The Five Ages of the Universe

The universe might seem to have been around for a very long time, but in The Five Ages of the Universe Fred Adams and Greg Laughlin show that it might be considered to still be in its early stages. They divide the life of the universe into five eras, starting with the primordial era - the 100000 years following the big bang. Then comes the stelliferous era , which is the one we live in. This is followed by the degenerate era, the black hole era, and finally, when all of the black holes have evaporated, by the dark era.

Books such as this often tend to read more like science fiction than science fact, but although it is sometimes speculative, I felt that this book was based on firm scientific ground. I would say that this book is suitable for a wide readership - its not too technical and it has some well placed illustrations - but some prior knowledge of the subject area might be useful as the book doesn't try to teach the reader the basics of modern physics. I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to get an idea of the long term fate of the universe.