by Isaac Asimov ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 1985
An honest-to-goodness new Asimov book: not a swatch of columns, an array of editings, or a one-volume explanation of everything. It's about novas and supernovas, the glamorous starbursts that have inspired not a few popular books over the decade. As usual, Asimov brings to his coverage chronological detail, a bare minimum of personalities, and a zeal to explain complexities to lay audiences. So we learn that novas are those wild explosions that result from the exchange of matter between ultraclose stars: one, a white dwarf normally on the road to oblivion; the other, a main sequence star moving up to red giant status but throwing off matter to enrich its neighbor in an accretion ring. Supernovas, on the other hand, fall into two types—the more interesting of which are the type IIs: massive stars that pass through white dwarfery on their way to becoming neutron stars (pulsars) and possibly even black holes. In the process, the supernovas spew out outer layers so heated and charged with energy as to produce the nuclei of massive elements, to seed the cosmic dust. Like others, Asimov says we must thank our lucky supernovas for endowing space with the particles that allow a second generation star, like our sun, to form with all the debris necessary to supply a planetary system with the wherewithal of life. Following his good exposition of the novae, indeed, Asimov takes up cosmic, earthly, and biological origins, evoking the useful fallout from supernovae in these processes. There's discussion of new millisecond pulsars not found elsewhere, and of the role of supernovas in triggering star formation, and providing strong sources of cosmic rays. True to Asimov form, there is also conjecture of probabilities should a supernova burst nearby. A skillful job.
Pub Date: April 22, 1985
ISBN: 0452276608
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1985
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by Carlo Rovelli ; translated by Simon Carnell & Erica Segre ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2016
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
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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
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by Richard Rhodes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1986
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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