Index

Page numbers in boldface type indicate illustrations.

Abrams, Nancy Ellen, 107–108, 111

adaptive mesh refinement (AMR), 183

American mythology, 122–123

Andromeda galaxy, 17, 56

antimatter, 175, 212n8

antiquarks, 175

Aquarius simulation, 62, 64

background radiation, cosmic, 71, 72, 75, 127, 138, 168–169, 172, 176, 185–186, 208n2, 226–227

Berry, R. Stephen, 108

Berry, Thomas, 199–200

Big Bang, 16, 40, 51, 53–56, 60, 69, 71, 75, 77, 90–93, 125–127, 131, 136, 138–140, 150, 158, 168–169, 175, 179, 185, 188, 201

Big Crunch, 188

black holes, 20, 176, 179, 182–183, 189

Bolshoi simulation, 61, 63, 180

Bradley, James, 186

California Energy Commission, 197

Campbell, Joseph, 120

carbon dioxide emissions, 88, 90, 102, 103, 104, 105, 108, 111, 148

Carina Nebula, 2–3

Cartesian dualism, 194–195

Cat’s Eye Nebula, 43, 46, 47

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, 208n2

Chu, Steve, 197

climate change, 105, 106, 107–108, 150, 161

Cold Dark Matter theory, 168

Cooper, Ann Nixon, 101–102

Copernicus, Nicolaus, 12, 144, 186

Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite, 168, 186

Cosmic Density Pyramid, 48, 49, 50, 64–65, 151

cosmic inflation, 91–93, 95–96, 125, 131, 138, 175–176, 178, 189, 192–193, 198, 205. See also eternal inflation

