29 Best Astronomy, Science Books
Astronomy, Science is a popular category for many book lovers. Our team at Speechify has curated a list of the top Astronomy, Science audiobooks everyone must read.
See the top 29 Astronomy, Science audiobooks below.
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The Story of the Universe in 100 Stars
- By: Florian Freistetter
- Length: 7 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: The Experiment
- Publish date: August 31, 2021
- Language: English
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4.21(35 ratings)
4.21(35 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.95 USDThese 100 amazing stars shine a light on astronomy’s greatest hits and their enduring impact on our culture. With roughly 100 billion stars in the Milky Way alone, the cosmos is simply too vast for an unabridged tell-all. But here’s theThese 100 amazing stars shine a light on astronomy’s greatest hits and their enduring impact on our culture.
With roughly 100 billion stars in the Milky Way alone, the cosmos is simply too vast for an unabridged tell-all. But here’s the next best thing: 100 stars–bright and faint, near and far, famous and obscure, long dead and as-yet unborn, red, yellow, blue, and white (but, as you’ll learn, never green)–handpicked by astronomer Florian Freistetter because they have the very best stories to tell:- GRB 080319B, the farthest we’ve seen into space with the naked eye
- Gamma Draconis, the star that proved Earth rotates on its axis
- V1364 CYGNI, pivotal in the discovery of dark matter
- 72 Tauri, definitive evidence for Einstein’s theory of relativity
- V1, which revealed horizons beyond the Milky Way
- Algol, called the Demon Star for its mysterious blinking–and many more!
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Freistetter’s short, easy-to-read profiles not only invite you to gaze into the past and future of the universe, they introduce a stellar cast of scientists who came before: from Annie Jump Cannon, who revolutionized how we classify the stars, to Dorrit Hoffleit, who first counted them. Enjoy your journey through the cosmos. . . . -
StarTalk
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrator: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 9 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.18(1840 ratings)
4.18(1840 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDFor decades, beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has interpreted science with a combination of brainpower and charm that resonates with fans everywhere. This pioneering, provocative audiobook brings together the best of StarTalk, his belovedFor decades, beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has interpreted science with a combination of brainpower and charm that resonates with fans everywhere.
This pioneering, provocative audiobook brings together the best of StarTalk, his beloved podcast and television show devoted to solving the most confounding mysteries of Earth, space, and what it means to be human. Filled with brilliant sidebars and unforgettable quotes from Tyson and his brilliant cohort of science and entertainment luminaries, StarTalk will help answer all of your most pressing questions about our world–from how the brain works to the physics of comic book superheroes.
Fun, smart, and laugh-out-loud funny, this audiobook is the perfect guide to everything you ever wanted to know about the universe–and beyond.
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Origins
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrator: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 8 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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4.14(6527 ratings)
4.14(6527 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDA thrilling and accessible tour of the cosmos Our true origins are not just human, or even terrestrial, but in fact cosmic. Drawing on scientific breakthroughs and the current cross-pollination among geology, biology, astrophysics, and cosmology,A thrilling and accessible tour of the cosmos
Our true origins are not just human, or even terrestrial, but in fact cosmic. Drawing on scientific breakthroughs and the current cross-pollination among geology, biology, astrophysics, and cosmology, Origins explains the soul-stirring leaps in our understanding of the cosmos. From the first image of a galaxy birth to Spirit rover’s exploration of Mars, to the discovery of water on one of Jupiter’s moons, coauthors Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith conduct a galvanizing tour of the cosmos with clarity and exuberance.
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The Disordered Cosmos
- By: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
- Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
- Length: 10 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: March 09, 2021
- Language: English
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4.13(2439 ratings)
4.13(2439 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.99 USDFrom a star theoretical physicist, a journey into the world of particle physics and the cosmos–and a call for a more liberatory practice of science.A Finalist for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing AwardA Finalist for the 2021... Read moreFrom a star theoretical physicist, a journey into the world of particle physics and the cosmos–and a call for a more liberatory practice of science.
