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Our Accidental Universe

Stories of Discovery from Asteroids to Aliens

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Our Accidental Universe

By: Chris Lintott
Narrated by: Chris Lintott
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The BBC presenter of 'Sky at Night', and Gresham Professor of Astronomy, Chris Lintott, takes us on an astonishing tour of bizarre accidents, big characters, and human error to tell the story of some of the most important astronomical events of the past hundred years.

- Our first views of the earliest galaxies were brought to us by the Hubble Space Telescope when it was pointed at absolutely nothing.

- The ice-covered Enceladus, one of Saturn's nearly one hundred moons, was revealed as a possible habitat for life after a by-chance fly by of NASA's Cassini probe on a mission elsewhere.

- Pulsars, the spectacular remnants of long-dead massive stars, were discovered as 'scruff' in the data for measurements of the twinkling of possible radio stars.

As new telescopes are built on mountaintops and in deserts around the world, aiming to transform our view of the universe once more, Chris Lintott shows us that keeping an open mind will benefit us all - whatever might still be out there for us to find.

©2024 Chris Lintott (P)2024 Penguin Audio Astronomy Cosmology History Interstellar Solar System Black Hole
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Critic reviews

Chris Lintott has an eye for the most entertaining astronomical stories and the experience to take us behind the scenes. Highly recommended. (Tristan Gooley)
Chris Lintott’s extravagantly entertaining book is a real eye-opener for those who, like me, struggle to know the difference between a pulsar and a comet. Warmly informative, and underpinned with wry, self-deprecating humour and deep expertise, it’s an indispensable addition to any science-lover’s library. (Lev Parikian, author of Taking Flight)
I really enjoyed this. A fascinating book full of lively anecdotes and expert insight: Our Accidental Universe opens up a world of possibilities. As the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence continues, perhaps we are the ones who will be discovered first? (Professor Helene Courtois, astrophysicist and author of Finding Our Place in the Universe)
Grab a front row seat! Chris Lintott’s Our Accidental Universe is wonderfully engaging, full to bursting with remarkable, celestial tales of the unexpected. (Ananyo Bhattacharya, science writer and author of The Man from the Future)
A fascinating look at the strange and alien side of space from a wonderfully human astronomer. (Dr Lucy Rogers)

What listeners say about Our Accidental Universe

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Profile Image for David Ridge

An original take on popular astronomy.

I really liked the theme of things that we found by accident. So many popular books cover the same ground but this was new and very interesting.

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Profile Image for Fran Gilhooley

Not so accidental

This book was a good enough read, but I felt the title was going to lead us to a Rare Earth viewpoint which it certainly doesn’t.

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