Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating...
Review: Robert Kirshner's book, 'The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy and the Accelerating Cosmos', is another in a series of interesting texts on cosmology written essentially for those who are science-illiterate, or at least only somewhat informed, and who wish to know some of the key insights and discoveries of our time regarding astronomy. Particularly at the end of this text, where Kirshner explains the importance of this kind of scientific research (why would the government or private agencies want to spend money on research that has little if anything to do with addressing the desires of humanity, encapsulated by Kirshner, as wanting to 'rich, safe and immortal'?) for the average person - it is not just for intellectual fancy or whim, but the long-term implications of understanding the universe can affect our lives in ways we can't even contemplate today.Kirshner's narrative looks at many of the key discoveries, controversies, and personalities of the field of astrophysics, theoretical physics and cosmology in the twentieth century. Kirshner lays the groundwork not with Einstein (as so many texts do) but rather goes behind Einstein to the earlier work of Gauss and Riemann, with mathematics that, at the time, would not have been considered useful in the ways Einstein's general relativity made it. Kirshner looks at observation (Hubble Telescope, observations of background radiation through various methods, etc.) as well as theoretical conjectures to show the strand of thinking from the early universal constructs to present day theories. Kirshner traces the history of recent astronomy and cosmology through researchers in history such as Einstein and Hubble as well as persons he knows personally and professionally at work in the field today. Particularly in the last half-to-third of the book, where Kirshner brings in this personal level of acquaintance with the people involved, the science comes alive in a very human way. Kirshner is good at showing the limitations, as well - sometimes you just get lucky, or your gifts complement others. With regard to Hubble and Hale, for example, Kirshner recounts the evidence that they did not really understand Einstein's general relativity or the mathematics of his cosmological thinking; nonetheless, they continued their observational researches, and when Hubble discovered the expansion of the universe, Kirshner states that you don't have to know all of the mathematical and technical details involved in science, but rather 'you just have to face in the right direction and go forward' with those things that you can do! Some of the key concepts Kirshner develops include the life-cycle of stars, the overall shape and structure of the universe, the idea of dark matter/dark energy that has gone unknown for so long, and the ideas of reaching back to the origins of the universe and drawing conclusions for the acceleration of the universal expansion. Kirshner does not develop the areas of planetary science or solar-system type ideas in this text except very peripherally - this is a book for grand topics on a cosmic scale indeed. The book is very readable and accessible to any with an advanced high-school or undergraduate beginning ability in science. How could it not be, given an author whose mis-spent youth watching 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' cartoons is confessed in the endnotes? There are technical terms, and (gasp!) even a few equations thrown in here and there, but understanding the narrative is not dependent upon being able to process the equations. There are colour plates in the centre, with other black-and-white photographs and images throughout. In keeping with the non-technical nature of the text, endnotes are kept to a minimum, and recommended readings are few. An interesting text, and a very good subject.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating...
Review: Robert Kirshner's book, `The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy and the Accelerating Cosmos', is another in a series of interesting texts on cosmology written essentially for those who are science-illiterate, or at least only somewhat informed, and who wish to know some of the key insights and discoveries of our time regarding astronomy. Particularly at the end of this text, where Kirshner explains the importance of this kind of scientific research (why would the government or private agencies want to spend money on research that has little if anything to do with addressing the desires of humanity, encapsulated by Kirshner, as wanting to `rich, safe and immortal'?) for the average person - it is not just for intellectual fancy or whim, but the long-term implications of understanding the universe can affect our lives in ways we can't even contemplate today. Kirshner's narrative looks at many of the key discoveries, controversies, and personalities of the field of astrophysics, theoretical physics and cosmology in the twentieth century. Kirshner lays the groundwork not with Einstein (as so many texts do) but rather goes behind Einstein to the earlier work of Gauss and Riemann, with mathematics that, at the time, would not have been considered useful in the ways Einstein's general relativity made it. Kirshner looks at observation (Hubble Telescope, observations of background radiation through various methods, etc.) as well as theoretical conjectures to show the strand of thinking from the early universal constructs to present day theories. Kirshner traces the history of recent astronomy and cosmology through researchers in history such as Einstein and Hubble as well as persons he knows personally and professionally at work in the field today. Particularly in the last half-to-third of the book, where Kirshner brings in this personal level of acquaintance with the people involved, the science comes alive in a very human way. Kirshner