The companion to the popular PBS series. For everyone who bought A Brief History of Time (9 million so far) but had trouble understanding it, this is a simple, easily accessible explanation of the same ideasand an introduction to the people behind them. . Stephen Hawkings A Brief History of Time has sold over 9 million copies worldwide. Now, in everyday language, Stephen Hawkings Universe reveals step-by-step how we can all share his understanding of the cosmos, and our own place within it. Stargazing has never been the same since cosmologists discovered that galaxies are moving away from each other at an extraordinary speed. It was this understanding of the movement of galaxies that allowed scientists to develop a theory of how the universe was createdthe Big Bang theory. Working with this theory, Stephen Hawking and other physicists felt challenged to come up with a scientific picture that would tackle the fundamental question: what is the nature of the universe? Stephen Hawkings Universe charts this work and provides simple explanations for phenomena that arouse our curiosity. This work is a voyage of discovery with an astonishing set of conclusions that will enable us to understand how matter can be produced from nothing at all and will provide us with an explanation for the basis of our existence and that of everything around us.