We may have a tacit understanding of how our solar system works, but watching the sun disappear behind the moon reminds us of the vastness of space and the enduring mysteries of the universe we inhabit.
In the alternate universe of conservative talk radio, the killing of Bin Laden coincidentally happened on Barack Obama's watch. He had to be kicked dragging and screaming into authorizing it, and even then he made lots of mistakes.
In a lot of areas of my life, particularly in my teenage years, I began to think about the world, and to think about the universe as being a part of my conscious everyday life.
I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to write other kinds of books, even within what might be termed the fairly narrow overlapping genre categories of hard SF and space opera.
The underlying sense of form in my work has been the system of the universe, or part thereof. For that is a rather large model to work from.
In thirteen years, every aspect of the universe can change - ask a thirteen-year-old.
There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital experience.
I was very clear that I wanted to keep 'Thor' out of the rest of the Marvel universe for no less than the first six issues. And the success of the book, I think, speaks well to that decision.
In our skulls, we carry around 3 pounds of slimy, wet, greyish tissue, corrugated like crumpled toilet paper. You wouldn't think, to look at the unappetizing lump, that it was some of the most powerful stuff in the known universe.
Physics grapples with the largest questions the universe presents. 'Where did the totality of reality come from?' 'Did time have a beginning?'
I'm off to save the universe again. It's a tough job but someone has to do it, and I'm glad it's me.
The universe is transformation: life is opinion.
I believe that we're not alone. How can we be alone in an infinite universe? I'm using the word 'alien' with a little trepidation because I know that sparks so many different versions of that word, and there are so many different images that come into one person's head when someone says it.
The more we work to remove our fears and insecurities, the more aware we become of the interworkings of the universe and tap into the laws of nature, which, to most, will appear like we're doing some magic trickery.
It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.
'Borne,' in a weird way, even though it's a totally different universe, picks up where the 'Southern Reach Trilogy' leaves off, because it's post-apocalyptic.
'First Light' is nonfiction, a true story about astronomers who are looking for light coming from the edge of the universe. It tells how science is really done - and science is a lot weirder and more human than most people realize.
Think of the universe as a benevolent parent. A child may want a tub of ice-cream and marshmallows, but a wise parent will give it fruits and vegetables instead. That is not what the child wants, but it is what the child needs.
I think the universe is pure geometry - basically, a beautiful shape twisting around and dancing over space-time.
I wanted to write a story set in the Lovecraftian universe that didn't gloss over the uglier implications of his worldview.