is good at showing the limitations, as well - sometimes you just get lucky, or your gifts complement others. With regard to Hubble and Hale, for example, Kirshner recounts the evidence that they did not really understand Einstein's general relativity or the mathematics of his cosmological thinking; nonetheless, they continued their observational researches, and when Hubble discovered the expansion of the universe, Kirshner states that you don't have to know all of the mathematical and technical details involved in science, but rather `you just have to face in the right direction and go forward' with those things that you can do! Some of the key concepts Kirshner develops include the life-cycle of stars, the overall shape and structure of the universe, the idea of dark matter/dark energy that has gone unknown for so long, and the ideas of reaching back to the origins of the universe and drawing conclusions for the acceleration of the universal expansion. Kirshner does not develop the areas of planetary science or solar-system type ideas in this text except very peripherally - this is a book for grand topics on a cosmic scale indeed. The book is very readable and accessible to any with an advanced high-school or undergraduate beginning ability in science. How could it not be, given an author whose mis-spent youth watching `Rocky and Bullwinkle' cartoons is confessed in the endnotes? There are technical terms, and (gasp!) even a few equations thrown in here and there, but understanding the narrative is not dependent upon being able to process the equations. There are colour plates in the centre, with other black-and-white photographs and images throughout. In keeping with the non-technical nature of the text, endnotes are kept to a minimum, and recommended readings are few. An interesting text, and a very good subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Dr. Kirshner's excellent adventure
Review: Robert P. Kirshner's - The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Cosmos addresses no less of an issue than the beginning and the end of all things, i.e. the universe were we live. The essence of the book is to determine whether the universe is static, is expanding or is contracting. The book describes the efforts of Dr. Kirshner using astronomical observations of supernova explosions to answer this thorny question. The answer as presented in the book is a fitting corollary to a suspense or mystery novel, in spite that it was given away in the title. Readers familiar with the subject may find the antics of Dr. Kirshner and his associates either amusing or uninteresting, but they will not be able to avoid them, as the book is full of them. However, somewhere between reading about the amazing Danes and their astonishing capacity to acquire frequent flyer miles or the dietary habits of astronomers when working in the southern hemisphere, a fascinating account of astrophysics will emerge. Removed of the fluff of self-aggrandizement and false self-deprecation, which plagues many books about technical subjects written by very intelligent persons, the book is very informative and interesting. The paucity of hard data or hard reasoning to illustrate the discoveries depicted in the book is a major limitation, as many readers may resist accepting arguments instead of learning about the rationale for the interpretation. In fact, the vast amount of truly interesting information obviously known by the author cries for a more formal treatment of this subject to be shared with the readers. A wonderful contribution would have been to place in context the efforts of the great astronomers and astrophysicists mentioned in the book to establish the state of the universe, and the contribution that the study of supernova explosions provides to this subject. Instead, we learn about supernovas along with how brilliant such and such postdoc happens to be ("Kirshner Junior"), we see that old professors sometimes look silly, that teams of scientists have a predisposition to engage in outings in the woods while wearing t-shirts and looking overly competent and assured, etc., etc. It is only in the last few pages that a sympathetic (and moving) image of Dr. Kirshner emerges as he makes a passionate and inspired plea for the pursuit of knowledge and for our collective quest for understanding the universe as a paradigm for understanding ourselves as beings in a vast expanse of energy and matter. Overall, the book is an expanded version of a very good undergraduate course in astrophysics (which happens to be one of Dr. Kirshners' specialties). It will be read with great enjoyment and interest. Nonetheless, some readers will feel disappointed by a lost opportunity to learn even more details about the expanding universe, to learn what the relevant questions are, why it is important to answer them and the implications of the possible answers. At best the book will provide fascinating information about the universe; at worst nobody will be disappointed of learning of Dr. Kirshner's excellent adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but was hoping for more scientific detail
Review: The Extravagant Universe is an interesting read, taking you through the career of Professor Kirshner as well as an overview of the components of the universe and astronomy. Particularly interesting are the descriptions of how the researchers use supernovae to measure the expansion of the universe. Likewise, other scientific discussions, such as how the different elements in the universe were formed are well detailed.
However, I was hoping for a more detailed discussion of dark matter and a greater focus on the scientific concepts.
I would recommend this book if you're looking for a story of the evolution of a discovery and the twists and turns of the research behind it. If you're looking for a pure description of the theories discussed in The Extravagant Universe, this book may fall short.