cosmic society: defined, xxi, 38

education for, 159, 161–162

and human identity, 154, 156

need for, 143

politics in, 111

preconditions for, 77–78, 98, 106, 117–118, 150–153

and religion, 163, 205–206

Cosmic Spheres of Time, 73, 74, 75–76, 140

Cosmic Uroboros, 30, 31–36, 48, 92, 120, 125, 141, 161, 190–191

cosmic web, 58

cosmological constant, 173, 187

cosmological science, domain of, 29, 117–118

cosmology: ancient Egyptian, 7, 8–9, 51, 93, 124, 136, 151, 159

ancient Greek, 10

ancient Hebrew, 9

Christian, 10, 11, 144

defined, 1

and morality, 196

Newtonian, 12, 13, 14

Old Norse, 34

scientific, xvi–xvii, 120–122, 139–142, 151–152, 167–169

creationism, 149

Cubic Space Division (Escher), 12, 13

Cymbeline (Shakespeare), 10

dark energy: amount and distribution of, 40, 48, 51, 52, 56, 127–128

and cosmic evolution, 50, 56–57, 150, 157, 170

as cosmological constant, 173, 186–187

and eternal inflation, 136

evidence for, 17

and evolution of galaxies, 6

nature of, 168, 173, 188, 190

properties and behavior of, 6, 50–51

dark matter: amount and distribution of, xv, 40, 48, 51, 52, 56, 127, 171, 178

and cosmic evolution, 6, 50–51, 56, 58–62, 91, 93, 126–128, 150, 174, 179

evidence for, 16

halos, 50–51, 58, 61–62, 64, 69, 71, 127–128, 176, 178–179, 181, 181, 231

nature of, 168, 170–171, 174, 190

particles of, 31, 64, 126, 169, 171–172, 191

properties and behavior of, 48, 50, 62, 182

disk galaxies, 19, 69

Double Dark theory, 4, 6, 16–17, 20, 51, 53–55, 131, 169, 172, 174–175, 192

Dream of the Earth, The (Berry), 200

Dubos, René, 153

Dune (Herbert), 85

E = mc2, 169–170, 182, 208n2

Earth: changing the orbit of, 85–86, 209n3

cosmic exceptionalism of, 39, 97, 145–147, 150, 162

habitable period, 84–85, 147

natural resources, 88, 89, 107. See also climate change

economics, 29, 96, 108, 148–150, 196–198

Einstein, Albert, 48, 168, 170, 173, 187, 191, 202

electromagnetism, 32

electrons, 126, 169, 171, 175, 177, 190

elements: most common, 185

stellar origin of, 40–41, 43

Eliade, Mircea, 199–200

elliptical galaxies, 19–20, 69, 82

environmental challenges, 97, 101, 148–149

Escher, M. C., 12, 13

eternal inflation, 134, 136–138, 140, 189, 204–205

European Space Agency, 147, 186, 208n2

Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope, 172

flat earth cosmos, 8–10

Ford, Gerald, 202

Ford Foundation, 202–203

fossil fuels, 108, 148–149, 170

Friedmann, Alexander, 168

galaxies: chains of, 19, 22, 91, 225

collision or merger of, 57, 82, 83, 179, 182, 184

distance of, 187–188

distant, visibility of, 81–82, 84, 116, 157

distribution of, 178

formation of, 16, 60–62, 69, 71, 73, 179, 182–183

speed of, 186–187

superclusters of, 17, 19, 31, 35, 50, 75, 91, 126, 178, 192

Galilei, Galileo, 10, 12, 32, 144

Gamow, George, 168

Geb (Egyptian god), 8

General Relativity, 29, 168, 173, 176, 187–188, 202

Genesis, 80, 124, 196, 201

geocentrism, 10, 11

geological science, 80

gluinos, 171

gluons, 169, 171, 225

Gore, Al, 105

Gould, Stephen Jay, 26

Grand Unified Theory (GUT), 31, 225

gravity, 58, 64, 174, 177

and dark matter, 182

effects at different scales, 32, 35, 190

versus expansion, 127–128, 179

fundamental nature of, 188, 190

and galaxy clusters, 17, 56–57, 82, 127

and general relativity, 168, 189

and inertial reference frames, 187

quantum theory of, 177, 191

greenhouse gases. See carbon dioxide emissions

habitable zone, galactic, 146

Hawking, Stephen, 176

Hawking radiation, 176

Herbert, Frank, 85

Herschel, William, 15

Herschel Space Telescope, 147, 209n2

Hubble, Edwin, 15–16, 168

Hubble’s Law, 186–187

Hubble Space Telescope, 51, 53, 208n2, 224–225

Hubble Ultra Deep Field, 5, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71

human inflationary growth, 86, 87, 88, 90, 94–97, 99, 117, 192–193. See also sustainable civilization

human interactions, dynamics of, 36–37, 205

infinity, 80

Inner Reaches of Outer Space, The

(Campbell), 120

intelligent life: as consciousness of the universe, 99–100, 164

emergence of, 124, 128

rarity of, 97, 99, 136, 153

size constraints on, 33

spread of, 150–152

survival of, 151–152

intergenerational responsibility, 99–101

International Panel on Climate Change, 102, 105

Jonsson, Patrik, 183

Keck Observatory, 53

Kepler, Johannes, 12, 144

Kepler’s supernova, 44

Klypin, Anatoly, 180, 212n9

Lambda CDM. See Double Dark theory

Large Hadron Collider, 171

Late Heavy Bombardment, 147

Lawrence, D. H., 80

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 197

Lemaitre, George, 168

light, speed of, 17

lightest superpartner particle (LSP), 171–172

Local Group of galaxies, 17, 51, 56–57, 82

Local Supercluster of galaxies, 17, 18, 19, 56–57, 82

Magellanic Clouds, 19, 22

Mead, Margaret, 152

metaphor, 158–159, 201, 205

metaphysics, 131

M87 (galaxy), 20, 25

M51 (galaxy), 24

Midgard, 34–36, 48

Milky Andromeda galaxy, 82, 83, 151, 157

Milky Way galaxy, 14–15, 17, 19, 22, 56, 69, 151, 182, 193

moon, 146

myth, modern need for, 199–200

nebulae, defined, 15

neutrinos, 126, 172–173, 208n2

neutrons, 169, 225

neutron stars, 183

Newton, Isaac, 12, 144

Nice model, 146–147

Nietzsche, Friedrich, 36

nuclear power, 108–111, 204

Nut (Egyptian goddess), 8, 159

Obama, Barack, 101

Obama, Malia, 101

Obama, Sasha, 101

Office of Technology Assessment, 107–108

origin stories, xvi–xvii, 120–125, 139

origin story, scientific, 145, 150, 164–165. See also cosmic society

Orion Constellation, 19, 20

Orion Nebula, 19, 21, 31

Penzias, Arno, 168

periodic table of elements, 41, 42

photinos, 171

physics, in other universes, 189

Planck length, 29, 32, 190–191, 225

Planck satellite, 138, 186

planets, extrasolar, 145

Plato, 194

Pleiades (supercomputer), 180

politics: and energy policy, 109–111

and scientific cosmology, xxi, 29, 37, 80–81, 94, 101, 105, 162, 199

and sustainability, 121, 149, 197. See also Scientific Mediation;

