Our Changing Universe The New Astronomy
This book presents to the interested reader the extraordinary story of the new astronomy which has radically altered our understanding of the universe. In recent years, dramatic discoveries have come about as a result of the study of new kinds of radiation undetectable by conventional telescopes. ln the early nineteen sixties, radio astronomy led to the discovery of quasars, and then pulsars; since that time X-ray astronomy has developed to include the study of black holes and white holes. Other new studies now include cosmic rays, gravitational radiation and the 'cosmic background’, which throws light on the mystery of the origin of the universe itself. The great increase in our knowledge of the Solar System brought about by recent space probes is also well documented, and gives a new perspective on the Earth as .
one of a family of planets. ‘An excellent and up-to-date picture of the universe as we currently know it after the astronomical revolution of the last quarter-century . . . clear, orderly, and I enjoyed it very much.‘
Isaac Asimov