astronomy

Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space answers numerous astronomical questions about the Earth, Moon, Sun, stars, galaxies, and the universe's evolution.

The sources describe the universe's exciting and extreme phenomena, focusing on the life cycle of stars from their formation and nuclear fusion to various explosive endings and the formation of dense remnants like white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.

Careful observation revealed Earth's true shape. Ancient thinkers noted how ships disappear hull-first over the horizon and Earth's curved shadow during lunar eclipses. Pythagoras proposed a spherical Earth, and Aristotle later provided strong evidence, proving it wasn't flat.