space-based missile defense systems population growth. See human inflationary growth

positrons, 175, 177

Primack, Joel R., 111, 180–181

protons, 32, 126, 169, 190, 225

Pyramid of All Visible Matter, 40–41, 43, 48

Quantum Field theory, 173, 176

Quantum Mechanics, 29, 189

quantum nonlocality, 194

quarks, 126, 169, 171, 175, 177

quasar, 182

radiocarbon dating, 80

Reagan, Ronald, 115

red giants, 183

redshift, 69, 208n2

Rees, Martin, 144

religion, progressive, 205–206

Republic, The (Plato), 194

resources, human consumption of, 88–89, 197–198

revolutions, cosmological, 143–144

Sagdeev, Roald, 111

Sakharov, Andrei, 212n8

satellites, man- made, 111–113, 115

Saturn, 4

Science Advisory Committee, 202

Scientific Mediation, 109–110, 116, 202–204

selectrons, 171

semi-analytic models (SAMs), 181, 184

Shu (Egyptian god), 8

simulations: in astronomy, 184

cosmological, 179–180

of galaxies, 182–184

size scales, 27, 29, 31–38, 81, 139, 161, 193–194, 195

Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS): 71, 72, 73, 172

smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH), 183

solar system, 12, 17, 18, 31, 56, 75, 77, 80–81, 84, 128, 145–147

Soviet Space Research Institute, 111

space, protection of, 115–116

space- based missile defense systems, 111, 115–116

space debris, around Earth, 111–113, 114, 115

space environment, 115

Special Relativity, 185

spirituality, and science, 36, 142

spiritual- physical dualism, 12, 14

Spitzer Space Telescope, 147, 230

squarks, 171

Standard Model, 170–171, 177, 190

Stanford University, 181

stars, death of, 39–40, 43

Star Wars (missile defense system), 111, 115

Star Wars (film), 112

Steady State theory, 16

Steigman, Gary, 172

stellar aberration, 186

Stern, Nicholas, 210n3

string theory, 191–192

sun, 12, 15, 34

elemental composition of, 185

flare ups, 113

habitable zone, 146

heating up, 84–85

life path of, 84, 116, 128

luminosity of, 84, 146

radiated energy, 170, 209

Sunrise (computer program), 183

supernovas, 39, 43, 44, 170, 182–183

superstring theory, 190–191

supersymmetry, 171, 191

sustainable civilization, 92–94, 96–97, 100, 145, 196–197. See also intergenerational responsibility

Swedish Ministry of Industry, 110

Swedish Royal Energy Commission, 109

Swimme, Brian, 200

tame space, 57–61

Terry, Dwight, 206

time, cosmological, 162–163

time scales, cosmic, 67, 69, 71, 73, 74, 75–78, 80–82, 84–85, 100–101. See also galaxies: formation of

time scales, geologic, 80

Turner, Mike, 172

universe, expansion of, 16, 35, 50–51, 53, 55–60, 81, 126–128, 168, 170,

universe, expansion of (continued) 186, 188. See also Big Bang; cosmic inflation

Universe Story, The (Swimme), 200

Uroboros thinking, law of, 36–37

Virgo Cluster of galaxies, 19–20, 23, 25

Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), 172, 191

Wechsler, Risa, 181

Wells, H. G., 149

Whirlpool galaxy, 24

wild space, 57–61, 128

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite, 186

Wilson, Robert, 168

Winos, 171

W particles, 171, 225

wrinkles, space- time, 60, 93–94, 125–126

XMM Newton X-ray telescope, 208n2

Zel’dovich, Jacob, 177–178

Zel’dovich fluctuation spectrum, 178

Zen, 97

Zino, 171

Z particles, 171, 225