01830cam a2200277 4500 1262078879 TxAuBib 790803s1980||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 79019340 9780716710844 0716710846 9780716710851 pbk. 0716710854 pbk. (OCoLC)20716 DLC eng DLC UBA OCL MUQ NLGGC OCLCG K6U NIALS DEBBG FCK MCW OCLCF TxAuBib Silk, Joseph, 1942- The big bang : the creation and evolution of the universe / Joseph Silk ; with a foreword by Dennis Sciama. San Francisco : W.H. Freeman, 1980. xv, 394 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Includes index. Bibliography: p. [365]-366. Introduction to cosmology. Origins of modern cosmology. Observational cosmology. Evidence for the big bang. Cosmological models. The first millisecond. Thermonuclear detonation of the universe. The primeval fireball emerges. Origin of the galaxies. Evolution of the galaxies. Giant clusters of galaxies. Radio galaxies and quasars. Formation of the stars. The morphology of galaxies. Origin of the heavy elements. Formation of the solar system. Into the finite future. Alternatives to the big bang. Mathematical notes. Written for the nonspecialist, The Big Bang describes the greatest contemporary puzzles and achievements in astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics, clearly recounting the history of the universe and examining current controversies from several points of view. The book concludes with self-contained appendix providing the basic mathematical framework for understanding modern cosmology. Cosmology. Big bang theory.