What are the historical events? Historical events

Lucy and Stephen Hawking

George and the Treasures of the Universe

Dedicated to Rose

CONTINUED TO THE BOOK OF THE OUTSTANDING ASTROPHYSIST

STEPHAN HAWKING AND HIS DAUGHTER LUCY

"GEORGE AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE"

Annie urgently needs the help of her best friend George. The robot that Annie's father, the cosmologist Eric, sent to Mars is behaving very strangely: besides, Annie found a highly mysterious letter in her father's supercomputer ...

IS THIS A MESSAGE FROM ALIENS?

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE UNIVERSE BUT US?

HOW TO FIND A PLANET SUITABLE FOR LIFE IN SPACE?

Understanding all this is not easy. But George. Annie and their new friend Emmett never lose hope of finding answers to their questions.

Stephen and Lucy Hawking's new book isn't just a thrilling tale of space adventure. It is full of amazing facts and the latest data about our Universe. And you will also find in it scientific essays written by the best scientists of our time!

On the Photo: astronaut Bruce McCandless in free flight with a rocket pack during a spacewalk on February 7, 1984. McCandless is the first tester of this apparatus and, consequently, the first "man-satellite" in the history of Earth orbit.

The latest scientific theories!

The plot of the book is woven with exciting scientific essays. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the latest scientific theories first hand, because these essays are written by outstanding scientists of our time!

Why do we need space?

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric), Professor, Lucas Department of Mathematics, University of Cambridge, UK

Journey through the universe

Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary College, University of London, UK

How to make contact with aliens

Seth Szostak, SETI project (search for extraterrestrial civilizations), USA

Mars - the cradle of life?

Brandon Carter, Laboratory of the Universe and theories about it, Paris Observatory, France

Hey, is there anyone there?

Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK

How to find a planet in space

Jeff Marcy, Professor of Astronomy, Shaw Award in Astronomy, University of Berkeley, California, USA

"Zone of Life"

Jeff Marcy

How do we understand the universe

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric)

- Seven minutes thirty seconds before the start, - said a mechanical voice. - Retraction of the access boom to the orbital ship.

George swallowed hard and fidgeted in the command chair of the space shuttle. OK it's all over Now. Now you can't get out of the ship. These seven and a half minutes will fly by like one moment - not like the last minutes of a school lesson, which drag on and on - and he will leave planet Earth.

The access boom was the only bridge between the spacecraft and the rest of the world - and now that bridge is no more. So there is no way out of the ship. The hatches are closed. Not just closed, but tightly locked. Now at least beat your head in them, ask, beg to let them out - no one will hear you. The astronauts were left alone, a few minutes before the launch, and there was nothing left to do - except to listen to the countdown.

- Six minutes fifteen seconds. Prelaunch readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

APUs are auxiliary power units. They help control the movement of the ship during takeoff and landing. The three fuel cells that power them had already worked for several hours, but only after this command the ship hummed animatedly, as if sensing that its finest hour was near.

- Five minutes before the start, - a voice rang out. - Launch of the APU.

What if he, George, does something wrong? He is sitting in the commander's chair - which means he will have to control the shuttle. Next to him is the pilot, his understudy.

Well, well, I wonder, and what kind of space wanderers do we have here? George muttered in a "cartoon" voice.

What did you say, commander? - sounded in the headphones.

Ouch! I… uh…” George completely forgot that Mission Control heard his every word. - I just thought: what will the aliens say if we suddenly stumble upon them?

Laughing in headphones.

Don't forget to give them our regards from all of us!

- Three minutes three seconds before the start. Engines to start.

"They're going to roar now," thought George. As soon as the shuttle leaves the launch tower, three engines and two solid-fuel boosters will accelerate it to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour in the first few seconds. And in eight and a half minutes, the shuttle will already pick up a speed of twenty-eight thousand kilometers per hour!

- Two minutes before the start. Close visor.

