A guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all - from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel. Describing the latest discoveries in astrophysics, the narrative propels you from our home solar system to the outermost frontiers of space. How do stars live and die? Why did Pluto lose its planetary status? What are the prospects of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? How did the universe begin? Why is it expanding and why is its expansion accelerating? Is our universe alone or part of an infinite multiverse? The authors open your eyes to the wonders of the cosmos, sharing their knowledge of how the universe works. Breathtaking in scope and stunningly illustrated, a book for those who hunger for insights into our evolving universe that only world-class astrophysicists can provide. Neil deGrasse received an MA in Physics from Harvard and a PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia and a Postdoctoral research fellowship at Princeton. He has been the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium since 1996. Michael Strauss is a professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University. J. Richard Gott is noted for his contributions to cosmology and general relativity. He was for many years Chair of the Judges for the Westinghouse and Intel Science Talent Search.