A Finalist for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
A Finalist for the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science & Technology
A Smithsonian Magazine Best Science Book of 2021
A Symmetry Magazine Top 10 Physics Book of 2021
An Entropy Magazine Best Nonfiction Book of 2020-2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2021
A Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Book of the Year
In The Disordered Cosmos, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter–along with a perspective informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek.
One of the leading physicists of her generation, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is also one of fewer than one hundred Black American women to earn a PhD from a department of physics. Her vision of the cosmos is vibrant, buoyantly nontraditional, and grounded in Black and queer feminist lineages.
Dr. Prescod-Weinstein urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is rife with racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society, beginning with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. The Disordered Cosmos dreams into existence a world that allows everyone to experience and understand the wonders of the universe. -
Gravitational Waves
- By: Brian Clegg
- Narrator: James Gillies
- Length: 4 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: September 07, 2021
- Language: English
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4.13(178 ratings)
4.13(178 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDOn September 14, 2015, after fifty years of searching, gravitational waves were detected for the first time, and astronomy changed forever. Up until then, investigation of the universe had depended on electromagnetic radiation: visible light, radio,On September 14, 2015, after fifty years of searching, gravitational waves were detected for the first time, and astronomy changed forever. Up until then, investigation of the universe had depended on electromagnetic radiation: visible light, radio, X-rays, and the rest. But gravitational waves–ripples in the fabric of space and time–are unrelenting, passing through barriers that stop light dead. At the two 2.5 mile long LIGO observatories in the US, scientists developed incredibly sensitive detectors, capable of spotting a movement 100 times smaller than the nucleus of an atom. In 2015, they spotted the ripples produced by two black holes spiraling into each other, setting spacetime quivering. This was the first time black holes had ever been directly detected–and it promises far more for the future of astronomy.
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Dispatches from Planet 3
- By: Marcia Bartusiak
- Narrator: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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4.13(101 ratings)
4.13(101 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDThe galaxy, the multiverse, and the history of astronomy are explored in this engaging compilation of cosmological “tales” by multiple award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak. In thirty-two concise and engrossing essays, the authorThe galaxy, the multiverse, and the history of astronomy are explored in this engaging compilation of cosmological “tales” by multiple award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak. In thirty-two concise and engrossing essays, the author provides a deeper understanding of the nature of the universe and those who strive to uncover its mysteries.
Bartusiak shares the back stories for many momentous astronomical discoveries, including the contributions of such pioneers as Beatrice Tinsley and her groundbreaking research in galactic evolution, and Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the scientist who first discovered radio pulsars. An endlessly fascinating collection that you can dip into in any order, these pieces will transport you to ancient Mars, when water flowed freely across its surface; to the collision of two black holes, a cosmological event that released fifty times more energy than was radiating from every star in the universe; and to the beginning of time itself.
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The Black Hole War
- By: Leonard Susskind
- Narrator: Ray Porter
- Length: 12 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.12(9849 ratings)
4.12(9849 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDThis is the inside account of the battle over the true nature of black holes–with nothing less than our understanding of the entire universe at stake. What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decadesThis is the inside account of the battle over the true nature of black holes–with nothing less than our understanding of the entire universe at stake.
What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed that it did–and in doing so, put at risk everything we know about the fundamental laws of the universe. Leonard Susskind and Gerard ‘t Hooft realized the threat and responded with a counterattack that changed the course of physics.
The Black Hole War is the thrilling story of their united effort to reconcile Hawking’s theories of black holes with their own sense of reality, an effort that would eventually result in Hawking admitting he was wrong and Susskind and ‘t Hooft realizing that our world is a hologram projected from the outer boundaries of space. A brilliant book about the deepest mysteries of modern physics, The Black Hole War is mind-bending and exhilarating reading.
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The First Three Minutes
- By: Steven Weinberg
- Narrator: Raymond Todd
- Length: 5 hours 37 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: November 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.1(11400 ratings)
4.1(11400 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0018.99 USDA Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains what happened at the very beginning of the universe, and how we know, in this popular science classic. Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from theA Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains what happened at the very beginning of the universe, and how we know, in this popular science classic.
