First Light

Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time

By: Emma Chapman

Narrated by: Emma Chapman

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents First Light by Emma Chapman, read by Emma Chapman.

Astronomers have successfully observed a great deal of the universe’s history, from recording the afterglow of the big bang to imaging thousands of galaxies, and even to visualising an actual black hole. There’s a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the universe began and grew up, we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the universe.

This brief but far-reaching period in the universe’s history, known to astrophysicists as the ‘Epoch of Reionisation’, represents the start of the cosmos as we experience it today. The time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. After hundreds of millions of years of dark, uneventful expansion, one by the one these stars suddenly came into being. This was the point at which the chaos of the big bang first began to yield to the order of galaxies, black holes and stars, kick-starting the pathway to planets, to comets, to moons and to life itself.

Incorporating the very latest research into this branch of astrophysics, this audiobook sheds light on this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars, hundreds of times the size of the sun and a million times brighter, lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. Emma Chapman tells us how these stars formed, why they were so unusual and what they can teach us about the universe today. She also offers a first-hand look at the immense telescopes about to come on line to peer into the past, searching for the echoes and footprints of these stars, to take this period in the universe’s history from the realm of theoretical physics towards the wonder of observational astronomy.

©2020 Emma Chapman (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Heavy Britt accent

Had some difficulty understanding some words. Accent seems thick to me, but I'm not great at translating accents, especially for a lexicon I am not fluent in and technical words.

The last couple chapters provided some value, for me. Many of the science books have huge portions of history and this is no exception. I appreciate the "regular reader" approach, but I also desire lots of hard science generously distributed throughout.
The Webb is now active, so that topic is old news. I am not really interested in the detailed ups and downs of the processes for setting up experiments. Some, but not so much. I learned that there really isn't much known about the beginning and that real progress may take anther 7, or so, years. I was hoping for more content on how light first began to radiate and how those interactions truly impacted the speed of development for the rest of the universe.
Interesting topic. Needs more substance. Hire a reader? I'll give it another read to pick up things I missed. Looks to be a major topic when the aparatus is spun up.

Everything you didn't know about stars

If you're looking for a scientific scientifically interesting but still written for the general public this is the audiobook for you. The author does a credible job in a very pleasant British accent of explaining to you how the universe began burst began how the 1st stars formed how they led to our present day existence.

very good read

Covers quite a lot of new ground regarding Galaxy formation and types. fills a gap I've been looking for. could have been a little technical but it got there in the end mostly.

Beanie babies, Mick Jagger and cutting edge cosmology

I have actually listened to this book multiple times. I recommend as Emma Chapman's account of the history of astronomy, the rapid gains in knowledge in just the last 20 years and where the science is headed is just the right speed for the well informed layperson. Various pop culture references keep it light (indeed, she helps describe visible light with a reference to the album cover of Pink Floyd's "DSOTM"). But a joyful and sincere love of what she does cannot be hidden behind her easy humor and clever turn of phrase. I really enjoyed this.

Great Insight into the beginning of light

Emma Chapman’s relatable and witty description of the scientific effort that has taken place to find the universes very first stars is quite satisfying. She captures what it’s like to be on a scientific quest and gives us great insight into not only this fascinating topic, but to the overall process of astrophysics and discovery within academia. Beautifully read by the author, and easily one I can strongly recommend to those curious about cosmology and the biggest questions.