All of us share a common yearning to understand our place in the universe. For countless millennia we looked at the stars, the land and ourselves, and wove explanations that involved unseen forces and unseen beings. In recent times, science has allowed us to look back to almost the beginning of time13.7 billion years ago, providing us with an amazing story of discovery. A story that reveals a cosmos of violent recycling and beauty, of unimaginable magnitude, a universe driven by mysterious dark energy that is expanding at an accelerating rate to its ultimate demise, far, far into the future. The formation of the earth, the creation of life and the accent of the curious conscious human is explored by examining some of the great discovers and discoveries in science. It was inspired by requests made by many visitors to the Gravity Discovery Centre's Cosmology Gallery in Western Australia, that houses a 60m long Timeline of the Universe. They frequently asked if the story and the accompanying poems were available in a book. This inspired the authors to adapt the timeline story, in image, text and verse, in this book.

Gravitational radiation has not been positively detected. Over the past two decades an army of extremely sensitive detectors has been built up, so that today its detection appears inevitable. In the opening chapters of this 1991 book David Blair introduces the concepts of gravitational waves within the context of general relativity. The sources of gravitational radiation for which there is direct observational evidence and those of a more speculative nature are described. He then gives a general introduction to the methods of detection. In the subsequent chapters he has drawn together the leading scientists in the field to give a comprehensive practical and theoretical account of the physics and technology of gravitational wave detection. David Blair has extensive knowledge of the subject and has visited most of the gravitational radiation experiments over the world. He has compiled a book which will be of lasting value to specialists, both the postgraduates and researchers in the field.

Gravitational radiation has not been positively detected. Over the past two decades an army of extremely sensitive detectors has been built up, so that today its detection appears inevitable. In the opening chapters of this 1991 book David Blair introduces the concepts of gravitational waves within the context of general relativity. The sources of gravitational radiation for which there is direct observational evidence and those of a more speculative nature are described. He then gives a general introduction to the methods of detection. In the subsequent chapters he has drawn together the leading scientists in the field to give a comprehensive practical and theoretical account of the physics and technology of gravitational wave detection. David Blair has extensive knowledge of the subject and has visited most of the gravitational radiation experiments over the world. He has compiled a book which will be of lasting value to specialists, both the postgraduates and researchers in the field.