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Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from the elements that forged stars, planets, and lifeforms, to the fundamental forces of physics, can be traced back to what happened in just the first three minutes of its existence.
In this book, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg describes in wonderful detail what happened in these first three minutes. It is an exhilarating journey that begins with the Planck Epoch – the earliest period of time in the history of the universe – and goes through Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the Hubble Red Shift, and the detection of the Cosmic Microwave Background. These incredible discoveries all form the foundation for what we now understand as the “standard model” of the origin of the universe. The First Three Minutes examines not only what this model looks like, but also tells the exciting story of the bold thinkers who put it together.
Clearly and accessibly written, The First Three Minutes is a modern-day classic, an unsurpassed explanation of where it is that everything really comes from. -
Space Is Cool as F*ck
- By: Kate Howells
- Length: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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4.1(25 ratings)
4.1(25 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0013.99 USDPacked with wild art and mind-blowing space facts, this book proves how awesome the universe is–and that space is for everyone.From astrophysics to rocket science to the future of space exploration, Space Is Cool as F*ck explains everythingPacked with wild art and mind-blowing space facts, this book proves how awesome the universe is–and that space is for everyone.
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From astrophysics to rocket science to the future of space exploration, Space Is Cool as F*ck explains everything you thought you’d never understand about the universe in plain-old filthy English. We’re talking Big Bang, aliens, black holes, time travel, degenerate astronomers, and all the fundamental things you take for granted until you stop and think (like matter–what is this sh*t, really?).
Alongside the knowledge bombs are 100 wild illustrations, photographs, and original artwork from 40 young international artists curated by Brooklyn designer Cynthia Larenas. Space Is Cool as F*ck also offers an in-depth and illuminating interview with everyone’s favorite TV scientist and head of the Planetary Society, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Space is awesome, space is absolutely bananas, and space is for everyone.
With an updated, extended interview between the author and Bill Nye.
This edition includes a bonus PDF with select artwork. -
Destination Mars
- By: Andrew May
- Narrator: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: July 20, 2021
- Language: English
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4.04(118 ratings)
4.04(118 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDWhen the Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon in 1969, many people imagined Mars would be next. However, NASA’s Viking 1, which landed in 1976, was just a robot, and the much-anticipated crewed mission failed to materialize, defeated by aWhen the Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon in 1969, many people imagined Mars would be next. However, NASA’s Viking 1, which landed in 1976, was just a robot, and the much-anticipated crewed mission failed to materialize, defeated by a combination of technological and political challenges. Four decades after Viking and almost half a century after Apollo, technology has improved beyond recognition–as has politics. As private ventures like SpaceX seize center stage from NASA, Mars has undergone a seismic shift–it’s become the prime destination for future human expansion and colonization. But what’s it really like on Mars, and why should anyone want to go there? How do you get there, and what are the risks? Astrophysicist and science writer Andrew May answers these questions and more, as he traces the history of our fascination with the Red Planet.
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An End to Upside Down Thinking
- By: Mark Gober
- Narrator: Mark Gober
- Length: 11 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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4.03(29 ratings)
4.03(29 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDConsciousness creates all material reality. Biological processes do not create consciousness. This conceptual breakthrough turns traditional scientific thinking upside down. In An End to Upside Down Thinking, Mark Gober traces his journey–heConsciousness creates all material reality. Biological processes do not create consciousness. This conceptual breakthrough turns traditional scientific thinking upside down. In An End to Upside Down Thinking, Mark Gober traces his journey–he explores compelling scientific evidence from a diverse set of disciplines, ranging from psychic phenomena, to near-death experiences, to quantum physics and beyond. With cutting-edge thinkers like two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Ervin Laszlo, chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences Dr. Dean Radin, and New York Times bestselling author Larry Dossey, MD, supporting this thesis, this book will rock the scientific community and mainstream generalists interested in understanding the true nature of reality. Today’s disarray around the globe can be linked, at its core, to a fundamental misunderstanding of our reality. This book aims to shift our collective outlook, reshaping our view of human potential and how we treat one another. The book’s implications encourage much-needed revisions in science, technology, and medicine. General readers will find comfort in the implied worldview, which will impact their happiness and everyday decisions related to business, health, and politics. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time meets Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now.
