13.8: The Quest to Find the True Age of the Universe and the Theory of Everything by Gribbin, John -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents About the Author Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction: The Most Important Fact Part Zero: Prologue

2.712 – Taking the temperature of the Universe

Part One: How Do We Know the Ages of Stars?

1 2.898 – Prehistory: Spectra and the nature of stars

Locating lines Hunting helium Hunting hydrogen The heat of the Sun The heat of the stars The heat inside

2 0.008 – At the heart of the Sun

A French connection No free lunch Seats of enormous energies A hotter place? A quantum of solace

3 7.65 – Making ‘metals’

Cycles and chains of fusion Rocks of ages From the Bomb to the stars The last should be first Stardust

4 13.2 – The ages of stars

Hertzsprung, Russell and the diagram Ashes to ashes Globular cluster ages White dwarf ages Radiometric ages and the oldest known star

Part Two: How Do We Know the Age of the Universe?

5 31.415 – Prehistory: Galaxies and the Universe at large

The power of pure reason One step forward, two steps back Nebular spectroscopy First steps The long and winding road An unresolved debate A universe destroyed

6 575 – The discovery of the expanding Universe

Surprising speeds Taking the credit A Russian revolution A Priestly intercession

7 75 – Sizing up the cosmic soufflé

Einstein’s lost model Keeping it simple Across the Universe

Doubling the distances Hubble’s heir

Another Great Debate

8 13.8 – Surveys and satellites

The culmination of a tradition Too perfect? The dark side Supernovae and superexpansion Sounding out the Universe Ultimate truth

Glossary Sources and Further Reading End Notes Index Footnotes

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8