matter?!

The story of the last 13.8 billion years in one handy volume, you can read about the start of stars, the growth of galaxies and the production of planets. Plus, there are some great dad jokes. Hold on tight...
 
Read the story of how the universe developed, and discover:

• In the beginning there was... what exactly? What was the beginning of the universe actually like?
• Some suns have just got that star quality... but which stars are really hot stuff?
• Who’s who in the galactic zoo?There are several different types of galaxy in the universe. How do they form?
• The tragic death of the star – how do stars die, and why?
• What’s blacker than black… a black hole!
• Peek into the future – what will the universe be like in the next few billion years?
• How do we even know this stuff? Read about the scientists who are figuring it all out.

 
Packed with fun cartoons and facts, A Quick History of the Universe tackles the biggest topic in the universe – literally – in chronological order. Before you know it, you’ll be an expert on the history of space, the universe and everything. 

Introduction
In the beginning - How it all got started
Blink of an eye - What was the Universe like at the very start?
The first seconds - Things change very quickly
What's the matter? - The start of stuff
GET ATOM! - How atoms began to form
Getting bigger - The Universe continues to expand
Time for time - The beginning of time itself
Feel the force - Gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces
A matter of gravity - Gravity’s role in making the Universe
Photon booth - Understanding photons
In a fog - How free electrons blocked the movement of light
Recombination - Protons and electrons join together
Cosmic microwave background - How a background buzz helped prove the Big Bang
Dark matter - What is it?
In the dark - The Cosmic Dark Age, where nothing happened
You star! - How protostars became stars
Cosmic dawn - How early stars flooded the Universe with light
Here's carbon! - More and more elements form
Turning cloudy - Understanding nebulae
Galaxies get it together - The first galaxies form
How many stars? - Counting the stars in the Universe
Star quality - How different types of stars are categorised
The galactic zoo - Different shapes of galaxy
Galaxies gang up - How galaxies form superclusters
Looking back - How looking at objects in space is looking through time
The tragic death of the star - What happens to stars when - they run out of fuel contents
Live fast, die young - The different lifespans of stars
What's blacker than black? - All about black holes
Packing it all in - All about neutron stars
Full speed ahead - The Universe’s expansion
Hello, solar system! - How our solar system formed
Planet plans - How the planets came together
The great eight - All about the planets in our solar system
Mooning around - All about moons
More on moons - Other moons in our solar system
Asteroids - What is an asteroid?
Meteor-what? - The difference between meteors, meteoroids and meteorites
Hairy stars - All about comets
Early Earth - What our planet was like in the beginning
Breaking up is hard to do - How the continents formed
Life's a gas! - An atmosphere supports life on our planet
Get more life - More and more creatures evolve
Hey people, you're late! - Human beings evolve
Planets everywhere - Exoplanets in other solar systems
Are we alone? - Could aliens exist?
The end of the world - How planet Earth will eventually end
How will the universe end? - Competing theories for the destruction of the Universe
Ripped or crunched? - Other ideas for how it might all end
How we know what we know - The science and technology that we use to understand the Universe
Sizing it up - Light years and the phenomenal size of the Universe
Space exploration timeline
Space places - Cool space-y places to visit right here on Earth
To infinity...and beyond! - Further reading and resources
Cosmic quiz
GLOSSARY
Cosmic quiz answers
INDEX