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Neutrino Hunters
- By: Ray Jayawardhana
- Narrator: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 6 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
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4.02(482 ratings)
4.02(482 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDDetective thriller meets astrophysics in this adventure into neutrinos and the scientists who pursue them. For more than eighty years, brilliant and eccentric scientists around the world have been searching for the incredibly small bits of matter weDetective thriller meets astrophysics in this adventure into neutrinos and the scientists who pursue them.
For more than eighty years, brilliant and eccentric scientists around the world have been searching for the incredibly small bits of matter we call neutrinos. Trillions of these ghostly particles pass through our bodies every second, but they are so pathologically shy that neutrino hunters have to use Olympic-size pools deep underground and a gigantic cube of Antarctic ice to catch just a handful. Neutrinos may hold the secrets to the nature of antimatter and what the universe was like just seconds after the big bang, but they are extremely elusive and difficult to pin down–much like the adventurous scientists who doggedly pursue them.
In Neutrino Hunters, renowned astrophysicist and award-winning author Ray Jayawardhana takes us on a thrilling journey into the shadowy world of neutrinos and the colorful lives of those who chase them. Demystifying particle science along the way, Jayawardhana tells a detective story with cosmic implications–interweaving the tales of the irascible Casanova Wolfgang Pauli; the troubled genius Ettore Majorana, who disappeared without a trace; and Bruno Pontecorvo, whose defection to the Soviet Union caused a Cold War ruckus. Ultimately, Jayawardhana reveals just how significant these fast-moving particles are to the world we live in and why the next decade of neutrino hunting will redefine how we think about physics, cosmology, and our lives on Earth.
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If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens … Where Is Everybody? Second Edition
- By: Stephen Webb
- Narrator: Dan Woren
- Length: 16 hours 41 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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4(3 ratings)
4(3 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.95 USDGiven the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the fourteen-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilizationGiven the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the fourteen-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials?
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Exoplanets (Goldsmith)
- By: Donald Goldsmith
- Length: 7 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: September 10, 2018
- Language: English
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4(67 ratings)
4(67 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDAstronomers have recently discovered thousands of planets that orbit stars throughout the Milky Way. Much of what has captured the imagination of planetary scientists and the public is the unexpected strangeness of these distant worlds. The sizes,Astronomers have recently discovered thousands of planets that orbit stars throughout the Milky Way. Much of what has captured the imagination of planetary scientists and the public is the unexpected strangeness of these distant worlds. The sizes, masses, and orbits of exoplanets detected so far raise new questions about how planets form and evolve. Still more tantalizing are the efforts to determine which exoplanets might support life. Astronomers are steadily improving their means of examining these planets, using advanced spacecraft sent into orbits a million miles from Earth. These instruments will provide better observations of these planetary systems, which are nestled close enough to their dim red stars to maintain Earthlike temperatures. The quest to find other worlds brims with possibility, and Donald Goldsmith presents the science of exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life in a way that even Earthlings with little to no background in astronomy or astrophysics can understand and enjoy.
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Chasing the Sun
- By: Linda Geddes
- Narrator: Linda Geddes
- Length: 6 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: December 17, 2019
- Language: English
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3.99(629 ratings)
3.99(629 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDOur biology is set up to work in partnership with the sun. Little wonder then that humans have long worshipped and revered our nearest star: life itself arose on earth because its relationship with the sun was a special one, and that relationshipOur biology is set up to work in partnership with the sun. Little wonder then that humans have long worshipped and revered our nearest star: life itself arose on earth because its relationship with the sun was a special one, and that relationship still affects us well into the era of electric lighting, indoor workdays, and vitamin D supplements. What are we losing when we sever this ancient biological tie to the sun by spending more and more time inside during the day and surrounded by screens at night?
