Cosmic Dawn: The Search for the First Stars and Galaxies (Astronomers' Universe)

This book takes the reader on an exploration of the structure and evolution of our universe. The basis for our knowledge is the Big Bang theory of the expanding universe. This book then tells the story of our search for the first stars and galaxies using current and planned telescopes. These telescopes are marvels of technology far removed from Galileo's first telescope but continuing astronomy in his ground breaking spirit. We show the reader how these first stars and galaxies shaped the universe we see today. This story is one of the great scientific adventures of all time. "The visible universe consists of stars and galaxies. One of the challenges of astronomy is to understand how galaxies and stars first came into existence over thirteen billion years ago. This book tells the story of our quest to solve this problem. Four hundred years after Galileo used his telescope to discover the moons of Jupiter, we are using new telescopes and instruments to search for the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang. This book brings the reader to the current frontier of this subject and lays out some of the exciting developments we can expect in the years to come."--Publisher's description Cosmology through its past The three pillars of the Big Bang theory The visible universe Dark matter A map of the universe How did galaxies come into existence? The weight, shape, and fate of the universe The search for light in the dark ages Observing the first galaxies Cosmic archaeology Looking ahead in wonder : telescopes at the cosmic frontier Tour de force : the James Webb telescope.