George's hands itched to turn at least a couple of switches on the command console and see what would happen, but he didn't dare.

Directly in front of him was the control stick, with which he, the captain, would control the ship in space and dock with the ISS - the International Space Station. It's like sitting behind the wheel of a car - but the steering wheel can only be turned left and right, and the handle turns in all directions. I wonder what she feels like? George lightly touched it with his finger - and immediately the needle of one of the electronic devices trembled. He withdrew his hand and pretended not to touch anything.

- Fifty-five seconds to go. Synchronization of side accelerators.

Two solid-fuel side boosters provide the launch of the shuttle and takeoff to a height of three hundred and seventy kilometers. It is impossible to turn them off. As soon as the fuel in them ignites, the space shuttle takes off.

Goodbye, Earth, George thought. - I'll be back soon".

He was a little sorry to leave this beautiful planet, friends, parents. A little more, and it will circle in orbit above their heads - immediately after docking with the ISS, which makes a complete revolution around the Earth every hour and a half. From there, from the station, George will see the Earth, oceans and continents, deserts, forests and lakes, night lights of big cities. And mom, dad and friends - Eric, Annie and Susan - looking from the Earth into a cloudless night, maybe they will distinguish a bright point rushing across the sky ...

- Thirty-one seconds to go. The transition of the ground launcher to automatic control mode.

The astronauts shifted slightly in their chairs, getting comfortable before the long journey. But it was so crowded in the small cabin that it was not easy to even sit down correctly before the launch: George needed the help of a flight engineer to get into the command chair. Before takeoff, the cockpit appeared to be upside down. George's chair was tilted back, his legs were up towards the bow of the shuttle, and his back was parallel to the ground.

The shuttle was preparing to take off vertically into the sky, break through the clouds and atmosphere and rush into outer space.

- Sixteen seconds to go- Said an imperturbable mechanical voice. - Turn on the water curtain for noise reduction. Fifteen seconds to go.

We're taking off in fifteen seconds, captain," the pilot said from a nearby seat. - The countdown has started.

Happy to stay! - George said cheerfully, and thought to himself: "Oh, mommy ..."

And you are happy, commander! Control Center responded. - Pleasant flight!

From excitement, the heart jumped out of the chest, and each blow seemed to be counting the moments before the start.

- Ten seconds. Switching on the afterburning system for free hydrogen. The flight control system starts the main engine.

Began! Everything is real!

Lying on his back in the astronaut's chair, George saw through the porthole a strip of green grass, and above it a blue sky in which birds were circling. He tried to calm down and gather his courage.

- Six seconds before the start the voice announced. - Turning on the ignition system of marching engines. - All three main engines fired up, and George felt a terrible shaking, although the shuttle remained in place. The voice from the Control Center came through the headphones again.

GEORGE'S COSMIC TREASURE HUNT

Illustrations by G. Parsons

Under the editorship of Cand. physical - mat. Sciences V. G. Surdina

1st edition in English, 2009

On the photo: astronaut Bruce McCandless in free flight with a rocket pack during a spacewalk on February 7, 1984. McCandless is the first tester of this apparatus and, therefore, the first "man-satellite" in the history of Earth orbit.

Dedicated to Rose

The latest scientific theories!

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric), Professor, Lucas Department of Mathematics, University of Cambridge, UK

Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary College, University of London, UK

Seth Szostak, SETI project (search for extraterrestrial civilizations), USA

Brandon Carter, Laboratory of the Universe and theories about it, Paris Observatory, France

Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK

Jeff Marcy, Professor of Astronomy, Shaw Award in Astronomy, University of Berkeley, California, USA

Jeff Marcy

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric)

- Seven minutes thirty seconds before the start, - said a mechanical voice. - Retraction of the access boom to the orbital ship.

– Six minutes fifteen seconds. Prelaunch readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

– Five minutes before the start - a voice rang out. - Launch of the APU.