Informed by cutting-edge scientific research and sparkling with memorable characters–from the modern druids who worship at Stonehenge each solstice to the Amish farmers who may have the right idea about healthy sleep patterns–Linda Geddes’s Chasing the Sun analyzes all aspects of our relationship to the sun. The fascinating stories, innovative science, and unique perspectives in this book make it clear that the ancients were right to put the sun at the center of our world and that it is crucial that we remember this bond as we shape our lives today.
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Flashes of Creation
- By: Paul Halpern
- Narrator: David Stifel
- Length: 9 hours 49 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: August 17, 2021
- Language: English
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3.98(73 ratings)
3.98(73 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.99 USDA respected physics professor and author breaks down the great debate over the Big Bang and the continuing quest to understand the fate of the universe. Today, the Big Bang is so entrenched in our understanding of the cosmos that to doubt it wouldA respected physics professor and author breaks down the great debate over the Big Bang and the continuing quest to understand the fate of the universe.
Today, the Big Bang is so entrenched in our understanding of the cosmos that to doubt it would seem crazy. But as Paul Halpern shows in Flashes of Creation, just decades ago its mere mention caused sparks to fly. At the center of the debate were Russian American physicist George Gamow and British astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. Gamow insisted that a fiery explosion explained how the elements of the universe were created. Attacking the idea as half-baked, Hoyle countered that the universe was engaged in a never-ending process of creation. The battle was fierce. In the end, Gamow turned out to be right — mostly — and Hoyle, along with his many achievements, is remembered for giving the theory the silliest possible name: “The Big Bang.” Halpern captures the brilliance of both thinkers and reminds us that even those proved wrong have much to teach us about boldness, imagination, and the universe itself. -
Earth-Shattering
- By: Bob Berman
- Narrator: Peter Ganim
- Length: 9 hours 43 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 19, 2019
- Language: English
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3.93(96 ratings)
3.93(96 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0025.98 USDA heart-pumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in between The overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, moreA heart-pumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in between... Read moreThe overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, more than 90 percent of the universe’s 70 billion trillion suns had non-attention-getting births and are burning through their nuclear fuel in steady, predictable fashion. But when cosmic violence does unfold, it changes the very fabric of the universe, with mega-explosions and ripple effects that reach the near limits of human comprehension. From colliding galaxies to solar storms, and gamma ray bursts to space-and-time-warping upheavals, these moments are rare yet powerful, often unseen but consequentially felt.Likewise, here on Earth, existence as we know it is fragile, always vulnerable to hazards both natural and manufactured. As we’ve learned from textbooks and witnessed in Hollywood blockbusters, existential threats such as biological disasters, asteroid impacts, and climate upheavals have the all-too-real power to instantaneously transform our routine-centered lives into total chaos, or much worse. While we might be helpless to stop these catastrophes-whether they originate on our own planet or in the farthest reaches of space-the science behind such cataclysmic forces is as fascinating as their results can be devastating.In Earth-Shattering, astronomy writer Bob Berman guides us through an epic, all-inclusive investigation into these instances of violence both mammoth and microscopic. From the sudden creation of dazzling “new stars” to the furiously explosive birth of our moon, from the uncomfortable truth about ultra-high-energy cosmic rays bombarding us to the incredible ways in which humanity has harnessed cataclysmic energy for its gain, Berman masterfully synthesizes some of our worst fears into an astonishing portrait of the universe that promises to transform the way we look at the world(s) around us.In the spirit of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carlo Rovelli, what emerges is a rollicking, profound, and even humbling exploration of all the things that can go bump in the night. -
The 4 Percent Universe
- By: Richard Panek
- Narrator: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.89(227 ratings)
3.89(227 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDOver the past few decades, a handful of scientists have been racing to explain a disturbing aspect of our universe: only four percent of it consists of the matter that makes up you, me, our books, and every star and planet. The rest is completelyOver the past few decades, a handful of scientists have been racing to explain a disturbing aspect of our universe: only four percent of it consists of the matter that makes up you, me, our books, and every star and planet. The rest is completely unknown.
