The Mysterious Universe

190 Pages·1981·28.278 MB·English

by  Nigel Henbest

THE
MYSTERIOUS
UNIVERSE
NIGEL HENBEST
THE
MYSTERIOUS
UNIVERSE
The imagination of modern man has
beenstirredby spaceand itspossibili-
ties as it has by no other subject. In
The Mysterious Universe, Nigel Hen-
best p.tends the limits of our knowl-
edge on this perennially fascinating
subject. The result is a riveting
exploration ofoursolarsystem and of
the infinite worlds beyond.
His investigation begins with current
theories on the birth of the solar
system. Then the planets which form
the system are described, one by one,
makingfull useofthemostup-to-date
Voyagermaterial on Saturn andJupi-
ter. The possibilitiesof'other' Earths
harbouring 'other' life are also exam-
ined, as are the traumatic births, lives
and deaths of stars and the still
enigmatic pulsars and quasars. Black
holes, one of the most intriguing of
recent astronomical discoveries, have
a chapter to themselves, and their
potentialasconduitsthroughrelativity
intootheruniversesandothertimesis
considered in detail. Finally, in a
thought-provoking last chapter, the
author discusses the ultimate mystery
of them all: how the Universe came
into being, how it was, and is, con-
stituted-andhowitwillprobablyend.
The text of The Mysterious Universe
is spectacularly enhanced by photo-
graphs and artworks of exceptional
quality. Together, they succeed in
conveying what the author calls 'the
true drama ofthe Universe'.
%
ISBN 085223 2128

THE
MYSTERIOUS
UNIVERSE
NIGEL HENBEST
$
EBURYPRESS
London
Endpapers:Computer-enhanced
photographofthegalaxyM82shows
violentactivityatitscentre. Streamersof
hydrogengas(red)reachoutfromthe
centreofthegalaxy'sdiscofstars,seen
hereedge-onasaglowingband(green).
AstronomersdisputewhetherM82is
sufferingamajorexplosionatitscore,or
ifthereisanimplosionasthegalaxy
drawsingasfromanintergalacticgas
cloud.
Titlepage:Computer-enhancementbrings
outtheveryfaintcoloured 'jets' which
stretchout 100,000lightyearsintospace
fromthegalaxyNGC 1097.Theprocess
hasemphasizedboththecolourofthejets
andtheirbrightness,totheextentthatno
detailcanbeseeninNGC 1097itself.The
originalphotographsshowitisaspiral-
shapedgalaxy,liketheMilkyWayGalaxy
inwhichwelive,butitsmysteriousjets
aremorereminiscentofthosefoundin
thedistantandextremelypowerfulquasars.
Contentspage:Spectacularclose-upview
oftheplanetSaturnshowstwoofits
fifteenicymoons,Tethys(above)and
Dione,aswellasthefamousrings.
Sunlightiscastingshadowsoftherings
andTethysontotheglobeofSaturn. This
pictureisoneofthousandssentbackby
thehighlysuccessfulVoyager 1
spaceprobeasitsweptpastSaturnin
November 1980.
PublishedbyEburyPressLimited
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Firstimpression1981
( MarshallCavendishLimited 1981
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NTRODUCTION
I
From Earth, we look out at a vast Universe radio sources was a reference to the 'remarkable
around us. Space stretches out unimaginable nature'ofthepulses.
distances in every direction, and it is inhabited Mysteries in astronomy are not permanent.
by many strange objects. Further observations, and refined theories, will
Itistheastronomer'sjobtomakesenseofthe eventually lead to a satisfactory explanation of
Universe, to confirm understood facts and to even the strangest objects in the Universe, and
interpret new knowledge and theories. We now of the least-understood episodes in its history.
know as facts, for instance, that Earth is one of Buttheeffortofexplainingtheinexplicableisan
nine planets, endlessly circling the much larger exciting process: it is a detective story, with the
Sun and thatthe stars in the sky are other suns, astronomer as sleuth, combing the Universe in
dimmed by their great distance. And we also space and time for clues. Each investigation
now know that stars congregate together in carries us closer to understanding the Universe
enormous islands called galaxies, which are as a whole; it is a faltering step, turning to a
speedingapartfromoneanother-alegacyofthe confident stride- until we are brought up short
explosive force ofthe Big Bang with which our bythe next unknown.
Universe began. Theory allows us toadd a time This book is a round-up of some mysterious
dimension, and therefore to estimate changes in aspectsoftheUniverse,asIseethem. Inevitably,
the sky which cannot be seen because they take thechoicehasbeen subjective. Todofulljustice
far longer to reach us than the recorded history to the subject would require a whole book on
ofastronomy.Theresultisanunderstandingnot each section ofeach chapter in this volume, and
only ofwhat stars are, but also of how they are it would be never-ending as new discoveries are
born and die. made. I must therefore apologise to those astro-
And' there is always new information to be nomers whose work is not mentioned here.
sought,andmadesenseof, becauseourUniverse There are, for example, many more types of
isstill,evenwithtoday'sknowledge,amysterious interestingstarthan I havehadroomfor;butthe
place. There are uncharted reaches of space, net has been cast wide: from cosmic influences
strange objects to be discovered, and even un- on the Earth to the search for life on Mars and
recognizedregionsoftime.Westilldonotknow, the possibility oflife elsewhere in the Universe;
forexample, howthe planets ofthe solarsystem fromtheembarrassinglackofneutrinosfromthe
formed. Observations can give only indirect SuntoVoyager'sepicjourneytoSaturnandthen
cluesaboutthislong-pastevent, sowemust rely out to Pluto; from pulsars to black holes; from
heavilyon theory and here, asin mostmysteries spiral galaxies with their hidden 'missing mass'
of the Universe, there are many ideas, each to distant quasars, the most violent of all the
staunchlysupportedby itsownproponents. Itis denizens ofthe Universe. And, finally, we con-
a'controversialtheoreticaltopic,withinadequate siderthebeginningoftheUniverseitself, and its
observationaldata'-or,moresimply,amystery. ultimatefate.
Other 'mysteries' in this book are individual Every few months sees our understanding of
astronomical objects. When something new and some of these mysteries advanced. The most
unexpected is discovered, the first instinct isnot puzzling questions, however, will undoubtedly
to call it a mystery, but to look for a rational succumb only after many years of dedicated
explanation: there will undoubtedly be several onslaught. A good mystery story is above all an
conflicting ones at first. So when Cambridge excitingread, andthisaccountisanattempt, not
radio astronomers detected regularly-pulsing just to describe the frontiers of present-day
sources (now called pulsars) they did not knowledge, but also to convey the flavour and
announce the discovery of a 'mysterious' new excitement ofman's continuing quest to under-
object. After presenting their observations in a stand the Universe about him.
scientific paper, they suggested two possible
explanations both wrong, as it turned out.
Their only concession to the weirdness of the

