Synopsis
Provides a personal saga of two decades of discovery in which the author, an astrophysicist, and his colleagues searched for the universe's "seeds" and the nature of existence itself
Reviews
A nova-burst of fine astronomy writing, as physicist Smoot and San Francisco Examiner science writer Davidson tell the story behind the discovery of the cosmic ``seeds,'' implanted by the Big Bang, that grew into galaxies, planets, and us. Actually, Smoot and Davidson serve up three overlapping courses: a history of astronomical cosmology from Galileo to Guth; a memoir of the hothouse world of contemporary scientific research; and the details of the COBE satellite experiments that resulted in Smoot's groundbreaking 1992 discovery. The history is familiar stuff, considerably enhanced by the authors' fondness for obscure or oddball figures like Georges LeMaŚtre, the Catholic priest who devised the Big Bang theory in the 1920's (calling it the ``primordial atom''), or British astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, who, inspired by the horror film Dead of Night, conceived the opposing--and now as dead as that film's ghosts- -Steady State theory. Into this feud strode Smoot, fresh from MIT and graduate research in subatomic physics. His first forays into cosmology consisted of balloon launches in search of antimatter. Balloons gave way to U-2 flights and other experiments, during which Smoot uncovered clues that the universe was not as homogeneous as believed. Then came the COBE studies to map these ``wrinkles in space''--a multiyear project that led Smoot to the Brazilian rain forest and the South Pole--providing powerful evidence that the Big Bang initiated the world we inhabit today. Nary a wrinkle here, in one of the best scientific popularizations of the year, infused not only with clear, lively scientific explanations but also with Smoot's infectious optimism (``to me the universe seems quite the opposite of pointless...there is a clear order to [its] evolution''). (Eight pages of color photographs, 50 b&w illustrations--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
In April 1992 a scientific team led by Berkeley astrophysicist Smoot analyzed data gathered by NASA's COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite and discovered the oldest known objects in the universe--so called "wrinkles" in time--thus finding a long-anticipated missing piece in the Big Bang cosmological model. The story of Smoot's breakthrough, though, began some 20 years ago. Along the way, he experienced numerous setbacks, frustrations, and dramatic moments. Some of the team's adventures include searching for a lost hot-air balloon in the Badlands of South Dakota, conducting upper-atmosphere tests from U-2 spy planes based in Peru, and gathering data from a scientific research station at the South Pole. While the book starts slowly, it steadily gathers momentum as Smoot recounts the events of his career, the colorful people with whom he has worked, and his personal thoughts leading up to the triumphant discovery. This readable and genuinely exciting piece of popular science writing is recommended for all libraries.
- Gregg Sapp, Montana State Univ. Libs., Bozeman
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Renowned experimental astrophysicist Smoot's exceptionally cogent book clears up many commonly held misconceptions about the big bang theory and renders such obscure images as wrinkles in time, or cosmic "seeds," comprehensible. This volume is of particular value for its elucidation of post-Einsteinian thought. Einstein's inability to conceive of a nonstatic universe drove his theories into a cul-de-sac, but once others accepted the notion of inflation, or expansion, of the universe, scientists were free to explore the complex motions that shape the cosmos, especially the gravitational influence of dark matter. In pursuit of proof of these revelations, Smoot sent differential microwave radiometers aloft with high-altitude balloons and aboard a reconnaissance plane and, finally, into space by a satellite. He not only confirmed the existence of the cosmic "seeds" that generate stars and planets but also collected some startling data about our galaxy. Apparently, we're being dragged toward a "great, unseen, previously unsuspected supercluster" at the seemingly impossible speed of 600 kilometers a second. Well, it's quite a ride, at least in our imagination, and Smoot is one fine tour guide. Donna Seaman
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