George felt an unpleasant chill in his stomach. More than anything, he wanted to visit outer space again. And here he is aboard a real, with astronauts inside, a spacecraft that is on the launch pad, waiting for launch. The thought was breathtaking, but at the same time it was scary. What if he, George, does something wrong? He is sitting in the command chair, which means he will have to control the shuttle. Next to him is the pilot, his understudy.

- Well, well, I wonder, and what kind of space wanderers do we have here? George muttered in a "cartoon" voice.

What did you say, commander? – sounded in the headphones.

- Ouch! I… uh…” George completely forgot that Mission Control heard his every word. “I just thought: what would the aliens say if we suddenly stumble upon them?”

Laughing in headphones.

Don't forget to give them our regards from all of us!

– Three minutes three seconds before the start. Engines to start.

They're about to roar, George thought. As soon as the shuttle leaves the launch tower, three engines and two solid-fuel boosters will accelerate it to one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour in the first few seconds. And in eight and a half minutes, the shuttle will already pick up a speed of twenty-eight thousand kilometers per hour!

– Two minutes before the start. Close visor.

George's hands itched to turn at least a couple of switches on the command console and see what would happen, but he didn't dare. Directly in front of him was the control stick, with which he, the captain, would control the ship in space and dock with the ISS - the International Space Station. It's like sitting behind the wheel of a car - but the steering wheel can only be turned left and right, and the handle turns in all directions. I wonder what she feels like? George lightly touched it with his finger - and immediately the needle of one of the electronic devices trembled. He withdrew his hand and pretended not to touch anything.

“Fifty-five seconds to go.” Synchronization of side accelerators.

Goodbye, Earth, George thought. - I'll be back soon".

“Thirty-one seconds to go.” The transition of the ground launcher to automatic control mode.

GEORGE'S COSMIC TREASURE HUNT

Illustrations by G. Parsons

Under the editorship of Cand. physical - mat. Sciences V. G. Surdina

1st edition in English, 2009

* * *

Dedicated to Rose

The latest scientific theories!

Why do we need space?

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric), Professor, Lucas Department of Mathematics, University of Cambridge, UK

Journey through the universe

Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary College, University of London, UK

How to make contact with aliens

Seth Szostak, SETI project (search for extraterrestrial civilizations), USA

Mars is the cradle of life?

Brandon Carter, Laboratory of the Universe and theories about it, Paris Observatory, France

Hey, is there anyone there?

Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society, Trinity College, University of Cambridge, UK

How to find a planet in space

Jeff Marcy, Professor of Astronomy, Shaw Award in Astronomy, University of Berkeley, California, USA

"Zone of Life"

Jeff Marcy

How do we understand the universe

Stephen Hawking (on behalf of Eric)

Prologue

- Seven minutes thirty seconds before the start, - said a mechanical voice. - Retraction of the access boom to the orbital ship.

– Six minutes fifteen seconds. Prelaunch readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

– Five minutes before the start - a voice rang out. - Launch of the APU.

- Well, well, I wonder, and what kind of space wanderers do we have here? George muttered in a "cartoon" voice.

What did you say, commander? – sounded in the headphones.

- Ouch! I… uh…” George completely forgot that Mission Control heard his every word. “I just thought: what would the aliens say if we suddenly stumble upon them?”

Laughing in headphones.

Don't forget to give them our regards from all of us!

– Three minutes three seconds before the start. Engines to start.

– Two minutes before the start. Close visor.

“Fifty-five seconds to go.” Synchronization of side accelerators.

Goodbye, Earth, George thought. - I'll be back soon".

“Thirty-one seconds to go.” The transition of the ground launcher to automatic control mode.

The shuttle was preparing to take off vertically into the sky, break through the clouds and atmosphere and rush into outer space.

- Sixteen seconds before the start, said an unperturbed mechanical voice. - Turn on the water curtain for noise reduction. Fifteen seconds to go.