Richard Panek tells the dramatic story of the quest to find this “dark” matter and an even more bizarre substance called “dark energy.” This is perhaps the greatest mystery in all of science, and solving it will bring fame, funding, and certainly a Nobel Prize. Based on in-depth reporting and interviews with the major players—from Berkeley’s feisty, excitable Saul Perlmutter and Harvard’s witty but exacting Robert Kirshner to the doyenne of astronomy, Vera Rubin—the book offers an intimate portrait of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have fueled their search, redefined science, and reinvented the universe.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Our view of the cosmos is profoundly wrong, and Copernicus was only the beginning: not just Earth, but all common matter is a marginal part of existence. Panek’s fast-paced narrative, filled with original reporting and behind-the-scenes details, brings this epic story to life for the very first time.
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How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog
- By: Chad Orzel
- Narrator: Will Collyer
- Length: 9 hours 54 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: February 11, 2020
- Language: English
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3.88(463 ratings)
3.88(463 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.98 USDThey say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But what about relativity? Physics professor Chad Orzel and his inquisitive canine companion, Emmy, tackle the concepts of general relativity in this irresistible introduction toThey say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But what about relativity?
Physics professor Chad Orzel and his inquisitive canine companion, Emmy, tackle the concepts of general relativity in this irresistible introduction to Einstein’s physics. Through armchair- and sometimes passenger-seat-conversations with Emmy about the relative speeds of dog and cat motion or the logistics of squirrel-chasing, Orzel translates complex Einsteinian ideas — the slowing of time for a moving observer, the shrinking of moving objects, the effects of gravity on light and time, black holes, the Big Bang, and of course, E=mc2 — into examples simple enough for a dog to understand.
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A lively romp through one of the great theories of modern physics, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about space, time, and anything else you might have slept through in high school physics class. -
Exoplanets
- By: Michael Summers
- Narrator: Jon Bennett
- Length: 5 hours 39 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: March 28, 2017
- Language: English
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3.86(522 ratings)
3.86(522 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDSince its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, remarkable in their variety. Astronomer Michael Summers andSince its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, remarkable in their variety. Astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.
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Strange New Worlds
- By: Ray Jayawardhana
- Narrator: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 6 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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3.83(305 ratings)
3.83(305 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDIn Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find planets–and alien life–beyond our solar system. Only in the past two decades, after millennia of speculation, haveIn Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find planets–and alien life–beyond our solar system. Only in the past two decades, after millennia of speculation, have astronomers begun to discover planets around other stars–thousands in fact. Now they are closer than ever to unraveling distant twins of the Earth. In this book, Jayawardhana vividly recounts the stories of the scientists and the remarkable breakthroughs that have ushered in this extraordinary age of exploration. He describes the latest findings, including his own, that are challenging our view of the cosmos and casting new light on the origins and evolution of planets and planetary systems. He reveals how technology is rapidly advancing to support direct observations of Jupiter-like gas giants and super-Earths–rocky planets with several times the mass of our own planet–and how astronomers use biomarkers to seek possible life on other worlds.
Strange New Worlds provides an insider’s look at the cutting-edge science of today’s planet hunters, our prospects for discovering alien life, and the debates and controversies at the forefront of extrasolar-planet research.
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Impact
- By: Greg Brennecka
- Narrator: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: February 01, 2022
- Language: English
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3.82(171 ratings)
3.82(171 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0023.99 USDA Short History of Nearly Everything meets Astrophysics for People in a Hurry in this humorous, accessible exploration of how meteorites have helped not only build our planet but steered the evolution of life and human culture. The Solar System.A Short History of Nearly Everything meets Astrophysics for People in a Hurry in this humorous, accessible exploration of how meteorites have helped not only build our planet but steered the evolution of life and human culture.