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER
I
RIRTH OFTHE PLANETS 8
CHAPTER2
THE OUTER PLANETS 26
CHAPTER3
THE INNER PLANETS 42
CHAPTER4
THE DOUBLE PLANET EARTH AND MOON 52
CHAPTER5
COSMIC CATASTROPHES 68
CHAPTER6
RIOGRAPHYOFTHE STARS 78
CHAPTER7
IFE IN THE UNIVERSE 98
I
CHAPTER8
THE STILL-TICKING PULSARS J18
CHAPTER9
RLACK HOLES 128
CHAPTER10
QUASARS 146
CHAPTER
II
THE ULTIMATE MYSTERY 160
GLOSSARY 179
NDEX
181
I
— —
CHAPTER
1
BIRTH OF
THE PLANETS
One summer morning in n>oS a second sun must have shattered into microscopic frag-
flashed into the skies of Siberia. The blue- mentssome 8500metres(28,000feet) up.
white column of blinding light burned to Sciencefictionwritershaveclaimedthatthe
death reindeergrazingthe tundra. Underthe Tunguska explosion was caused by a nuclear
fireball, trees were felled like matchsticks. spacesh—ip manned by beings from another
Torn from their roots, they lay pointing planet perhapsstoppingofftorefill itstanks
outwards, spokes in a huge devastated circle from Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake
some50kilometres(30miles)across.Apower on Earth. Butall the supposed 'evidence' for
fromspacehad smittenthe remoteTunguska thisaliencrafthaseitherbeendreamedup,or
valley. An explosion high in the air had can be explained quite readily by natural
shattered the eternal stillness ofSiberian life phenomena. It is now certain that what ex-
withtheforceofatwelvemegatonnebomb plodedovertheTunguskavalleywasanatural
600 Hiroshima-type atom bombs in one. visitorfrombeyondtherealmoftheplanets
Whatever it was, no solid pieces from the acomet. Itmusthaveapproached Earth from
exploding fireball hit the ground. In 1027 thedirectionoftheSunandburnedup,arival
Leonid Kulik,thefirstscientisttoinvestigate to the Sun in the Russian skies.
it, reached the remote site halfway between Butthescientificexplanationbeliesitsown
Mongolia and the Arctic Ocean, and to his mystery. What isa comet, and where does it
surprise the centre ofthe ring ofdevastation comefrom?Wecannotstudydirectlythesolid
wasnot markedbvablast-crater. The fireball nucleus from which the comet's woollv head
cometnuclei orbitotPluto
Cometnucleiforma
hugeswarmfarbeyond
Pluto'sorbit.
Occasionally,oneof
thesesnowballs{first
mst'l)takesanorbitin
towardstheSun. Its
evaporatinggasesmake
aplanet-sized'head'
(secondinset);they
maystreamawayintwo
tailsuptoabillion
kilometreslong(third
inset)atthecomet's
closestapproachtothe
Sun.