IF YOU want a crash course in cosmology, Stuart Clark鈥檚 The Universe is an excellent place to start. It seeks to answer 20 frequently asked questions, ranging from what are black holes to how big is the universe, all in 3000-word essays. There are also clear answers to two questions that every astronomer faces at least once: 鈥淒o other intelligent beings exist?鈥� and 鈥淚s there evidence for God?鈥�
The essay format works surprisingly well. Clark is an engaging writer who manages to convey of lot of information in each answer. Accompanying quotes, such as Galileo talking about the Milky Way and Arthur Eddington鈥檚 humorous ditty about light rays being bent by the sun, also serve to elucidate the subject matter at hand. When I reached the end of the book, however, I was left with a somewhat disjointed notion of the universe, with answers to some big questions but not enough context.
The Big Questions: The universe
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