The Solar System. Dinosaurs. Donkey Kong. What is the missing link? Surprisingly enough, it’s meteorites. They explain our past, constructed our present, and could define our future.
Impact argues that Earth would be a lifeless, inhospitable piece of rock without being fortuitously assaulted with meteorites throughout the history of the planet. These bombardments transformed Earth’s early atmosphere and delivered the complex organic molecules that allowed life to develop on our planet. While meteorites have provided the raw materials for life to thrive, they have radically devastated life as well, most famously killing off the dinosaurs and paving the way for humans to evolve to where we are today.
As noted meteoriticist Greg Brennecka explains, meteorites did not just set us on the path to becoming human, they helped direct the development of human culture. Meteorites have influenced humanity since the start of civilization. Over the centuries, meteorite falls and other cosmic cinema have started (and stopped) wars, terrified millions, and inspired religions throughout the world.
With humor and an infectious enthusiasm, Brennecka reveals previously untold but important stories sure to delight and inform readers about the most important rocks on Earth.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
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The Origins of Everything in 100 Pages (More or Less)
- By: David Bercovici
- Narrator: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 5 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2016
- Language: English
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3.73(347 ratings)
3.73(347 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDCovering 13.8 billion years, a calculatedly concise, wryly intelligent history of everything, from the Big Bang to the advent of human civilization With wonder, wit, and flair–and in record time and space–geophysicist David BercoviciCovering 13.8 billion years, a calculatedly concise, wryly intelligent history of everything, from the Big Bang to the advent of human civilization
With wonder, wit, and flair–and in record time and space–geophysicist David Bercovici explains how everything came to be everywhere, from the creation of stars and galaxies to the formation of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans to the origin of life and human civilization. Bercovici marries humor and legitimate scientific intrigue, rocketing listeners across nearly fourteen billion years and making connections between the essential theories that give us our current understanding of topics as varied as particle physics, plate tectonics, and photosynthesis. Bercovici’s unique literary endeavor is a treasure trove of real, compelling science and fascinating history, providing both science lovers and complete neophytes with an unforgettable introduction to the fields of cosmology, geology, climate science, human evolution, and more.
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Origins of the Universe
- By: Jack Arnold
- Narrator: Edwin Newman
- Length: 2 hours 38 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.57(14 ratings)
3.57(14 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.009.95 USDThe story of the cosmos—its beginning and its changes through time—has been a topic of much speculation and myth. It also has attracted intense attention from scientists. There are many questions about the universe’s size,The story of the cosmos—its beginning and its changes through time—has been a topic of much speculation and myth. It also has attracted intense attention from scientists. There are many questions about the universe’s size, stability, growth, and its ultimate cause. This presentation also addresses such colorful cosmic topics as red shifts, white dwarfs, black holes, super strings, and the “big bang”.
The Science and Discovery Series recreates one of history’s most successful journeys—four thousand years of scientific efforts to better understand and control the physical world. Science has often challenged and upset conventional wisdom or accepted practices; this is a story of vested interests and independent thinkers, experiments and theories, change and progress. Aristotle, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and many others are featured.
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All the Wonder That Would Be
- By: Stephen Webb
- Narrator: Alex Boyles
- Length: 15 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.5(6 ratings)
3.5(6 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDIt has been argued that science fiction (SF) gives a kind of weather forecast–not the telling of a fortune but rather the rough feeling of what the future might be like. The intention in this audiobook is to consider some of these bygoneIt has been argued that science fiction (SF) gives a kind of weather forecast–not the telling of a fortune but rather the rough feeling of what the future might be like. The intention in this audiobook is to consider some of these bygone forecasts made by SF and to use this as a prism through which to view current developments in science and technology.
In each of the ten main chapters–dealing in turn with antigravity, space travel, aliens, time travel, the nature of reality, invisibility, robots, means of transportation, augmentation of the human body, and, last but not least, mad scientists–common assumptions once made by the SF community about how the future would turn out are compared with our modern understanding of various scientific phenomena and, in some cases, with the industrial scaling of computational and technological breakthroughs.
