An astronaut returns to Earth after a 10-year mission and finds a society that he barely recognizes in science fiction novel by the Solaris author, whose works “make our weary universe seem pale and undistinguished by comparison” (The Washington Post). Stanisław Lem’s Return from the Stars recounts the experiences of Hal Bregg, an astronaut who returns from an exploratory mission that lasted ten years—although because of time dilation, 127 years have passed on Earth. Bregg finds a society that he hardly recognizes, in which danger has been eradicated. Children are “betrizated” to remove all aggression and violence—a process that also removes all impulse to take risks and explore. The people of Earth view Bregg and his crew as “resuscitated Neanderthals,” and pressure them to undergo betrization. Bregg has serious difficulty in navigating the new social mores. While Lem’s depiction of a risk-free society is bleak, he does not portray Bregg and his fellow astronauts as heroes. Indeed, faced with no opposition to his aggression, Bregg behaves abominably. He is faced with a choice: leave Earth again and hope to return to a different society in several hundred years, or stay on Earth and learn to be content. With Return from the Stars, Lem shows the shifting boundaries between utopia and dystopia.

Following Lynn V. Andrews on the continuation of her life’s journey to embrace her sacred feminine power, Star Woman, the fourth book in the internationally bestselling Medicine Woman series, will inspire you to face your fears, recognize your shadow self, and embrace the power of the stars inherent within. A little more than a decade has passed since Lynn Andrews first became initiated into the Sisterhood of the Shields, a secret circle of woman shamans from all over the world, but her journey into the depths of her own power has seemingly just begun. Serving as a bridge between primal ancient knowledge and modern consciousness, Lynn must embrace the dark side of her own spirit and follow the west wind, tapping into the innate, extraordinary powers that exist within us all. Upon visiting a man claiming to have bred a magical horse, Lynn meets the spectacular white stallion, Arion. But, obsessed with power, the horse breeder deceives Lynn, poisoning and kidnapping her for the evil shaman Red Dog, who longs to finally destroy her. In a blaze of light and glory, Arion and Lynn escape, starting her vision quest into the depths of her soul. When she awakens, she meets a new teacher of the Sisterhood: Twin Dreamers, a nomadic shape-shifting shaman woman who, together with Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs, guide Lynn in the unraveling of the barriers of her consciousness, her self-imposed limitations, and her deepest fears.

Space is deep, Man is small and Time is his relentless enemy.... How far is too far? Alan Corday is about to find out. Corday is shanghaied aboard a futuristic starship bound on an interstellar journey. . . on a trek at the speed of light, the world he leaves behind fast vanishing into the past through unexpected time travel. And nothing in the dark, forbidding reaches of space can prepare him for the astounding discovery he will make upon his return from the stars. “Remarkably powerful novel.” —John W. Campbell, Jr., Astounding Science Fiction

Present-day elliptical, spiral and irregular galaxies are large systems made of stars, gas and dark matter. Their properties result from a variety of physical processes that have occurred during the nearly fourteen billion years since the Big Bang. This comprehensive textbook, which bridges the gap between introductory and specialized texts, explains the key physical processes of galaxy formation, from the cosmological recombination of primordial gas to the evolution of the different galaxies that we observe in the Universe today. In a logical sequence, the book introduces cosmology, illustrates the properties of galaxies in the present-day Universe, then explains the physical processes behind galaxy formation in the cosmological context, taking into account the most recent developments in this field. The text ends on how to find distant galaxies with multi-wavelength observations, and how to extract the physical and evolutionary properties based on imaging and spectroscopic data.

Starburst regions in nearby and distant galaxies have a profound impact on our understanding of the early universe. This new, substantially updated and extended edition of Norbert Schulz’s unique book "From Dust to Stars" describes complex physical processes involved in the creation and early evolution of stars. It illustrates how these processes reveal themselves from radio wavelengths to high energy X-rays and gamma–rays, with special reference towards high energy signatures. Several sections devoted to key analysis techniques demonstrate how modern research in this field is pursued and new chapters are introduced on massive star formation, proto-planetary disks and observations of young exoplanets. Recent advances and contemporary research on the theory of star formation are explained, as are new observations, specifically from the three great observatories of the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory which all now operate at the same time and make high resolution space based observing in its prime. As indicated by the new title two new chapters have been included on proto-planetary disks and young exoplanets. Many more colour images illustrate attractive old and new topics that have evolved in recent years. The author gives updates in theory, fragmentation, dust, and circumstellar disks and emphasizes and strengthens the targeting of graduate students and young researchers, focusing more on computational approaches in this edition.

"...The Multiversal book series is equally unique, providing book-length extensions of the lectures with enough additional depth for those who truly want to explore these fields, while also providing the kind of clarity that is appropriate for interested lay people to grasp the general principles involved." - Lawrence M. Krauss Cosmic Update Covers: A novel approach to uncover the dark faces of the Standard Model of cosmology. The possibility that Dark Energy and Dark Matter are manifestations of the inhomogeneous geometry of our Universe. On the history of cosmological model building and the general architecture of cosmological modes. Illustrations on the Large Scale Structure of the Universe. A new perspective on the classical static Einstein Cosmos. Global properties of World Models including their Topology. The Arrow of Time in a Universe with a Positive Cosmological Constant. Exploring the consequences of a fundamental Cosmological Constant for our Universe. Exploring why the current observed acceleration of the Universe may not be its final destiny. Demonstrating that nature forbids the existence of a pure Cosmological Constant. Our current understanding of the long term (in time scales that greatly exceed the current age of the Universe) future of the Universe. The long term fate and eventual destruction of the astrophysical objects that populate the universe -- including clusters, galaxies, stars, planets, and black holes. The material is presented in a layperson-friendly language followed by addition technical sections that explain the basic equations and principles. This feature is very attractive to readers who want to learn more about the theories involved beyond the basic description. "Multiversal JourneysTM is a trademark of Farzad Nekoogar and Multiversal Journeys, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization."