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TABLE OF CONTENTS THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
PREFACE 7 “The idea of discerning "when" and "how" and by "whom" or by "what" means it all began has a spiritual meaning that consoles and enriches the human soul.” -The Wonders of the Universe INTRODUCTION 13 “…Space belongs to everyone. We explore other worlds as inhabitants of this planet. We do not explore the space as Chinese, French, Iranians, or Americans - we go as humans. We go to Mars as ambassadors from Earth - on behalf of all of us...” · Dr. Firouz Naderi I. THE NIGHT SKY AT A GLANCE 19 ".... As awesome as the number of stars that we see in the sky of a desolate place on a clear, moon-less, pollution-less night may seem to us, it is even more astonishing to think that there are, in fact, more stars in the cosmos than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the Earth...." II. FROM STONEHENGE TO HUBBLE; A Brief History of Astronomy: 29 "...The history of astronomy is a complex one, filled by brilliant individuals who lived and worked at different times and in different parts of the world. Its origin is rooted in the most noble of human traits, curiosity. Its pervasion into human psyche is due to the unfailing and magical order of its subject matter - our universe. And, its perseverance throughout the millennium is a tribute to the ever-revealing grandeur and awe-inspiring nature of the denizens of the cosmos..." III. THE DAWNING OF THE SPACE AGE; To the Moon and Back 75 “Huston! The Eagle Has Landed” - Neil Armstrong IV. THE ORIGIN OF THE MOON 91"... The origin of the Moon has been attributed to the debris blown out of the outer layer of the Earth when a planet about the size of Mars collided with the Earth some 50 million years after its own formation some |
