From the First Star to Milkomeda

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An exhilarating journey through the most exciting frontiers in astronomy, ranging from the scientific version of the story of genesis to the mysteries of black holes, the search for extraterrestrial life and the future of our universe . Avi Loeb, Chair of the Astronomy department and Director of the Institute for Theory & Computation at Harvard University who made pioneering contributions to these frontiers, describes them at a layperson level from a firsthand experience. In 2012, TIME magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space. The second part of the book includes writings from Loeb's youth when he was drawn to philosophy while growing up on a farm. The book details Loeb's unusual career path from philosophy to science as well as his original views on taking risks in research and promoting diversity. "This collection of writings by Avi Loeb, one of the more original and prolific astronomers of our time, includes his reminiscences, popular articles, and opinion pieces, as well as some philosophical and poetic musings by Loeb when he was an adolescent. Loeb's literary style is always sharp, fast-paced, and to the point, yet still artistically pleasing to read, as he convincingly argues his often-unconventional, or even rebellious, points of view. All in all, a pleasure to read." -Professor Dan Maoz, Tel Aviv University, Israel "I read this e-book in one breath. It was like exploring a pristine jungle, when you are completely absorbed by the charm and excitement of nature and its forces. Loeb can give us these feelings with the depth of thought of one of the greatest astrophysicists of the world, bearing within him the boy who was driving the tractor on the farm. Simply touching." -Professor Andrea Ferrara, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy Quotes from the "… When I look up into the sky at night, I often wonder whether we humans are too preoccupied with ourselves. There is much more to the universe than meets the eye on earth. As an astrophysicist I have the privilege of being paid to think about the sky, and it puts things in perspective for me." “When I look at the stars of the Milky Way on a clear night, they appear to me like the lights of a giant spaceship streaming through the universe. Are there any passengers around the other lights in this spaceship? It would be fun to know and perhaps, share experiences with them." "Instead of defining our research objectives narrowly, we must open our minds to completely different and more exciting discoveries that may be lurking at the periphery of our field of view." "Science can only blossom if young researchers are rewarded for acquired skills and growth rather than inherited academic ancestry." "To cultivate innovation, we should always encourage creativity beyond the comfort limits that we establish for ourselves. Keeping a wide variety of matches in our matchbox will guarantee that not all of them will be duds. Hopefully, a few will light up in the dark to guide us how to move forward." "The barriers I had to overcome through my unusual career path taught me freedom in my choice of research topics and diversity in my selection of collaborators […] About a decade ago, I moved to my current home and discovered a broken branch on a young tree in the yard. The gardener recommended cutting off the branch, but close inspection revealed that living fibers were still linking the branch to the tree and so I chose to tie the branch to the tree with an insulation tape.