Our Universe

An Astronomer's Guide (A Pelican Book)

By: Jo Dunkley

Narrated by: Jo Dunkley

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Our Universe, a Pelican book, written and read by Jo Dunkley. 

The night sky is an endless source of wonder and mystery. For thousands of years it has been at the heart of scientific and philosophical inquiry, from the first star catalogues etched into ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets to the metres-wide telescopes constructed in Chile's Atacama Desert today. On a clear night it is hard not to look up and pick out familiar constellations and to think of the visionary minds who pioneered our understanding of what lies beyond.

In this thrilling new guide to our universe and how it works, professor of astrophysics Jo Dunkley reveals how it only becomes more beautiful and exciting the more we discover about it. With warmth and clarity, Dunkley takes us from the very basics - why the Earth orbits the sun and how our moon works - right up to massive, strange phenomena like superclusters, quasars, and the geometry of spacetime. As she does so, Dunkley unfurls the history of humankind's heroic journey to understand the history and structure of the cosmos, revealing the extraordinary, little-known stories of astronomy pioneers including Williamina Fleming, Vera Rubin and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. 

Illuminating and uplifting, this is your essential guide to the biggest subject of all.

©2019 Jo Dunkley (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Absolutely fabulous

I have either read or listened to a lot of books on similar themes. Many of them are absolutely brilliant but this book blows them away. Each concept is concisely explained in an interesting and engaging way, whilst providing clarity to some concepts that I have sometimes struggled to get my head around without ever becoming patronising. Given the amount of books on this subject it feels fresh. It is a must read/ listen for anyone with an interest in this subject. Love it.

Fascinating introduction

I knew virtually nothing about the subject but I've found some the Pelican books are wonderfully written so I thought that I'd try this an fill in a few gaps in my knowledge.
Jo Dunkley is a great reader. She speaks with enthusiasm for her subject and with a beautiful voice.

Halfway through I got a bit lost on first listening, but have now listened multiple times and I'm now hooked on the subject.
I've now also listened to Neil deGrasse Tyson's book but he's nowhere near as good and is a bit too fixated on the hunt for aliens.

fascinating

for everyone left baffled by hawking, professor dunkley is able to explain cosmological weirdness in highly accessible terms

Well worth a listen.

The author has an excellent voice. A difficult subject explained extremely well. Very interesting.

Excellent book!

This is the best general introduction to astronomy I have come across. The narration was clear and engaging. Excellent!!!