Creation

I remember once watching a presentation of the creation of the universe in a planetarium. It was a fascinating experience: lights flashing, particles appearing to rush by as an explosive roar echoed throughout the planetarium. Then suddenly ... black­ ness. And after a few seconds ... tiny lights--stars blinking into existence. I tried to imagine myself actually going back to this event. Was this really what it was like? It was an interesting facsimile, but far from what the real thing would have been like. The creation of the universe is an event that is impossible to imagine accurately. Fortunately, this has not discouraged peo­ ple from wondering what it was like. In Creation I have attempted to take you back to the begin­ ning-the big bang explosion-so that you can watch the uni­ verse grow and evolve. Starting with the first fraction of a sec­ ond, I trace the universe from its initial dramatic expansion through to the formation of the first nuclei and atoms. From here I go to the formation of galaxies and the curious distribu­ tion they have taken in space. Finally I talk about the formation of elements in stars, and the first life on the planets around them.