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WELCOME...

THE FUNDAMENTALS

THE UNIVERSE STARTED WITH A BIG BANG • Finding proof that our Universe expanded from a single point was a long and drawn-out process. Ultimately, though, says JOHN GRIBBIN, it became one of humanity’s greatest discoveries

TIMELINE • It could be the biggest question of all: how did the Universe begin? It took decades of discovery to answer...

JARGON BUSTER • The cosmic terms you’ll need to understand the Big Bang

THE UNIVERSE A STORY IN SIX CHAPTERS • The evolution of the Universe has been a process marked by several clear stages. STUART CLARK is your guide

UNR AVELLING THE FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSE • ROBERT MATTHEWS investigates how the structurg e of space could shed light on black holes, the Big Bang and the nature of reality itself

BEYOND EINSTEIN • The quest for a Theory of Everything

STUDYING THE FABRIC • How the Hubble Space Telescope acts like a giant ‘microscope’

KEY EVENTS • A brief history of our understanding of space-time

THE NATURE OF GRAVITY • What goes up must come down... But why that’s the case is a mystery that took some of humanity’s greatest minds centuries to figure out. And, as BRIAN CLEGG explains, some aspects of gravity continue to remain a puzzle

CAST OF CHARACTERS • Five great thinkers whose work was crucial in shaping our understanding of gravity

JARGON BUSTER • Key terms used when discussing the nature of gravity

REL ATIVITY ON TRIAL • Just over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein wrote a groundbreaking theory that transformed physics forever. But are there any chinks in its armour? MARCUS CHOWN delves deeper

5 WAYS... • ...you can see Einstein’s theory in real life

GENERAL RELATIVITY’S SUCCESSES • This isn’t the first time that Einstein’s famous theory has been put to the test

UNDERSTAND DARK MATTER IN 10 MINUTES • For decades, top astronomers have been on an enormous treasure hunt for the Universe’s most mysterious substance. But if we can’t see it, how on Earth do we know it even exists? COLIN STUART explains...

JARGON BUSTER

OUR PL ACE IN THE UNIVERSE • Science’s greatest minds and centuries of research have tried to position Earth in the ever-expanding Universe. As GILES SPARROW explains, we can now be certain of where we are...

TIMELINE • Copernicus introduced the Solar System with the Sun at its centre in the 1540s, turning astronomy on its head

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

THE HISTORY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM • Our little corner of the Universe is the product of billions of years of planetary evolution. ELIZABETH PEARSON explains...

FROM THE SUN TO THE MOON • The essential facts and figures from the near part of our Solar System...

CURIOSITY THE JOURNEY SO FAR • In August 2015, the Curiosity rover celebrated its third year on Mars. CATHERINE OFFORD reveals its mission highlights to date

FROM MARS TO SATURN • Our factual lowdown on the Solar System continues, taking in both the Red Planet and Saturn’s rings..

ROSET TA THE JOURNEY CONTINUES... • WILL GATER looks back at the discoveries of ESA’s mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

IS THERE LIFE ON MOONS? • We tend to look at other planets for signs of life. But, as STUART CLARK suggests, focusing on particular moons might uncover worlds that are both habitable and habitated

FROM COMET 67P TO THE OORT CLOUD • Our fact-filled journey across the Solar System approaches its farthest reaches...

THE FINAL FRONTIER • NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is currently exploring the Kuiper Belt, home to dwarf planets like Pluto. DAVE JEWITT, the astronomer who discovered the belt, guides us through this distant...