“We're taking off in fifteen seconds, captain,” the pilot said from a nearby seat. - The countdown has begun.

- Happy staying! - George said cheerfully, and thought to himself: "Oh, mommy ..."

- And you are happy, commander! Control Center responded. - Pleasant flight!

From excitement, the heart jumped out of the chest, and each blow seemed to be counting the moments before the start.

- Ten seconds. Switching on the afterburning system for free hydrogen. The flight control system starts the main engine.

Began! Everything is real!

Lying on his back in the astronaut's chair, George saw through the porthole a strip of green grass, and above it a blue sky in which birds were circling. He tried to calm down and gather his courage.

– Six seconds before the start, - announced a voice. - Turning on the ignition system of marching engines. - All three main engines fired up, and George felt a terrible shaking, although the shuttle remained in place. The voice from the Control Center came through the headphones again:

- Five seconds to go. Five... four... three... two... one... Is the crew ready for launch?

“Yes,” said George calmly, doing his best not to scream in horror. - We are ready.

– … zero. Ignition side accelerators.

The vibration increased. Below, under George, boosters ignited. With a deafening roar, jet engines tore the shuttle off the launch pad and hurled it into the sky. George felt as if he had been tied to a giant firecracker and fired into the sky. And what will happen to this firecracker next - it will explode, or fly and plop back to Earth, or, conversely, get lost in deep space - George had no idea. And even if he did, he still couldn't do anything.

Outside the window, the earth's atmosphere was blue, but the Earth itself was no longer visible - George had left his home planet! A few seconds after liftoff, the shuttle flipped over and the astronauts hung upside down with a huge orange fuel tank right above them.

- Oh oh oh! yelled George. - What happened? We're flying upside down! Help! For help!

“It's all right, captain,” the pilot said. “We always fly like this.

Two minutes after takeoff, George felt a strong jolt, from which the ship shuddered.

- What was it? he shouted.

Through the windows it was visible how both launch boosters in turn separated from the shuttle and began to move away, describing a giant arc.

Now, without rocket boosters, the orbiter was suddenly deafeningly quiet. George glanced out the porthole, and he wanted to break this silence with at least a shout of "Hurrah." The shuttle rolled over again, and the orbiter was again above the fuel tank.

It had been eight minutes and thirty seconds of flight—it could have been centuries without George noticing. Finally, the three main engines stopped, and the external fuel tank separated from the ship.

- Fly, fly! the pilot said and whistled. Through the porthole, George could see the huge orange tank disappearing from view, which was to burn up in the atmosphere.

They crossed the line where the blue of the earth's sky turns into the blackness of open space. Distant stars shone all around. The ship continued to gain altitude, but it was clear that very little was left to the maximum height.

“All systems are in order,” the pilot said, checking the flashing lights on the instrument panels. We're going into orbit. Ready to get us into orbit, Captain?

“Yes,” George said confidently, and turned to Mission Control in Texas. “Houston,” he said, perhaps the most famous word in the history of space flight, “we are entering orbit. Houston, can you hear me? This is Atlantis. We're going into orbit.

In the pitch darkness that surrounded the ship, the stars seemed dazzlingly bright and very close. One of them, the most brilliant, suddenly began to approach, an unbearably bright light hit right in the eyes ...

George started and woke up. He was lying in an unfamiliar bed, and someone was shining a flashlight on his face.

– George! - someone hissed. - Get up! Anxiety!

Chapter first

Coming up with a costume was not so easy. When inviting George to a masquerade, Eric Bellis, a scientist neighbor, said, "Dress up as your favorite space object." But George had so many favorite space objects - try to choose!

Maybe dress up as Saturn with a bunch of rings?

Or Pluto - a poor little planet, which is no longer considered a planet?

Or maybe dress up as the darkest, darkest and most powerful force in the universe - a black hole? However, George dismissed this idea immediately. Giant black holes amazed and fascinated him, but to call them favorite objects is a pardon! He did not at all feel love for these insatiable greedy men who devoured everything that came close to them, even light.

