Share
Blog
Print
Email
BookmarkOne of the world's leading astronomers, Robert Kirshner, takes readers inside a lively research team on the quest that led them to an extraordinary cosmological discovery: the expansion of the universe is accelerating under the influence of a dark energy that makes space itself expand.
See also:
In addition to sharing the story of this exciting discovery, Kirshner also brings the science up-to-date in a new epilogue.
He explains how the idea of an accelerating universe--once a daring interpretation of sketchy data--is now the standard assumption in cosmology today.This measurement of dark energy--a quality of space itself that causes cosmic acceleration--points to a gaping hole in our understanding of fundamental physics.
In 1917, Einstein proposed the "cosmological constant" to explain a static universe.
When observations proved that the universe was expanding, he cast this early form of dark energy aside.
But recent observations described first-hand in this book show that the cosmological constant--or something just like it--dominates the universe's mass and energy budget and determines its fate and shape.Warned by Einstein's blunder, and contradicted by the initial results of a competing research team, Kirshner and his colleagues were reluctant to accept their own result.
But, convinced by evidence built on their hard-earned understanding of exploding stars, they announced their conclusion that the universe is accelerating in February 1998.
For more information about the title The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy, and the Accelerating Cosmos (Princeton Science Library), read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:
Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos — Once we thought the universe was filled with shining stars, dust, planets, and galaxies. We now know that more than 98 percent of all matter in the ... > read more
In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) — The dark matter problem is one of the most fundamental and profoundly difficult problems in the history of science. Not knowing what makes up most of ... > read more
Alpha and Omega: The Search for the Beginning and End of the Universe — Today we are on the verge of discoveries that should soon reveal the deepest secrets of the universe. In Alpha & Omega, Charles Seife takes us to ... > read more
Modern Cosmology — Modern Cosmology begins with an introduction to the smooth, homogeneous universe described by a Friedman-Robertson-Walker metric, including careful ... > read more
