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 [b:Stephen Hawking's Universe|2102|Stephen Hawking's Universe|John Boslough|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159814407s/2102.jpg|6153], 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 [b:A Briefer History of Time|2094|A Briefer History of Time|Stephen Hawking|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159814394s/2094.jpg|16552333], 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! ( )

Boslough's book is a little bit biographical, a lot more scientific, mathematical and theoretical and way outdated. Of course, when it was written 27 years ago the information was probably relatively current but now some readers may be familiar with most, if not all of the concepts presented. However, it is a great refresher read for people who don't delve into these subjects on a daily basis. ( )

INDEX; APPENDIX