ISBN: PB: 9780300227031
July 2017
288 pp.
23,5x15,6 cm
14 colour illus., 33 black&white illus.
PB:
£11.99
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Mapping the Heavens
The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
This book provides a tour of the "greatest hits" of cosmological discoveries-the ideas that reshaped our universe over the past century. The cosmos, once understood as a stagnant place, filled with the ordinary, is now a universe that is expanding at an accelerating pace, propelled by dark energy and structured by dark matter. Priyamvada Natarajan, our guide to these ideas, is someone at the forefront of the research-an astrophysicist who literally creates maps of invisible matter in the universe. She not only explains for a wide audience the science behind these essential ideas but also provides an understanding of how radical scientific theories gain acceptance. The formation and growth of black holes, dark matter halos, the accelerating expansion of the universe, the echo of the big bang, the discovery of exoplanets, and the possibility of other universes-these are some of the puzzling cosmological topics of the early twenty-first century. Natarajan discusses why the acceptance of new ideas about the universe and our place in it has never been linear and always contested even within the scientific community. And she affirms that, shifting and incomplete as science always must be, it offers the best path we have toward making sense of our wondrous, mysterious universe.
About the author
Priyamvada Natarajan is professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University and holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship at the Dark Center, Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Her research on dark matter, dark energy, and black holes has won her many awards and honors, including Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships. Invested in public dissemination of science and numerical literacy, she is a member of the advisory board of NOVA ScienceNow, participates regularly in the World Science Festival, and writes for The New York Review of Books.
Reviews
"Here is an authoritative guide to the major cosmological breakthroughs of the past century. Natarajan writes as an accomplished guide to contemporary astronomy including dark matter and dark energy" – Owen Gingerich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
"Mapping the Heavens gives a highly readable, insider's view of recent discoveries in astronomy with unusual attention to the instruments used and the human drama of the scientists" – Alan Lightman, author of "The Accidental Universe" and "Einstein's Dream"
"This excellent book describes the boisterous debates and hard slog whereby our current understanding of the cosmos has emerged. It's especially welcome as a faithful portrayal of how science is actually done" – Martin Rees, author of Just Six Numbers
"Priyamvada Natarajan's love affair with the heavens began in childhood, continues with her notable work in astrophysics, and is now enhanced with this insightful overview of the hottest topics in astronomy today – including black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets. Moreover, she traces how these ideas struggled to get accepted, providing the reader with an excellent peek at how science gets done" – Marcia Bartusiak, author of "Black Hole" and "The Day We Found the Universe"
"In this delightful tour of the cosmos, Priyamvada Natarajan traces the intellectual journey that has led to today's understanding of the universe. Deftly weaving centuries of scientific progress with the curiosity, skepticism, and fortitude that made such progress possible, Natarajan captures well humanity's passionate drive to discover" – Brian Greene, author of "The Hidden Reality and The Elegant Universe"
"Mapping the Heavens gives a highly readable, insider's view of recent discoveries in astronomy with unusual attention to the instruments used and the human drama of the scientists" – Alan Lightman, author of "The Accidental Universe" and "Einstein's Dream"
"This excellent book describes the boisterous debates and hard slog whereby our current understanding of the cosmos has emerged. It's especially welcome as a faithful portrayal of how science is actually done" – Martin Rees, author of Just Six Numbers
"Priyamvada Natarajan's love affair with the heavens began in childhood, continues with her notable work in astrophysics, and is now enhanced with this insightful overview of the hottest topics in astronomy today – including black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets. Moreover, she traces how these ideas struggled to get accepted, providing the reader with an excellent peek at how science gets done" – Marcia Bartusiak, author of "Black Hole" and "The Day We Found the Universe"
"In this delightful tour of the cosmos, Priyamvada Natarajan traces the intellectual journey that has led to today's understanding of the universe. Deftly weaving centuries of scientific progress with the curiosity, skepticism, and fortitude that made such progress possible, Natarajan captures well humanity's passionate drive to discover" – Brian Greene, author of "The Hidden Reality and The Elegant Universe"