The Extravagant Universe : Exploding Stars, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Cosmos (Princeton Science Library)

Rating:
Summary: Nice story - science lacking
Review: Dr. Kirshiner spins a good yarn. The focus of the book is mostly on the story and history of the accelerating universe theory, presented in a very readable style. I would only fault the book in that after reading it, while I'm now comfortable with the idea of the accelerating universe, I would have liked to see more of the science and math involved. It's a great overview, though; recommended!

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing story of a recent monumental discovery
Review: In early 1998, scientist Robert Kirshner and his team published the astonishing claim that the universe's expansion was accelerating due to the power of dark energy. Subsequent research has not been able to disprove the results obtained by Kirshner's "high-z supernova search team." This book is Kirshner's discussion of that finding and its importance to cosmology.

The first half of the book is essentially a crash course in the basics of cosmology, with many anecdotes and background from earlier research since Einstein or even before. Kirshner's witty style keeps this section entertaining even for those familiar with the information. He compares several distance indicators, such as Cepheid variables, redshifts, and supernovae. We learn how supernovae can be used to measure distances to remote galaxies due to their incredible brightness. We also become familiar with the pitfalls of using supernovae as standard candles, because there are a few different types.

Then the author gets into the real purpose of his book: to describe his research team's methods, results, and road to success with the press. The subtitle of the book is somewhat misleading; it should have been something like "The Story of the High-Z Supernova Search Team". Though the information wasn't presented in quite the way I was expecting, Kirshner gets the job done. He patiently educates the layman reader in many aspects of astronomy and cosmology. Towards the end it becomes a race between two supernova search teams using different methods. Though I found this yarn interesting, I would have preferred a general discourse to the narrative presented here.

Overall, this book is probably one of the most well-written and absorbing reads on this specific subject. Science and astronomy buffs should enjoy it greatly.

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.