Weird Universe

David A. J. Seargent holds an MA and Ph.D., both in Philosophy from the University of Newcastle NSW, where he formerly worked as a tutor in Philosophy for the Department of Community of Programs/Worker’s Educational Association external education program. As an amateur astronomer, he is known for his observations of comets, one of which he discovered in 1978. He is the author of five astronomy books: “Comets – Vagabonds in Space” (Doubleday, 1982), “The Greatest Comets in History” (Springer, 2008), “Weird Astronomy” (Springer, 2010), “Weird Weather” (Springer, 2012), and most recently "Weird Worlds" (2013). He is the author of a regular column in “Australian Sky and Telescope” magazine.

From the book reviews: "Seargent (amateur astronomer) describes the complicated nature of current astrophysical and cosmological theories by focusing on those ideas and consequences that either run contrary to the layperson's 'common sense' or that could be regarded as outliers in current scientific thinking. ... without a doubt, undergraduates and general audiences who are interested in paradoxes of modern physics will find this book enjoyable reading. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic and general library collections." (A. Spero, Choice, Vol. 52 (9), May, 2015)

• From Water World to Inflation.- Space, Time, Relativity and Other Things.- The Shape, Size, Age and Origin of the Universe.- Of Atoms, Quanta, Strings and Branes.- Observations and Ideas From Left Field.- Appendix.