Cosmos

Today's state of knowledge of the universe does not even last a hundred years. As recently as 90 years ago, people believed that there was only one galaxy in the universe – our Milky Way. The big bang theory was only definitively confirmed less than 50 years ago, and about 40 years ago it became clear that the visible universe, that is, what we can observe with the help of the technology available to scientists, is a tiny fraction of the entire universe. Less than 20 years ago, scientists discovered that the universe is expanding faster and faster. Do we know enough about the universe or still not enough? And what discovery awaits us tomorrow?

What body moves the fastest through space? Do black holes have a bottom? Why are the stars not evenly distributed? Can planets and stars be distinguished in the night sky? Why are instruments and equipment that will fly into space disinfected? What secrets does the universe hide from us?

These and many other questions are answered in the book Kosmos by Tomasz Rożek, a Polish physicist and journalist who tries to bring the most interesting knowledge from the world of science to readers from the age of 10. In the form of intuitive dialogues, in six chapters (Universe, Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Earth, Life) you will learn about things that fascinate not only mathematicians and physicists.

The book is supplemented with notes on the margins of the pages, where comparative and more detailed or expert information is given. The visual material is a collage of incredible photos from NASA, original illustrations, shots from well-known science fiction films or photos from the Hubble telescope.

Kosmos is the first book in the upcoming trilogy, which combines the method of interpretation: numerous examples from everyday life, illustrative comparisons, fascinating points of interest or suggestions for experiments that everyone can try at home.

The expert guarantor of the Czech edition of the book was RNDr. Jiří Grygar, CSc. from the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, who said about the book: "In his book, the Polish physicist and science journalist offers a brief overview of the current views of astronomers, physicists, chemists, geologists and biologists on the universe. In six chapters, it discusses the history of the universe from the mysterious Big Bang to possible scenarios for its future. At the same time, he uses a lot of drawings and pictures, but also various similes, and even instructions for simple experiments, in order to clearly explain to his readers the phenomena that take place in the universe, with which none of us actually have direct experience. While reading the Czech translation, which is four years younger than the Polish original, I realized how fast contemporary science is moving forward. Therefore, I have updated the relevant passages of the text for the publisher, especially with regard to numerical data, but also several unexpected important discoveries. I think readers will appreciate that they are really getting their hands on the latest knowledge available, which is truly astounding.”