The decision came by itself. Looking at images of the solar system on the Internet, he and his dad saw a picture sent to Earth by a rover. The picture showed the red surface of Mars, and on it - something like a little man. And as soon as George saw this, it dawned on him: he will go to Eric in a Martian costume! Even Terence, George's dad, couldn't take his eyes off this photo. Of course, both of them perfectly understood that this was not a Martian at all, but just an illusion, a play of light, due to which a stone on the surface of Mars looks like a person. But still, it is breathtaking, one has only to imagine that we are not alone in the Universe ...

“Dad, do you think there is anyone out there in space?” George asked as he and his dad looked at the picture as if spellbound. - Martians or inhabitants of distant galaxies ... Maybe they will fly to us someday?

“If there is someone there,” said dad, “they probably look at us and wonder: who do you need to be to bring this beautiful, amazing planet to such a state? I suppose they think: “Here are some fools ...”

And dad shook his head sadly.

George's parents were fighters for saving the planet Earth. They advocated a simple and healthy life without any "newfangled stuff." Previously, they did not even have electricity at home, let alone a computer and a telephone. But when George took first place in the school science competition and won the grand prize, a computer, Mom and Dad gave up. They knew how George dreamed of a computer, and they just didn't have the guts to say no.

George taught mom and dad how to use a computer and even helped make a catchy virtual poster: a close-up photo of the planet Venus, then the title: “WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE HERE?!” - and text: “Clouds of sulfuric acid… Temperatures up to 470 degrees Celsius… The seas have dried up… The dense atmosphere does not let in the sun's rays… This is Venus. But if we do not take care of our Earth, it will become the same. Do you want to live on such a planet?” This poster was emailed around the world by parents and friends, and George was very proud of his work.

Venus
Venus is the third brightest celestial object after the Sun and Moon. This planet got its name in honor of the ancient Roman goddess of beauty, but it has been known since prehistoric times. At first, the ancient Greeks believed that this was not one star, but two: morning - Phosphorus (light carrier) and evening - Hesperus; but then the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras proved that this is one and the same celestial body.

Venus is the second from the Sun and the sixth largest planet in the solar system.

And yet Venus is a completely different world. Venus has a very dense, poisonous atmosphere, consisting mostly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid. The thick layer of these clouds does not allow heat to pass through, which is why Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system: the temperature on its surface reaches 470 degrees Celsius - enough to melt lead. Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 90 times higher than on Earth. This means that on the surface of Venus, a person would experience the same pressure as at the bottom of the earth's ocean.

Venus is often referred to as "Earth's sister" because it is very similar to our planet in size, mass, and composition.

Dense Venusian clouds not only retain heat, but also reflect sunlight. This is why Venus glows so brightly in the night sky. There is no water on Venus. Perhaps in the past there were oceans, but due to the greenhouse effect, all the water has long since evaporated.

Some scientists believe that if global warming is not stopped, then similar conditions will develop on Earth over time.

Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is considered the most unlikely place for life to exist.

Mariner 2 was the first to approach Venus in 1962. Since then, various spacecraft have visited it more than twenty times. In 1970, the Soviet station "Venera-7" delivered a descent vehicle to the surface of Venus; it was the first spacecraft to land on another planet. "Venera-9" began to send photographs of the surface of Venus to Earth, but less than an hour later, the device "melted" on this hostile planet! Subsequently, the American interplanetary station "Magellan" received with the help of radar and sent to Earth detailed images of the Venusian surface, hidden under a thick layer of clouds.

Venus rotates in the opposite direction of the Earth's rotation! If it were possible, being on Venus, to see the Sun through a thick layer of its clouds, then it would rise in the west and set in the east. This rotation is called reverse, and rotation in the same direction as the Earth, direct.