A further intention is to explain how the predictions and expectations of SF were rooted in the scientific orthodoxy of their day, and use this to explore how our scientific understanding of various topics has developed over time, as well as to demonstrate how the ideas popularized in SF subsequently influenced working scientists.
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Exploring Mars
- By: Scientific American
- Narrator: Alex Boyles
- Length: 10 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.4(15 ratings)
3.4(15 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDOur nearest planetary neighbor has been the subject of endless fascination and wide-ranging theories throughout history. Is there life on Mars? Was there ever life on Mars? What was the atmosphere like thousands or millions of years ago? FromOur nearest planetary neighbor has been the subject of endless fascination and wide-ranging theories throughout history. Is there life on Mars? Was there ever life on Mars? What was the atmosphere like thousands or millions of years ago? From Percival Lowell, who built his own observatory so he could dedicate himself to studying the red planet, to NASA landing the car-sized Curiosity rover in 2012, this book traces Scientific American’s coverage of the observation and exploration of Mars.
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Muchos mundos en uno (Many Worlds in One)
- By: Alex Vilenkin
- Length: 7 hours 21 minutes
- Publisher: BookaVivo
- Publish date: October 19, 2021
- Language: Spanish
Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDAlex Vilenkin resume en este libro, de una forma amena y accesible, la historia de las investigaciones de los ultimos cincuenta anos en torno al origen y la evolucion del universo. Vilenkin hace hincapie en dos teorias en las que es especialmenteAlex Vilenkin resume en este libro, de una forma amena y accesible, la historia de las investigaciones de los ultimos cincuenta anos en torno al origen y la evolucion del universo. Vilenkin hace hincapie en dos teorias en las que es especialmente innovador: la inflacion eterna del cosmos y la existencia de multiples universos… en alguno de los cuales tal vez ahora nos hallemos replicados, sosteniendo este mismo libro en nuestras manos. Muchos mundos en uno propone un fascinante viaje que empieza en el vacio antes del big bang y que aun no se sabe a ciencia cierta donde terminara.
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Incident on Simpac III
- By: Doug Brugge
- Narrator: Alex Boyles
- Length: 11 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDA few hundred years into the future, a wave of space colonization follows a disastrous earlier attempt to inhabit nearby extrasolar planets. It is guided by a new computational method based on massive data-driven socio-cultural andA few hundred years into the future, a wave of space colonization follows a disastrous earlier attempt to inhabit nearby extrasolar planets. It is guided by a new computational method based on massive data-driven socio-cultural and socio-epidemiological modeling and using novel biological computers, fed with data on Earth’s history of successes and failures.
Yet, in the newly settled Simpac system, some unexpected and worrying anomalies begin cropping up, making an urgent expedition to the system necessary: is it the underlying data, the computations, or is some unknown entity tampering with the space colonization program? A race against time ensues as the lives of four strangers begin to converge.
While grounded in the social systems aspect, the author posits that the future is likely to be characterized by more biology-based tools than most contemporary science fiction–which most often relies entirely on nonbiological hardware in terms of advanced technologies–predicts. The result is an entertaining and skillful blend of thriller and SF, complemented by a nontechnical appendix describing the underlying science.
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Great Minds of Science
- Narrator: Paul Hoffmann
- Length: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 1999
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0015.95 USDLET THE WORLD’S GREATEST SCIENTISTS TAKE YOU TO THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE TODAY.From Astronomy to Viruses, you’ll find their narratives full of genius, personal insight and enlightenment. Great Minds of Science, hosted by Paul Hoffman, isLET THE WORLD’S GREATEST SCIENTISTS TAKE YOU TO THE FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE TODAY.
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From Astronomy to Viruses, you’ll find their narratives full of genius, personal insight and enlightenment. Great Minds of Science, hosted by Paul Hoffman, is a tribute to mankind’s ingenuity and boundless curiosity.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
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