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Most interesting knowledge about the space

Posted March. 10, 2018 07:59,   

Updated March. 10, 2018 07:59


“Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” written by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is a nice compilation of interesting knowledge and information about the space.

Skies observed by scientists are the same as drawings on images of the past that are displayed in chronological order at a natural history museum. While the museum showcases paintings drawn through imagination by referring to fossils, the space reveals the real shape of the past. In proportion to the duration of time that light travels to reach the planet Earth, stars far away present the images of a distant past, and those closer to Earth show images of a closer past.

Is the space between galaxies merely empty space? Dwarf galaxies that comprise a fewer number of stars, stars that go beyond the galaxy and stampede, high-temperature gas, gaseous clouds, cosmic ray particles and dark matter are filling the space. The fact that explosions of supernovas in skies far away from the galaxy, which are not key targets of observation, are frequently spotted indicates that countless numbers of stars are wandering around out of the gravity of the galaxy.

The author served as the narrator for “Cosmos: Space Time Odyssey,” a National Geographic documentary that was also aired in Korea. You can easily figure out why the astrophysicist is so widely loved and respected as a scientist while you read his refined writing by which he addresses complex issues at laypeople’s language, his witty style and insight into the meaning of astronomy to the human beings.

Jong-Yeob JO jjj@donga.com