Every time a police car or fire truck drives by, I explain to the person I'm with that we are currently experiencing the Doppler effect...and then I get into how scientists are able to figure out that starts and galaxies are moving away from us based on the same principle. The response I get: "You read too much."

I take it as a compliment, of course.

In Stephen Hawking's Universe, David Filkin does an excellent job of explaining to the average person (meaning someone who doesn't study astronomy or cosmology for a living) the history of Newtonian physics, how we know dark matter exists, how we can 'find' black holes, and Hawking's Theory of everything. It even comes with pictures!

I can't say that I learned too much, but that's mainly because I've already read A Briefer History of Time, where a lot of the information is the same. The good thing is that it's easier for me to remember this information. But if there's anything you ever wanted to know about today's science and how much we know about the universe, then this is the book to get. And who knows...next time you hear a siren, you might be able to dive into the principles behind the Doppler Effect!

I came across this book on a shelf in the living room and nobody in the household knew where it came from. Despite the uncertainties around its origins, I decided to read it anyway.

I could be thinking about this review for days to make sure it this does the book justice, on content but equally to appreciate Stephen Hawking himself, and everything he’s accomplished in the face of a debilitating disease.

I must point out, I’m not a physicist and so when it comes to many physics based concepts, my brain explodes like a black hole, yet unlike said black hole, emits nothing.
I’ve also been told recently that my ‘physics jokes’ are truly awful and I must stop. Harsh, but certainly fair.

Anyway, I enjoyed this book. It’s a short book and can be finished relatively quickly (depending on your experience of time). A thoughtful account of Stephen Hawking’s achievements in the field of theoretical physics and cosmology, as well as snippets of insight into Hawking as a human being and his excellent sense of humour.

For a non-expert this book provides a accessible introduction to many concepts surrounding the origins of the universe and the search for a unified theory that would explain the phenomena of what surrounds us, and help us to make sense of what we observe. This book was first published in 1984 and whilst the field of theoretical physics has progressed significantly over the years, I actually found this early account quite charming. I enjoyed reading about Hawking’s work and his cerebral journey through contemplation and development of theories such as the Big Bang, black holes, for example.

I’d recommend this to anyone with an interest in theoretical physics and cosmology, or even just a casual curiosity about the universe. It explains (most) things in a simple way, without over simplifying so you could read it without much prior knowledge and enjoy it. I got a little lost around chapter seven but not so much that I couldn’t get back on track, just about! I’d say this is a suitable warm-up to reading A Brief History of Time, which is on my shelf waiting to be read! It’s there, because I bought it.

The inaugural lecture from Hawking entitled ‘Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?’ is included at the back, and was naturally more high level than the preceding chapters (I admit to googling ‘Pauli Exclusion Principle’) but nonetheless fascinating.

I enjoyed chapter 9 the most which discusses the anthropic principle, and whilst - with my limited knowledge of the topic - I have mixed feelings on it, I also think there’s something kind of poetic about the way Hawking summarises it; ´Things are as they are because we are’. Whether you believe that or not, that last part is a nice reminder.

Really well written and brings vast science concepts down to a level that I think I maybe understood.


Space time continuum is not my strong suit. But a quick easy read.

Boslough presents wonderful and complex ideas in a fun and easily readable manner. Coupled with Stephen Hawking's wit and humour, this book is a great read for anyone interested in the big questions of the cosmos.

La escala histórica de tiempos está empapada de relatividad, no que esté aplicando la teoría de Einstein a ella, ni mucho menos con mi elemental nivel de física, sino que hace tres décadas conseguí éste librito en un kiosko de periódicos y ha estado reposando hasta ahora; y bueno, el tiempo pasa, el tiempo mata y como que estoy recuperando ese tiempo, perdido en lecturas postergadas; tan postergadas que la premisa científica del presente tomo ha quedado algo desactualizada ¿o no?

Boslough construye su narrativa en base a una serie de inicialmente dificultosas entrevistas a Hawking, básicamente porque a los gringos les es difícil conversar en inglés y peor aún con un inglés que estaba sufriendo los síntomas de su enfermedad que, entre otros, le afectaba la voz.

En ese momento se discutía en el universo de los físicos teóricos, acerca del Big Bang, la posibilidad de unificar las teorías que explican la cosmogénesis, partiendo de Newton, pasando por Maxwell, Einstein y Heisenberg hasta llegar a confrontar la teoría de la relatividad con la mecánica cuántica.

Las observaciones tanto astrofísicas como las experimentaciones en laboratorio, más las elucubraciones teóricas de super mentes tipo Hawking nos han permitido tener una explicación de los instantes iniciales del Big bang, hasta por lo menos 10 a la menos 34 segundos (el tiempo de Planck) y deducir la composición de la energía y su condensación en materia, la composición de ésta (hadrones y leptones) y los cuatro niveles de integraciones. Esto ha permitido también deducir la existencia de los Agujeros Negros pequeños y aislados que se originaron en el Big Bang, a diferencia de los "normales" producidos por el colapso de estrellas de gran masa.

No está mal para comenzar a ilustrarse a un nivel bastante básico.