Interview with the author

Nicholas Mee

Who have been the most important figures in our understanding of the Universe?

Kepler, who first accurately described planetary orbits; Newton, whose grand system of gravity and mechanics launched the era of modern science; and Einstein, whose theory of gravity predicted the existence of black holes, the expansion of the Universe and much else. But many important contributions have been overlooked in the past, especially those made by women such as Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Cecilia Payne and Jocelyn Bell.

Are we on the cusp of great cosmological discovery?

We are living through a golden age of astronomy and astrophysics. This is due to incredible advances in the equipment available to observe the cosmos. Today’s astronomers have a whole range of amazing instruments such as the gravitational wave detectors that are currently detecting gravitational shock waves from black hole collisions.

How close are we to understanding how the Universe began?

The Universe is expanding and there is solid evidence tracing its origin back to the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. The rate of expansion appears to be increasing, which suggests it will expand forever until eventually the stars fizzle out and all matter is dissipated. But there are deeper questions. Are we part of some greater multiverse? Did anything exist before the Big Bang? Did time begin at the Big Bang? As yet, we just don’t know.

Nicholas Mee is co-author of

The Physical World: An Inspirational Tour of Fundamental Physics