Read Einstein Shadow A Black Hole a Band of Astronomers and the Quest to See the Unseeable Seth Fletcher 9780062312044 Books
Download As PDF : Einstein Shadow A Black Hole a Band of Astronomers and the Quest to See the Unseeable Seth Fletcher 9780062312044 Books
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE
Einstein’s Shadow follows a team of elite scientists on their historic mission to take the first picture of a black hole, putting Einstein’s theory of relativity to its ultimate test and helping to answer our deepest questions about space, time, the origins of the universe, and the nature of reality
Photographing a black hole sounds impossible, a contradiction in terms. But Shep Doeleman and a global coalition of scientists are on the cusp of doing just that.
With exclusive access to the team, journalist Seth Fletcher spent five years following Shep and an extraordinary cast of characters as they assembled the Event Horizon Telescope, a virtual radio observatory the size of the Earth. He witnessed their struggles, setbacks, and breakthroughs, and along the way, he explored the latest thinking on the most profound questions about black holes. Do they represent a limit to our ability to understand reality? Or will they reveal the clues that lead to the long-sought Theory of Everything?
Fletcher transforms astrophysics into something exciting, accessible, and immediate, taking us on an incredible adventure to better understand the complexity of our galaxy, the boundaries of human perception and knowledge, and how the messy human endeavor of science really works.
Weaving a compelling narrative account of human ingenuity with excursions into cutting-edge science, Einstein’s Shadow is a tale of great minds on a mission to change the way we understand our universe—and our place in it.
Read Einstein Shadow A Black Hole a Band of Astronomers and the Quest to See the Unseeable Seth Fletcher 9780062312044 Books
"This was a book that once I started reading I couldn't put down. It isn't perfect but what is? This book is a chronological accounting of one stubborn scientist's dream of taking a radio image of the shadow of Sagittarius A* the black hole at the center of our galaxy the Milky Way.
The author brings out the difficulty of doing this very well. The frustration of this undertaking is palpable through great descriptions of getting many very smart people together manning radio telescopes all over the world that had to deal with equipment problems, weather issues and the fact that they all had to start together. The book also explains the quagmire of bureaucratic hurdles that had toe overcome from both a scientific and financial standpoint.
I still have questions and I guess this Is good. The author states that Einstein predicted the shadow. I would have liked a bit more depth on that since I have an idea on that but I would like to know if I am correct. Heck now I have something new to research."
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Einstein Shadow A Black Hole a Band of Astronomers and the Quest to See the Unseeable Seth Fletcher 9780062312044 Books Reviews :
Einstein Shadow A Black Hole a Band of Astronomers and the Quest to See the Unseeable Seth Fletcher 9780062312044 Books Reviews
- I was minded to go for just 3*, but it occurs to me that my appetite for books describing major astrophysics projects may be getting jaded after reading Wrinkles in Time, Neutrino Hunters, The Very First Light, The Telescope in the Ice and Losing the Nobel Prize in short order. The template is pretty much the same throughout all of them. A brilliant scientist (sometimes authoring the book himself) sets out for a profound discovery. He ( it is 'he' rather then 'she' in all the titles listed) is portrayed as wise, generous and humble, leading a team of talented, but lesser scientists. Along the way he has to deal with (i) money problems, (ii) jealousy, (iii) arguments over credit for the project, (iv) rivalry and (v) technical issues. I've generally enjoyed reading the books, but find the hymns to the central hero a little lacking in objectivity and would welcome hearing an unbiased expression of both sides of the featured arguments.
- This is a fascinating story, technically challenging even for most scientists. You certainly end up rooting for Shep and the whole gang. I can now peruse the scientific literature on line, waiting to see if the final analysis of the 2017 data set was definitive, and if so- what did they find?
I read the e-book version, downloaded on October 9. My sole complaint is that there are no illustrations of either the principal scientists or of the many observatories featured in the saga.
Has the Event Horizon Telescope assemblage ever been activated by another group, asking different questions? The concern by funding agencies for access is justifiable; what is the utility of the EHT going forward?
Author Fletcher has compiled a fine scientific yarn, with just the right amount of dumbing-down for a non-astrophysicist to follow the technical arguments. - This was a book that once I started reading I couldn't put down. It isn't perfect but what is? This book is a chronological accounting of one stubborn scientist's dream of taking a radio image of the shadow of Sagittarius A* the black hole at the center of our galaxy the Milky Way.
The author brings out the difficulty of doing this very well. The frustration of this undertaking is palpable through great descriptions of getting many very smart people together manning radio telescopes all over the world that had to deal with equipment problems, weather issues and the fact that they all had to start together. The book also explains the quagmire of bureaucratic hurdles that had toe overcome from both a scientific and financial standpoint.
I still have questions and I guess this Is good. The author states that Einstein predicted the shadow. I would have liked a bit more depth on that since I have an idea on that but I would like to know if I am correct. Heck now I have something new to research. - I thought the book was a bit gossipy as it related so many conversations between members of the team. It also explored the political aspects of accessing time on various telescopes around the world which I found interesting. Mainly however the book went nowhere as it was published prematurely. It was only last week that the team finally showed the world the first image of a black hole. The actual technical achievement of Fletcher's team in capturing that image of a black hole was nevertheless amazing. Too bad the book was published too soon.
- I found this an enjoyable book on the quest to photograph a black hole. It is about the characters including Shep, the man with the quest. I have a basic understanding of quantum physics which helped. When the science is explained it can be challenging to a lay reader. It is not a book with winners and losers. It is a book about the journey to get there.
- Very enjoyable reading about a subject that the average person has concept or reference about, e.g. the size, shape and makeup of our Galaxy. Once you "fall into" this book you appreciate how difficult and time consuming the task of photographing (?) the black hole at the center of our Galaxy is! Especially in light of the picture shown on the inside front/rear cover! Mind boggling! !!
- Wonderful book following a group of scientists trying to get the first picture of a black hole. Great story and the complicated science was written so that even I could understand it! Now that the picture has been revealed it’s fantastic to see how complex the effort was. Be sure to give this a read.
- This is a great book. It made me feel as though I was a member of the team working elbow to elbow with the researchers. I wish I was 30 years younger and a member of that team.
