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The Life and Death of Stars
- Narrated by: Keivan G. Stassun
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
Long ago, the magnificence of the star-filled sky and its clock-like motions inspired people to invent myths to explain this impressive feature of nature. Now we understand the stars at a much deeper level, not as legendary figures connected with constellations, but as engines of matter, energy, and the raw material of life itself. And thanks to powerful telescopes, our view of the stars is more stunning than ever.
The Life and Death of Stars introduces you to this spectacular story in 24 half-hour lectures that lead you through the essential ideas of astrophysics - the science of stars. Your guide is Professor Stassun, an award-winning teacher and noted astrophysicist. He provides lively, eloquent, and authoritative explanations at a level suitable for science novices as well as for those who already know their way around the starry sky.
The Life and Death of Stars takes you to some otherworldly destinations, including stellar nurseries, planetary nebulae, the core of the sun, and protoplanetary systems. You also become familiar with the periodic table of elements, discovering how fusion reactions inside stars forge successively heavier atoms, producing some in abundance, temporarily skipping others, and creating everything heavier than iron.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Recent years have seen the introduction of concepts from the new and exciting field of complexity science that have captivated the attention of economists, sociologists, engineers, businesspeople, and many others. These include tipping points, the wisdom of crowds, six degrees of separation (or Kevin Bacon), and emergence. Complexity science can shed light on why businesses or economies succeed and fail, how epidemics spread and can be stopped, and what causes ecological systems to rebalance themselves after a disaster.
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Good but basic
- By Spencer on 08-24-19
By: Scott E. Page, and others
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Origins, Revised and Updated
- Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
- By: Donald Goldsmith, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Our true origins are not only human, or even terrestrial, but in fact cosmic. Drawing on recent scientific breakthroughs and cross-pollination among geology, biology, astrophysics, and cosmology, Origins illuminates the soul-stirring leaps in our understanding of the cosmos. This newly revised and updated edition features such startling discoveries as the more than 5,000 newly detected exoplanets that shed light on the origins of and possibilities for life in the cosmos.
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There is nothing here
- By Hermanubis on 12-30-22
By: Donald Goldsmith, and others
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Audible’s Best Science Offering, A Gem
- By MikeB on 12-08-18
By: Don Lincoln, and others
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Dark Matter and Dark Energy
- The Hidden 95% of the Universe
- By: Brian Clegg
- Narrated by: Mark Cameron
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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All the matter and light we can see in the universe makes up a trivial five per cent of everything. The rest is hidden. This could be the biggest puzzle that science has ever faced. Since the 1970s, astronomers have been aware that galaxies have far too little matter in them to account for the way they spin around: they should fly apart, but something concealed holds them together. That ’something' is dark matter - invisible material in five times the quantity of the familiar stuff of stars and planets.
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Breezy style, but some painful pronunciation
- By Gordon M. on 02-06-22
By: Brian Clegg
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War in the Modern World
- By: David R. Stone, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David R. Stone
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Great powers no longer fight great wars. But how exactly did countries like the United States go from confronting powerful adversaries in 1914 and 1939 Europe to waging lengthy counterinsurgency campaigns in places like Iraq and Afghanistan? The answer lies in the profound geopolitical and technological changes that came in between.
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General Overview of Conflicts Post World War 2
- By Jeffrey F Korpics Jr on 06-20-22
By: David R. Stone, and others
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The Nature of Matter: Understanding the Physical World
- By: David W. Ball, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David W. Ball
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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In the 24 engaging lectures of The Nature of Matter, no scientific background is needed to appreciate such miracles of everyday life as a bouncing rubber ball or water's astonishing power to dissolve. Moreover, the study of matter has led directly to such inventions as semiconductor circuits for computers, new fabrics for clothes, and powerful adhesives for medicine and industry.
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High School or Lower Level
- By User on 11-03-15
By: David W. Ball, and others
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The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes
- By: Benjamin Schumacher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Benjamin Schumacher
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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The Science of Information: From Language to Black Holes covers the exciting concepts, history, and applications of information theory in 24 challenging and eye-opening half-hour lectures taught by Professor Benjamin Schumacher of Kenyon College. A prominent physicist and award-winning educator at one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, Professor Schumacher is also a pioneer in the field of quantum information, which is the latest exciting development in this dynamic scientific field.
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Not appropriate for audio-only
- By Katz-Mulvey Family on 03-12-19
By: Benjamin Schumacher, and others
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Understanding Russia
- A Cultural History
- By: Lynne Ann Hartnett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lynne Ann Hartnett
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Original Recording
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From the earliest recorded history of the Russian state, its people have sought to define their place in the world. And while many of us look to make sense of Russia through its political history, in many ways a real grasp of this awe-inspiring country comes from looking closely at its cultural achievements. The 24 lectures of Understanding Russia: A Cultural History survey hundreds of years of Russian culture, from the world of Ivan the Terrible to the dawn of the Soviet Union to the post-war tensions of Putin’s Russia.