The Venusian year lasts less than the Venusian day! The fact is that due to the extremely slow rotation of Venus, its revolution around the Sun takes less time than the revolution around its axis.

One year on Venus is equal to 224.7 Earth days.

Venus rotates on its axis in 243 Earth days.

About twice a century, Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun. Such transits of Venus across the disk of the Sun always follow in pairs with an interval of eight years. With the advent of the telescope, transits of Venus across the disk of the Sun were observed in 1631 and 1639; 1761 and 1769; 1874 and 1882 On June 8, 2004, astronomers saw a point crawling across the disk of the Sun - Venus; the next playthrough is expected on June 6, 2012.

It never occurred to George to dress as a Venusian - it is clear that there is no life on such a hot and fetid planet and cannot be. So he asked his mother, Daisy, to make him a dark orange pom-pom suit and cap. In this outfit, he was the spitting image of the "Martian" from that very photo.

George put on a Martian suit and waved to his parents (they were also invited to some party, and they were in a hurry to help the hosts in preparing organic sandwiches). He squeezed through a hole in the fence separating their garden from Eric's. This hole was once made by Freddie, a piglet given to George by his grandmother. Freddie then escaped from his pen, broke through the fence and entered Eric's house through the kitchen door. George found the piglet on the trail of dirty hooves. So he met new neighbors who moved into the house, which until then was empty - and this acquaintance forever changed his life, George.

Eric showed George his amazing computer called Cosmos, the smartest and most powerful computer in the world. It cost nothing to this supercomputer to draw a special door - a portal. Entering the portal, Eric, his daughter Annie and George could find themselves in any place in the universe known to science.

But George soon learned that the universe is not to be trifled with. During one of these space adventures, Eric got into trouble, and Cosmos, saving him, exploded from overvoltage.

From that day on, the world's greatest computer didn't work, so George never had to enter the portal again and travel around the solar system and beyond. Of course, he missed the Cosmos, but he had Eric and Annie. He could see them as much as he wanted, even if not in outer space.

George hopped up the garden path to the door leading to the kitchen. The house was flooded with light, music sounded, animated voices were heard. George opened the door and entered.

He did not find Eric, Annie, or her mother Susan, but the people in the house were apparently invisible. An uncle immediately shoved a plate of cupcakes under George's nose, sparkling with silvery icing.

- Help yourself! he said kindly. - Eat the meteorite! No, it would probably be right - eat a meteoroid!

“Oh… I mean, thanks,” George said dumbfounded and took the cupcake.

“If I did like this,” the man tilted the dish slightly, and the cupcakes fell on the floor, “then I could say in good conscience: “Eat the meteorite!” – because they have already reached the surface of the Earth. But when I offered them to you, they were still in the air, so - from a purely scientific point of view - they were meteoroids! He smiled broadly at George, then looked down at the floor. You do understand the difference, don't you? A meteoroid is a rock that travels through interplanetary space, and when it hits Earth we call it a meteorite. So now that these cupcakes have touched the floor, we can rightfully call them meteorites!

George, cupcake in hand, smiled politely and backed away, but then he heard a strangled "oops" from behind - he stepped on someone's foot.

- Sorry! George turned around.

"Nothing, it's just me!" - Annie said cheerfully, all in black. “You still couldn’t see me, I’m invisible!” She snatched the cupcake from George and stuffed it into her mouth. “I can only be recognized by the effect I have on surrounding objects. Guess who I am?

Black hole, of course! George said. “You devour everything that flies by, insatiable!”

- But no, no, no! Annie jumped. “I knew you would confuse me with a black hole. And I'm not her at all. Satisfied Annie simply beamed. I am dark matter!

– What is this? George asked.

“But this,” Annie whispered mysteriously, “no one knows! Dark matter is invisible, but if it were not there, galaxies would fly apart in different directions. And who are you?

- I'm a Martian. Well, like in that photo.

- Cool! Annie was delighted. “Maybe you are even my Martian ancestor!”

