The Prophet and the Astronomer: Apocalyptic Science and the End of the World - Softcover

Gleiser, Marcelo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393324311 ISBN 13: 9780393324310

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003

Synopsis

"An intellectual accomplishment that illuminates the magic and the wisdom of the heavens above."―Kirkus Reviews

"Tracing our contemplation of the cosmos from the big bang to the big crunch" (The New Yorker), Marcelo Gleiser explores the shared quest of ancient prophets and today's astronomers to explain the strange phenomena of our skies―from the apocalypse foretold in Revelations to modern science's ongoing identification of multiple cataclysmic threats, including the impact of comets and asteroids on earthly life, the likelihood of future collisions, the meaning of solar eclipses and the death of stars, the implications of black holes for time travel, and the ultimate fate of the universe and time.

Presenting insights to cosmological science and apocalyptic philosophy in an "easily accessible" (Library Journal) style, Gleiser is "a rare astrophysicist as comfortable quoting Scripture as explaining formulas" (Booklist). K. C. Cole praises his ability to "[work] the entwined threads of science and religion into a vision of 'the end' that is strangely comforting and inspiring." 37 b/w illustrations

About this title

About the Author

Marcelo Gleiser is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College and the author of The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393324311
• ISBN 13: 9780393324310
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 370