Dimensions
195 x 260 x 17mm
The ultimate adrenaline trip through the cosmos, 'Extreme Universe' explores the most violent and awesome objects in space and time. Using stunning astronomical images, the authors investigate the most bizarre cosmic secrets, from death-trap planets to the recently revealed mysteries of the Big Bang.
The voyage begins with the planets from hell. In recent years, astronomers have made the exciting discovery that our Solar System is not unique. Over sixty planets have now been found orbiting other stars. Could there be life on these worlds? Close inspection reveals not - for these are the most inhospitable planets in the Universe.
The book also explores comets. Astronomers now say that death by comet or asteroid impact is more likely than dying in a plane crash.
Finally, the book takes the reader on the first definitive voyage to the edge of the Universe in a unique cosmic zoom, based on a newly completed 3D mapping of stars and galaxies. It takes us past the most violent astronomical objects including black holes, magnetars (whose magnetism is so powerful they could rearrange the atoms in your body) and the hypernovae - the biggest bangs since the Big Bang itself.
The authors explore the limits of the "observable Universe" and follow the trail of scientists who speculate about what may lie beyond. The ultimate mystery lies in parallel universes, which may "mirror" our own in different dimensions.