The party was in full swing. Adults in unthinkable robes ate, drank, laughed, and talked loudly. One guest was dressed up as a microwave, another a rocket, and a third walked around with a satellite dish on his head. One woman wore a huge brooch in the shape of an exploding star on her dress. Some scientist jumped around the room in a bright green suit and pestered everyone: “Take me to your leader!” His colleague, meanwhile, was inflating a giant balloon with the inscription "The universe is expanding!" A man dressed all in red approached some company of guests, stood motionless for a while, and then suddenly jumped sharply to the side with the words: “Guess who I am!” Another scientist had a bunch of hoops of different sizes hanging on his belt, a ball dangled from each hoop, all the balls were also different sizes, and when this person walked around the room, all the hoops were spinning at the same time.

“Annie,” George said excitedly, “what are those costumes?” I do not understand anything!

“Actually, these are all sorts of things that can be found in space - if, of course, you know how to look,” Annie answered.

- For example? George insisted.

What is light and how does it move in space
One of the most important things in the universe electromagnetic field. It is everywhere; it not only holds atoms together, but also causes the tiny particles in atoms called "electrons" to bind different atoms together or create an electric current. The world in which we live consists of a huge number of atoms “glued together” by an electromagnetic field; even living beings, including humans, live and act only thanks to this field.

If you swing an electron, waves appear in the field (as in a bath: you move your finger in the water and ripples start). These waves are called electromagnetic, and since the electromagnetic field is everywhere, electromagnetic waves can diverge arbitrarily far, throughout the universe, until they are stopped by other electrons that can absorb their energy. Electromagnetic waves are different. Some of them are perceived by the human eye as different colors of the visible part of the spectrum. Other types of electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared and ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays. And electrons vibrate all the time - they are stirred by atoms, which themselves are constantly moving - therefore all bodies always produce electromagnetic waves. At room temperature, these waves are predominantly infrared, but the hotter the object, the more mobile the electrons in it; this is how visible light is created.

Light travels at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second. This is a huge speed, but still, the light travels from the Sun to us for eight whole minutes, and from the next star closest to us - more than four years.

Very hot space objects - like stars - emit visible light, which can travel for a very long time until it hits some kind of obstacle. For example, we look at a star, and for hundreds of years its light has been quietly going to the Earth through space. Getting into the eye and moving the electrons of the retina, this light turns into an electrical signal that enters the brain through the optic nerve, and then the brain says: “I see a star!” If the star is too far away, then in order to see it, you will have to collect more light into the eye, and for this you need a telescope; or the disturbed camera electrons can produce a photograph or send a signal to a computer.

The universe is constantly expanding - inflating like a balloon. Consequently, distant stars and galaxies are moving away from the Earth. And this means that their light, flying towards us, is stretched - and it stretches the more, the farther it flies. This stretch causes visible light to turn red. This effect is called redshift. Gradually, if the light travels a long enough distance and the redshift increases, it ceases to be visible and becomes first infrared and then microwave (as in our microwave ovens). This is exactly what happened to the incredibly powerful light from the Big Bang - after thirteen billion years of travel, it is found today in the form of microwaves propagating in space in all directions. This phenomenon is beautifully named "cosmic microwave background radiation" and is nothing more than a reflection of the Big Bang!

- For example, that uncle in red - do you see how he bounces off everyone? So he is a redshift.

And now - the long-awaited second part about the adventures of George in space - "George and the treasures of the universe." All those who read Stephen and Lucy Hawking's science adventure story "George and the Secrets of the Universe" were looking forward to the sequel: what will happen to the fearless and inquisitive heroes next? What mysteries will they have to solve? What's new to know? Where did the vain villain Dr. Lynn go?

In the second book of the trilogy, another boy joins inseparable friends George and Annie - computer genius Emmett. But the relationship between Annie and Emmett did not work out from the very beginning. And yet, only the three of them will be able to unravel the mysterious messages that lead them from planet to planet. And at the end of this dangerous journey, not only to discover the mysterious sender, but also to uncover a very old secret.

