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Ask HN: Good books, videos, series to learn about physics and the cosmos?

by cgb223 on 8/3/23, 11:00 PM with 1 comments

I’m going through a bit of an existential crisis and would love to understand more about what we know about our universe, how it works, and maybe even how things like quantum mechanics/physics play a role in that

I loved Neil Degrasse Tyson’s series on this, and want something that’s a little bit more in depth

Also, if anyone has found a reasonably good answer to calm themselves about the absolutely absurd nature of life and the universe, would love to hear it. I’ve been having panic attack after panic attack. Not ideal

  • by dangitnotagain on 8/4/23, 1:04 AM

    There is a lecture series “Astronomy, Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe” by James Kaler which is quite excellent.

    Recorded Books has the Modern Scholar Series, which one might obtain through their local library. It’s an audio, not literally a book, though the quality is excellent and may answer many questions (like how is sunlight made?)

    As for quantum considerations, try the book “fabric of the universe”, by David Deutsch. And there is always Alice in Quantumland if you want to “go down the rabbit hole” so to speak.