COLLECTOR'S EDITION .

2007

contents

page

A universe of limitless wonder .................. 6

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....................8
2. How big is the universe?...................
10
3. How did the Big Bang happen?.............12
1 How old is the universe?

4. What is dark matter?....................... 14

.
....................15
6. How common are black holes?.............17
7. How many planets are in the solar system?.. 19
5 How did galaxies form?

.
............23
10. What will happen to life on Earth?..........24
11. What is dark energy?.......................26

26.What creates gravitational waves?.......... 54

.
... 55
28. Why does antimatter exist?.................
57
29. Are there other planets like Earth?..........58
30. Does every big galaxy have a
27 What happens when black holes collide?

central black hole?......................... 60

.
..
32. Should Pluto be considered a planet? ......64
33 . Why did Venus turn itself inside.out? .......66
34. How could we recognize life elsewhere
31 Does inflation theory govern the universe? 62

in the cosmos?............................. 69

9 What is the fate of the universe?

12. What are gamma-ray bursts?...............28

.
........30
14. Is water necessary for life?..................
32
15. Is there life on Mars.Titan. or Europa?.......34
13 Will asteroids threaten life on Earth?

16. Why did Mars dry out? ..................... 36

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...................37
18. Where do meteorites come from? ..........39
19. Can light escape from black holes?.........40
20. Did stars. galaxies. or black holes
17 How did the Moon form?

come first?.................................

42

.
..........44
22. How are comets and asteroids related?.....46
23. How many planets surround other
star systems? ..............................
48
24. How many asteroids are locked up in
21 Where do cosmic rays come from?

the Kuiper Belt?............................ 50

.... 52

25 Does string theory control the universe?

BEAMFUL UNIVERSE.
Colorful gas and dust clouds
envelop the mr cluLter
NGC 2W in the rauhsm
~on6tBIlaIionPuppis. rro

35 What created Saturn's rings?

...............70

36. Could a distant. dark body end life

on Earth?

..................................
72
37. Do we live in a multiple universe?..........74
38. How did the Milky Way Galaxy form? .......75
39. How did the solar system form? ............ 77

......78
41. How do massive stars explode? ............80
42. What will happen to the Sun? ..............82
40.What happens when galaxies collide?

43. Did comets bring life to Earth? ............. 84

.
.....................
85
45. Will the Milky Way merge with another
galaxy?....................................
86
46. How many brown dwarfs exist? ............88
4 4 How did quasars form?

47. What happens at the cores of

galaxy clusters?............................ 90

.
......................
92
49. How many galaxies are in our Local Group?. . 94
50. Do neutrinos hold secrets to the cosmos?...96
48 Is Jupiter a failed star?