An up-to-the-minute, entertaining revelation for armchair explorers of deep space.
British astronomer Watson (Why Is Uranus Upside Down? And Other Questions About the Universe, 2007, etc.) takes readers on a genial tour of the known—and imagined—universe.
“A typical place in the Universe is empty, cold and dark. And nothing in our experience can quantify just how empty, cold and dark it is.” So, with a nicely dramatic touch, writes the author, a pioneer in optics, long resident as a researcher in Australia, with an asteroid named in his honor. He has been on the astronomical scene for decades and is thus well positioned to track the development of theories on such matters as the nature of dark matter and, closer to home, the formation of the Earth’s moon. On the latter, he discards older notions that the moon was formed by accreted space debris and instead examines the “most popular contemporary theory,” namely that some large body, such as the “Mars-sized collider” called Theia, ran into Earth early in the planet’s history and threw a moon-sized section into orbit around the planet. The theory is not without its problems, but Watson is on the spot with research less than a year old that indicates that the moon is made mostly of “terrestrial magma, rather than rocky debris from Theia.” The evolution-of-ideas theme carries over to the famed Big Bang theory, which has been reverberating in one iteration or another for a century but has recently been complicated by the notion of “dark energy” and its role in the speed with which the universe expanded during those billions of explosive years. “The acceleration kicked in,” writes Watson, “only when galaxies were far enough apart for dark energy to begin to overcome gravity.” The author writes accessibly, and though some of the discussions may be a touch dense for readers without a background in astronomy, he doesn’t shy away from telling tales out of school, as when he reveals that one supposed signal from across the universe turned out to be a burst of radiation from a microwave oven in the lunchroom.
An up-to-the-minute, entertaining revelation for armchair explorers of deep space.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-231-19540-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Columbia Univ.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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