WALLACE H. TUCKER is the science spokesperson for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-Ray Center. He is the author of numerous papers and seven books, including Revealing the Universe.
Whenever astronomers have looked at the universe with new eyes,
they have made fundamentally new discoveries. This book
masterfully describes the discoveries of one such set of eyes, the
Chandra X-ray Telescope, sensitive to some of the highest-energy
phenomena in the universe. From black holes to dark matter,
from exploding stars to cosmic rays, this book has it
all.
Michael A. Strauss, author of Welcome to the Universe: An
Astrophysical Tour
Chandra’s Cosmos is a richly rewarding account of recent
discoveries in astronomy and cosmology, including galaxy clusters,
black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and more.
Astronomer and veteran science writer Wallace Tucker welcomes the
reader with a
a down-to-earth conversational tone and historical and literary
references, as well as accurate reporting. In the end, we are left
in awe with how much we’ve learned about our vast cosmos, and how
much remains a mystery.
Alan Lightman, Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, MIT
and
author of Einstein’s Dreams, The Accidental Universe, and many
other books
In Chandra's Cosmos, Wallace Tucker explains how the Chandra X-Ray
Observatory has played a critical role in our
understanding of the universe. When we deployed Chandra, the
third of NASA's four Great Observatories, from the
space shuttle Columbia in 1999, we knew it had the potential to do
for X-ray astronomers what the Palomar telescope had done for
optical astronomers. In the almost two decades since its launch,
Chandra has exceeded all our expectations and has given us
critical insight into the invisible universe of X-ray astronomy and
the energetic processes that produce X-rays. One remarkable
scientific discovery that Chandra helped to confirm is the
existence of dark matter and dark energy, which make up about 95
percent of the universe and about which we know almost
nothing. No doubt Chandra will help us solve that problem in years
to come. In the meantime, Tucker tells us the story of the
evolution of our understanding of the remaining 5 percent of
the universe in a way that will capture the interest of anyone
who has pondered the nature of the cosmos.
Steven A. Hawley, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University
of Kansas, and astronaut, STS-93, Chandra Deployment
Mission
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tucker (Revealing the Universe, with Karen Tucker), science
spokesperson for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s
Chandra X-ray Center, relates the history of NASA’s Chandra X-ray
Observatory and the purpose for which it was constructed. When
Chandra was launched in 1999 aboard the space shuttle Columbia,
astrophysicists hoped the x-rays it observed emitting from the
hottest regions of space would reveal the twisted space around
black holes, the secrets of supernovas, and how the big bang’s
early moments shaped the universe. Tucker tells his story in three
sections. “The Big” explores the paradox of dark matter and dark
energy, the mysterious features that make up 95% of our universe.
“The Bad” illuminates supermassive black holes, including the
monsters that fuel quasars and those that lurk at the center of
many galaxies—including the Milky Way. Tucker’s “The Beautiful”
takes a closer look at supernovas, the explosive stellar death
throes that end in white dwarfs, neutron stars, and pulsars.
Because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs x-rays, astronomers need
telescopes like Chandra in space to collect data. Tucker’s richly
illustrated book shows why Chandra’s data is essential to building
a more complete picture of our universe, its components, and its
history. Illus. (Apr.)
BOOKLIST
NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory has been orbiting Earth taking
precise readings of the universe’s hot spots since 1999. The
unprecedented high-resolution images it generates of “exploded
stars, galaxy clusters, and matter around black holes” is, thanks
to the work of innovative astrophysicists, dramatically changing
our understanding of the shape and makeup of the universe. This is
heady material and Tucker is pitch-perfect in his elucidation of
how X-ray astronomy works and what it is revealing about the
powerful phenomena that keep the cosmos forever in flux. With
spectacular photographs accompanying his vivid
descriptions, Tucker explains that 95 percent of the universe is
“dark”—that is, impenetrable to our tools of detection—with 25
percent defined as dark matter and 70 percent as dark energy, a
mysterious force that is increasing as the universe expands. Tucker
writes of cosmic rays, cosmic webs connecting “massive galaxy
clusters,” sheets of gas, and, most dramatically, black holes,
around which blast “jets of highenergy particles resembling awesome
waterspouts.” It’s one astonishment after another in this
invaluable, imagination-stirring overview of cutting-edge
astrophysics.
— Donna Seaman
CHOICE
“Peering deep and long into the darkness is what astronomers do,”
says Tucker, a professional astronomer, a science journalist, and
the science spokesperson for the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory's Chandra X-Ray Center. Few instruments have
peered as deep into darkness as NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory,
launched in 1999. This is a beautiful book about some of the
most amazing discoveries made by one of NASA’s flagship
observatories. It is richly illustrated with images and
diagrams that are well-explained in simple terms and written in
Tucker’s easy-to-follow, conversational style. The book’s main
theme is that access to the X-ray region has given astronomers key
information on a host of “hot” topics in astronomy, ranging from
white dwarf stars and supernovas to the monster black holes at the
heart of most or all galaxies like our own. Chandra
observations have also provided key clues to current astronomical
puzzles, such as dark matter and dark energy. This book
introduces readers to all these topics and more. It is also a
good general introduction to astronomy, albeit presented in a
nontraditional yet very engaging, order.
--T. D. Oswalt, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Summing Up:
Highly recommended. All readers.
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