Ripples in the Cosmos: A view behind the scenes of the new cosmology - Hardcover

Rowan-Robinson, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0716745038 ISBN 13: 9780716745037

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

On April 23, 1992 a major science story appeared in newspaper headlines around the world. The announcement of the discovery of small-scale fluctuations in the cosmic microwave radiation, ripples in the cosmos, was a bolt from the blue, taking most of the world's cosmologists by surprise. Then came the first reactions: 'the discovery of the century, perhaps of all time' (Stephen Hawking), 'the Holy Grail of cosmology', 'English does not have enough superlatives', and 'a certain Nobel Prize.' What are the ripples? Why are they of such fundamental importance? What do they tell us about the beginning of the universe? And was the hype reported in the media justified? In this immensely readable book, distinguished cosmologist Michael Rowan-Robinson sets the discovery in its wider context, that of the search for an explanation of how galaxies, clusters of galaxies and even larger structures formed in a universe which was initially of almost perfect uniformity. This puzzle has been at the heart of the cosmological debate for the past decade. Using telescopes in orbit around the earth, working at wavelengths invisible to the human eye, astronomers have recently taken two enormous steps forward in their search for an explanation of the evolution of structure, their discoveries making front-page news. The first was the mapping of the distribution of galaxies by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS); the second, the detection of the ripples by the Cosmic Background Explorers (COBE). Here is an insider's account of these momentous discoveries: Michael Rowan-Robinson was a leading participant with IRAS, one of the most successful space astronomy missions of all time. It is a story packed with anecdote and drama, culminating in a series of spectacular cosmological discoveries. These include the explanation of the rapid motion of our galaxy through space; the demise of the hypothetical 'Great Attractor'; the demonstration that the universe is filled with an exotic form of dark matter, and the detection--by the author and his colleagues--of the most luminous galaxy in the universe. Professor Rowan-Robinson goes on to describe how the IRAS discoveries and the COBE ripples are connected, and how this has helped to solve the problem of how structure, and hence we ourselves, evolved in the universe. Ripples in the Cosmos is far more than an exciting--and personal-- story of modern cosmology. Michael Rowan-Robinson asks fundamental questions about the very nature of science, and how it works. His surprising answers will intrigue general readers and scientists alike.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Rowan-Robinson, Professor of Astrophysics, Imperial College, London.

Reviews

The 1983 launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) by NASA and British and Dutch government consortiums was a nearly perfect model of collaborative international science. The IRAS mission, to make a complete radiowave map of "nearby" galaxies, was nearly overshadowed by the headline-making discovery by the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE) of "ripples" in background microwave radiation . Redressing that imbalance here, renowned cosmologist Rowan-Robinson, who was on the British data analysis team, offers vignettes of the personalities, the machines and the perseverance that powered the project. Unnecessary lectures about the goal of science and a precis of the Big Bang theory bracket the compelling story of IRAS--to the effect of gift-wrapping the Mona Lisa. In Rowan-Robinson's telling, the IRAS story is great space-age science likely to inspire future astronomers. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Although not a superstar like Hoyle or Hawking, this astronomer is an important member of the cadre that looks for the things the theorists think up. Besides describing his own addition to observational astronomy--the first finding of a galaxy aborning--Rowan-Robinson summarizes the two revolutionary advances of cosmography, namely, Hubble's discovery of galactic recession, and the relic radiation confirming a singular big bang. He tells of his "only and very minor contribution to pure mathematics" and what doing big science with NASA is like. This makes a good companion to recent tomes on the subatomic end of the physical realm (for example, Weinberg's Dreams of a Final Theory and Lindley's End of Physics ). Gilbert Taylor

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0716745038
• ISBN 13: 9780716745037
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 232