Synopses & Reviews
Dark energy. Dark matter. These strange and invisible substances don't just sound mysterious: their unexpected appearance in the cosmic census is upending long-held notions about the nature of the Universe. Astronomers have long known that the Universe is expanding, but everything they could see indicated that gravity should be slowing this spread. Instead, it appears that the Universe is accelerating its expansion and that something stronger than gravity--dark energy--is at work. In Einstein's TelescopeEvalyn Gates, a University of Chicago astrophysicist, transports us to the edge of contemporary science to explore the revolutionary tool that unlocks the secrets of these little-understood cosmic constituents. Based on Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravitational lensing, or "Einstein's Telescope," is enabling new discoveries that are taking us toward the next revolution in scientific thinking--one that may change forever our notions of where the Universe came from and where it is going.
Review
Starred Review. As exciting as it is informative.Gates . . . brings dark matter, dark energy, and even black holes to light . . . with deft humor and grace. -- Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of
Review
Engaging, fearless, factual, and kind. -- Robert P. Kirshner, author of
Synopsis
In 1936, Albert Einstein predicted that gravitational distortions would allow space itself to act as a telescope far more powerful than humans could ever build. Now, cosmologists at the forefront of their field are using this radical technique (Einstein's Telescope) to detect the invisible. In fresh, engaging prose, astrophysicist Evalyn Gates explains how this tool is enabling scientists to uncover planets as big as the Earth, discover black holes as they whirl through space, and trace the evolution of cosmic architecture over billions of years. Powerful and accessible, Einstein's Telescope takes us to the brink of a revolution in our understanding of the deepest mysteries of the Universe.
Synopsis
Evalyn Gates, a talented astrophysicist, transports readers to the edge of contemporary science to explore the revolutionary tool--"Einstein's telescope"--that is unlocking the secrets of the Universe. Einstein's telescope, or gravitational lensing, is so-called for the way gravity causes space to distort and allow massive objects to act like "lenses," amplifying and distorting the images of objects behind them. By allowing for the detection of mass where no light is found, scientists can map out the distribution of dark matter and come a step closer to teasing out the effects of dark energy on the Universe--which may forever upend long-held notions about where the Universe came from and where it is going.
Synopsis
"Splendidly satisfying reading, designed for a nonspecialist audience."--, starred review
About the Author
Evalyn Gates is the assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, a senior research associate at the University of Chicago, and the former astronomy director of the Adler Planetarium. Her writing has appeared in Physics Today and the Chicago Tribune.