Once again, the authors of the book involve us in a detective story that captures and does not let go until you turn the last page. And most importantly, the same brilliant, corporate style of Hawking awaits us: only he knows how to talk about the latest achievements in the field of science in a simple, accessible and incredibly interesting way. The authors also turned to the world's best experts in the field of physics and astronomy in order to get the most up-to-date and reliable scientific information firsthand. Seth Szostak of the Extraterrestrial Life Project, University of London mathematics and astronomy professor Bernard Carr, Royal Society President Martin Rees, and many other scientists wrote scientific essays specifically for this book, which Lucy and Stephen Hawking seamlessly wove into the book's plot.

Whether our heroes will discover life on other planets is a big question. But they will learn what redshift is, how to use the binary code, what is the probability of the existence of life outside the Earth - and much more that is included in the school curriculum in physics and astronomy, and also what is not included in the school curriculum, but terribly interested in boys, girls and their parents.

On our site you can download the book "George and the Treasures of the Universe" by Stephen Hawking, Hawking Lucy for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read a book online or buy a book in an online store.

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1147 - The first annalistic mention of Moscow

1188 - Approximate date of appearance " Words about Igor's regiment »

1206 - Proclamation of Temujin the "Great Khan" of the Mongols and the adoption of the name of Genghis Khan by him

1237-1238 - The invasion of Khan Batu in North-Eastern Russia

1240 July 15 - Victory of the Novgorod prince Alexander Yaroslavich over the Swedish knights on the river. Neva

1327 - uprising against the Mongol-Tatars in Tver

1382 - Khan Tokhtamysh's campaign against Moscow

1471 - Ivan III's campaign against Novgorod. Battle on the river Sheloni

1480 - "Standing" on the river. Acne. The end of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.

1510 - Annexation of Pskov to Moscow

1565-1572 — Oprichnina

1589 - Establishment of the patriarchate in Moscow

1606 - Uprising in Moscow and the murder of False Dmitry I

1607 - The beginning of the intervention of False Dmitry II

1609-1618 – Open Polish-Swedish intervention

1611 September-October - Creation of the militia under the leadership of Minin and Pozharsky in Nizhny Novgorod

1648 - Uprising in Moscow - " salt riot »

1649 - "Cathedral Code" of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

1649-1652 - Campaigns of Yerofei Khabarov to the Daurian land along the Amur

1652 - Nikon's consecration to the patriarchs

1670-1671 - Peasants' war led by S. Razina

1682 - Abolition of parochialism

1695-1696 - Azov campaigns of Peter I

1812 - Napoleon's "Great Army" invades Russia. Patriotic War

1814 September 19 -1815 May 28 - Congress of Vienna

1839-1843 - Monetary reform of Count E. f. Kancrina

1865 - Military judicial reform

Spring 1874 - The first mass "going to the people" of revolutionary populists

1875 April 25 - Petersburg Treaty of Russia with Japan (about South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands)

1881 March 1 - The murder of Alexander II by revolutionary populists

November 9, 1906 - Beginning of the agrarian reforms P.A. Stolypin

1930 - Beginning of complete collectivization

November 30, 1939 - March 12, 1940 - Soviet-Finnish War

June 22, 1941 - Nazi Germany and its allies attack the USSR. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War

1945 May 8 - Act of unconditional surrender of Germany. Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War

1975 July 30 - August 1 - Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki). Signing of the Final Act by 33 European countries, the USA and Canada

1990 May 16-June 12 - Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR. Declaration of State Sovereignty of Russia

1991 December 8 - Signing in Minsk by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus of the agreement on the "Commonwealth of Independent States" and the dissolution of the USSR

Portal for the student. Self-training

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The latest scientific theories!

Prologue

Chapter first

Venus

What is light and how does it move in space

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