Rating:
Summary: Professor Schwartz's Review
Review: The message I wish to convey in this brief review is my belief that "people like me" will find this book enjoyable, informative, stimulating and, perhaps, even, inspiring. I sketch who I am so the reader can decide if she is enough like me for my reactions to the book to be helpful in her decision whether to read it. I am a law professor. I have no training in physics, astrophysics or any of the mathematics used by astrophysicists. It is also a matter of indifference to me how large the universe will be in ten billion years or how large it was ten billion years ago. How, then, the reader might wonder, could such a person have found reading this book such a rewarding experience. I begin to answer this question by putting aside a personal consideration which is unlikely to apply to many people who read this review. My daughter-in-law is an astrophysicist. I love and respect her very much. I believe that our relationship is enriched if I am able to share some of the feelings and aspirations which lie at the heart of her professional life. This book is a great help in my doing this. I begin my explanation for those of the readers who do not have "a relative in the business" by focusing on the title of the book: "The Extravagant Universe". The term "extravagant" has an inescapable quality of exuberance and delight. It is, moreover, forward looking, pointing to all of the interesting and challenging questions which are posed by our current hard earned knowledge of the forces which make the universe what it is. If one considers the current scientific consensus about these forces, the optimistic, forward looking adjective "extravagant" does not rush to mind, at least not to my mind. It is tempting to view the story as a dreary one, with no great organizing principles and extraordinary heterogeneity in the material comprising the universe. It is certainly impossible to find in the story guidance or inspiration for deciding how to live a good life. So, I offer the provocative suggestion that what makes this such a valuable book for "people like me" is not what it says about the universe but, rather, what it says about the people trying to understand the universe. What I think of as the anthropology of the astrophysics community is fascinating and, indeed, inspiring. For example, viewed from the anthropological perspective, the "observation" is a great drama. Bureaucratic maneuver to get time on a suitable telescope, painstaking planning of what observations will be taken, the search in the skies for the objects which theory predicts are worth studying all culminate in the demanding and thrilling process of collecting and analyzing the relevant data. In the end, what captures the importance of this book for me is my great regret that my own professional life does not provide me the opportunity to play a part in dramas like these. I believe that "people like me" will learn a great deal by comparing their own professional lives with the individual and collective behavior of astrophysicists.
Rating:
Summary: Professor Schwartz's Review
Review: The message I wish to convey in this brief review is my belief that "people like me" will find this book enjoyable, informative, stimulating and, perhaps, even, inspiring. I sketch who I am so the reader can decide if she is enough like me for my reactions to the book to be helpful in her decision whether to read it. I am a law professor. I have no training in physics, astrophysics or any of the mathematics used by astrophysicists. It is also a matter of indifference to me how large the universe will be in ten billion years or how large it was ten billion years ago. How, then, the reader might wonder, could such a person have found reading this book such a rewarding experience. I begin to answer this question by putting aside a personal consideration which is unlikely to apply to many people who read this review. My daughter-in-law is an astrophysicist. I love and respect her very much. I believe that our relationship is enriched if I am able to share some of the feelings and aspirations which lie at the heart of her professional life. This book is a great help in my doing this. I begin my explanation for those of the readers who do not have "a relative in the business" by focusing on the title of the book: "The Extravagant Universe". The term "extravagant" has an inescapable quality of exuberance and delight. It is, moreover, forward looking, pointing to all of the interesting and challenging questions which are posed by our current hard earned knowledge of the forces which make the universe what it is. If one considers the current scientific consensus about these forces, the optimistic, forward looking adjective "extravagant" does not rush to mind, at least not to my mind. It is tempting to view the story as a dreary one, with no great organizing principles and extraordinary heterogeneity in the material comprising the universe. It is certainly impossible to find in the story guidance or inspiration for deciding how to live a good life. So, I offer the provocative suggestion that what makes this such a valuable book for "people like me" is not what it says about the universe but, rather, what it says about the people trying to understand the universe. What I think of as the anthropology of the astrophysics community is fascinating and, indeed, inspiring. For example, viewed from the anthropological perspective, the "observation" is a great drama. Bureaucratic maneuver to get time on a suitable telescope, painstaking planning of what observations will be taken, the search in the skies for the objects which theory predicts are worth studying all culminate in the demanding and thrilling process of collecting and analyzing the relevant data. In the end, what captures the importance of this book for me is my great regret that my own professional life does not provide me the opportunity to play a part in dramas like these. I believe that "people like me" will learn a great deal by comparing their own professional lives with the individual and collective behavior of astrophysicists.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better!
Review: This book focus more on the writer's biography than anything else. Little scientifical explanations are given considering the bulk of the book. Very narrow and somewhat shallow. Overall: Mediocre.
Rating:
Summary: great book of recent events
Review: This is a fun and exciting tour of the recent work that uncovered that the universe is currently accelerating. The author does a great job at explaining details as well as for sharing credit with the many people involved (as if to do the exact opposite of what George Smoot supposed did with the CMB discovery). I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: great book of recent events
Review: This is a fun and exciting tour of the recent work that uncovered that the universe is currently accelerating. The author does a great job at explaining details as well as for sharing credit with the many people involved (as if to do the exact opposite of what George Smoot supposed did with the CMB discovery). I highly recommend this book.
|
