ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY

One thing that emerges from this thoughtful and entertaining study of space and time by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, is that what we don't know about the universe is as fascinating as what we do know, especially when Tyson is our guide. Tyson's well-known narrative skills are used to full effect explaining concepts such as the big bang, quarks, dark matter, and unseeable light. Though most of the material goes down smoothly, a few nuggets may require hitting the rewind button. The final chapter is a plea for humanism and science because without nations whose governments value people and science, we wouldn't be able to celebrate this cosmic view of life. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2017]