Customer Reviews

Space, Time, Infinity: The Smithsonian Views the Universe

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The inside of the book matches the breathtaking cover - a closeup of one quadrant of Saturn with the rings, seemingly hanging in space. It is over-sized, filled with illustrations, photographs and charts that work in harmony with the exquisite prose.

Trefil reveals his subjects through the use of two scales - the first being a chronological one and the second scale one of size (from largest to small) We begin with mankind's attempts to understand the heavens and our increasing knowledge of the cosmos. In order we are presented with superb coverages of galaxies, the Solar Sytems and finally Earth. After that he asks provocatively, "Are We Alone" and devotes an entire to the subject, introducting readers to the famous Drake formula used in determining the chance of extraterrestrial civilizations.

A discussion of time is followed by more intriguing chapters on the future of astronomy and mankind's role in space. A unique contribution that traces matter from the Big Bang to the quantum level preceds a final chapter on "Unsolved Problems". This is a book for the ages, one that I purchased years ago at the Smithsonian and have read, browsed and studied for years.