A Different Approach to Cosmology: From a Static Universe through the Big Bang towards Reality

This is a different kind of book about cosmology, a field of major interest to professional astronomers, physicists, and the general public. All research in cosmology adopts one model of the universe, the hot big bang model. But Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge and Jayant Narlikar take a different approach. Starting with the beginnings of modern cosmology, they then conduct a wide ranging and deep review of the observations made from 1945 to the present day. Here they challenge many conventional interpretations. The latter part of the book presents the authors' own account of the present status of observations and how they should be explained. The controversial theme is that the dependency on the hot big bang model has led to an unwarranted rejection of alternative cosmological models. Writing from the heart, with passion and punch, these three cosmologists make a powerful case for viewing the universe in a different light.

Table of Contents:
Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Early relativistic cosmology; 3. The observational revolution; 4. The observational trail 1931, the determination of H0 and the age dilemma; 5. Changing times 1945–1965: New techniques and new people; 6. The extension of the redshift apparent magnitude diagram to faint galaxies 1956–1995; 7. The classical steady state cosmological model and its observational tests; 8. The cosmic microwave background, an historical account; 9. The origin of the light elements; 10. A new primordial calculation of Y and D/H; 11. The new observational evidence and its interpretation: (a) quasi-stellar objects and redshifts; 12. The new observational evidence and its interpretation: (b) ejection phenomena and energetics; 13. Modern Friedmann cosmology; 14. Standard cosmology; 15. New cosmological models; 16. The observational evidence explained in terms of the quasi-steady state model; 17. The intrinsic redshift problem; 18. Creation centers and black holes; 19. Modern observations of faint galaxies and related objects; 20. Large scale distribution of matter; 21. A brief account of the radiation fields in the universe: the observations and their interpretation; 22. Summary; 23. Some unsolved problems.

Review :
'Professor Sir Fred Hoyle, Britain's greatest living astrophysicist … launches his most comprehensive attack against the Big Bang theory, in a book with the archly subversive title A Different Approach to Cosmology. … when Hoyle makes a cosmic pronouncement, it is invariably worth hearing … Together with two other respected astrophysicists, Hoyle systematically reviews the evidence for the Big Bang theory, and gives it a good kicking … it's hard not to be impressed by the audacity of the demolition job. The supposedly impressive evidence for galaxies being more crowded together in the past, they argue, emerged from woefully incomplete surveys of the night sky. Now the surveys are complete, the results tally nicely with the Steady State theory. As for the cooking of hydrogen into other elements, Hoyle and his colleagues show that ordinary stars are quite capable of doing this. And when they do, moreover, they fill the universe with a feeble amount of heat - just as observed. … I can only hope that I possess one-thousandth of Hoyles' fighting spirit when I, like him, have reached my 85th year.' Robert Matthews, The Sunday Telegraph 'Throughout the last few decades, Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge and Jayant Narlikar have done the cosmology community a great service by developing and defending a serious alternative to Big bang models of cosmic origins. A Different Approach to Cosmology is a summary of their work … by elucidating one of the hot Big Bang's competitors, the authors provide a good educational exercise for any graduate student interested in fundamental cosmology.' David W. Hogg and Matias Zaldarriaga, Science '… this book … will help [younger cosmologists] to understand how Hoyle and others started to consider some bold and relevant cosmological ideas long before anyone else and to give credit where it is due.' Roger Blandford, The Times Higher Education Supplement 'Fred Hoyle is one of the most famous living astronomers in Britain. This is not only because he wrote excellent popular books and gave inspirational radio broadcasts, but also because of a wilful determination to court controversy, pronouncing on viruses from space, or airing allegations about faked fossils. But it is astrophysics and cosmology for which he was first known. He made fundamental contributions to astrophysics … Hoyle also played a prominent role in the development of the steady state theory … he has teamed up with two erstwhile colleagues to review the field in which he cut his scientific teeth.' New Scientist 'This tome is the book of the year. The three very well-known authors, three who have stuck together through many a stiff cosmological controversy, put their case for a 'different' type of cosmological interpretation of observational 'facts'. Their concluding chapter is realism indeed.' Irish Astronomical Journal '… there is much in here to enthral and fascinate.' Stuart Clark, Journal of the British Astronomical Association '… I recommend this book highly not only to beginners, but even more so to the experts. if we were not willing to listen to Hoyle, Burbidge, and Narlikar, whom else should we trust?' Wolfgang Kundt, General Relativity and Gravitation '… one of the clearest accounts I have yet encountered of the history of mainstream modern cosmology … this is a fascinating book, expressing the views of three scientists who choose to go against the conventional cosmological wisdom. It is extremely important for such skepticism to exist and for such books to be written.' Mario Livio, Physics Today '[I] warmly recommend it to anyone with a deep interest in cosmology.' Neil English, Astronomy Now 'Writing from the heart, with passion and punch, these three cosmologists make a powerful case for viewing the universe in a different light.' Europe & Astronomy 'The book is a mix of history, polemic, and thought-provoking questioning. It outlines a critique of the currently accepted cosmology.' David Southwood, EOS