Related papers: Piecing together the big picture
Essentially everything of astronomical interest is either part of a galaxy, or from a galaxy, or otherwise relevant to the origin or evolution of galaxies. Diverse examples are that the isotropic composition of meteorites provides clues to…
How is the universe organized on large scales? How did this structure evolve from the unknown initial conditions to the present time? The answers to these questions will shed light on the cosmology we live in, the amount, composition and…
Some scientists take themselves and their work very seriously. However, there are plenty of cases of humour being combined with science. Here I review some examples from the broad fields of physics and astronomy, particularly focusing on…
The past 50 years has seen cosmology go from a field known for the errors being in the exponents to precision science. The transformation, powered by ideas, technology, a paradigm shift and culture change, has revolutionized our…
This article reviews some recent developments in Astroparticle Physics. Due to the extension of the field only part of the results and developments can be covered. The status of the search for Dark Matter, some recent results on Cosmic Rays…
This is a review article for The Review of Particle Physics 2026 (aka the Particle Data Book), appearing as Chapter 25. It forms a compact review of knowledge of the cosmological parameters near the end of 2025. Topics included are…
This special issue is dedicated to starshades: science, engineering, technology and programmatics. Our reasons for organizing this special issue are several fold. First as a new technology and with research accomplished in many…
A general overview of the understanding of our Galaxy is presented following the lines of its main structures: halo, disc, bulge/bar. This review is emphasising some "Time Domain Astronomy" contributions. On the one hand the distance and…
Highly personalysed and subjective review of studies of the equilibrium, pulsations and stability of stars with the first-order phase transition.
These are the preparatory notes for a Science & Music essay, "Playing by numbers", appeared in Nature 453 (2008) 988-989.
Astronomy is an observationally-led subject where chance discoveries play an important role. A whole range of such discoveries is continually made, from the trivial to the highly significant. What is generally needed is for luck to strike…
Here I indulge in wide-ranging speculations on the shape of physics, and technology closely related to physics, over the next one hundred years. Themes include the many faces of unification, the re-imagining of quantum theory, and new forms…
The aim of this article is twofold: on the one hand it is intended to serve as a gentle introduction to the topic of creative telescoping, from a practical point of view; for this purpose its application to several problems is exemplified.…
The work is divided into three sections: the first one describes the historical evolution of the main arguments presented about the plurality of inhabited worlds, from the presocratics to the birth of modern science. The second section…
This is an expository article for Elsevier's Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics on the subject in the title. Comments/corrections welcome.
This is a review article for The Review of Particle Physics 2024 (aka the Particle Data Book), appearing as Chapter 25. It forms a compact review of knowledge of the cosmological parameters near the end of 2023. Topics included are…
The study of the Universe and all its contents, the physical phenomena and the evolution of the sky objects has always attracted the Humanity. The Astronomy begins to try to explain these things, others sciences too. Therefore, we think a…
Invited contribution to the inaugural issue of {\em Physics Educator.}
The investigation of the emergence of life is a major endeavour of science. Astronomy is contributing to it in three fundamental manners: (1) by measuring the chemical enrichment of the Universe, (2) by investigating planet formation and…
This text consists on a series of introductory lectures on cosmology for mathematicians and physicists who are not specialized on the subject.