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Good American overview of Russia
- By Jeffrey L. Smith, PE on 10-21-18
By: Lynne Ann Hartnett, and others
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Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature
- By: Professor Daniel Breyer, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Daniel Breyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear about someone committing a violent, reprehensible, even evil, act. And each time it happens, before we know anything about the circumstances, we are already sure of one thing: We are nothing like that perpetrator. But how can we be so sure? After all, we are all human. In Understanding the Dark Side of Human Nature, Professor Daniel Breyer takes us on a fascinating philosophical journey into many of the deepest and darkest questions that have engaged humanity for millennia.
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A Great Cross-Cultural Conversation
- By Anonymous User on 09-09-19
By: Professor Daniel Breyer, and others
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The Agency: A History of the CIA
- By: Hugh Wilford, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Hugh Wilford
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
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There’s a fundamental tension buried within the heart of the CIA’s mission to protect the American people: between democratic accountability and the inherent need for secrecy. Ultimately, it’s US citizens who bear the responsibility of staying informed about what the CIA has done and continues to do. In these 24 engrossing lectures, explore the roles the CIA has played in recent American history, from the eve of the Cold War against communism to the 21st-century War on Terror.
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Axe to Grind
- By MissBouquet on 05-26-19
By: Hugh Wilford, and others
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Understanding the US Government
- By: Jennifer Nicoll Victor, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Nicoll Victor
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
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In these 24 refreshingly balanced lectures, Professor Victor presents a comprehensive examination of American politics in which she demystifies its many puzzles and offers a nonpartisan look at the outcomes it produces.
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A Tale of Two Courses (Feel a Bit Hoodwinked)
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 09-21-20
By: Jennifer Nicoll Victor, and others
What listeners say about The Life and Death of Stars
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dimbaka Singh
- 01-26-24
The book for understanding stars !
I am just pleasantly blown away with the content and the narration. I can understand a good amount of discussion between two of my astronomy friends.
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- Dr. Joe de Beauchamp
- 07-16-20
Stars
I found this great course in Stars. I know this is Joe how can I help. These college courses help a great deal to get you caught up with current technology.
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- Bethel Lewis
- 11-22-21
Great Content But Never Intended to be an Audiobook
This would be a great visual presentation, but with lots of references to images, figures and simulations which are not in the included PDF, the listener must just imagine what is being shown. Sure the listener could search the internet for similar images, and might even be able to find some of the simulations through the references, but “See image blah blah” or even links to the referenced file (especially in the case of the simulations) would be so much user friendly.
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- Guru Bahasa
- 10-20-22
Informative & Enjoyable Science
The illustrative and storytelling quality of the professor and his speaking voice made this a very enjoyable listen. Many complex concepts were described and explained in an easily understandable manner. Definitely recommend for anyone interested in science!
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- IngridH
- 08-23-22
Addictive and Mind Blowing
So easy to listen to. I haven’t felt so connected to the universe in…ever. Loved. Loved. Loved.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-22-23
Worth Double the Credits
What a fantastic book.
If I could give any recommendation, it would be to say that this is probably my favorite audio book, if I wake and find sleep difficult then it’s my go to book.
If I’m driving or flying by myself it’s my go to book.
There is a continual pattern of me being astounded by something that I didn’t quite understand previously and this time around I’ve just had my eyes opened.
Well written and the reading is first class.
I’ve used the attached PDF document a few times as well. It’s valuable but not as good as the book itself.
Best of all, there is a money back guarantee if you find this book is not for you.
But it’s my #1 in a library of 100+ audiobooks.
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- Nick Whale
- 03-31-19
Great overview of stellar astronomy
Astronomy is abstract at first and the concepts take time to cure in the mind. As an astrophysics student, it's important to see the information from multiple angles. This is a great way to describe some of the more difficult concepts to get started on, like how the uncertainty principle plays into degeneracy pressure. Great for long drives to a lecture on the subject in this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- dean whitlock
- 02-25-24
this one is better with video.
instructor frequently refers to pictures or images that he has in the lecture. most of which I had to google as they are not all in the pdf download.
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- Flora
- 07-13-24
Excellent book.
This is amazing! I learned so much, but the constant comparisons of stellar developments to embryos, wombs, births, siblings, parents was an annoyance.
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- pondo
- 12-27-18
Stassun keeps referring to visual material
I really like the lecture and have learned a lot (it's not the same old knowledge rehashed like a lot of physics books lately). But one ultra annoying part is, he keeps refering to visual materials, like the horsehead nebulae, which yea I've see pictures of nebulae's before, but never with the intent of looking at indicators that Stassun is refering to, before they were just pretty pictures. It finally reached the "ultra" annoying part when he was showing a computer simulated video of a planet forming, and saying things like "See how it cut's out a tract in the planetary disc" or "Now you can see how Jupiter is just like the Earth." The description of the book says there is a pdf added to my library for the book, which I will find, But I listen in my car so I'll never be able to look at the pdf while driving. just fair warning to anybody wanting to get this book, to check the pdf. Final verdict, absolutely worth the credit
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17 people found this helpful