Dimensions
129 x 197 x 19mm
The quest to discover the size and shape of the universe, by an exciting new voice in popular science.
Conventional wisdom says the universe is infinite. But it could be finite, merely giving the illusion of infinity. This possibility has plagued philosophers and scientists since recorded history. But now modern science is beginning to drag this abstract issue into the realm of the real, the tangible and the observable. Next year, satellite measurements may finally provide us with an answer.
'How The Universe Got Its Spots' looks at how science is coming up sharp against the mind-boggling idea that the universe may be finite. Such a revelation would provide the ultimate twist to the Copernican revolution, for we would find out exactly where we are in the cosmos. Its impact would be even more radical than the discovery that the Earth is round or that the universe is expanding.
Through a decade of observation and thought-experiment, we have started to chart out the universe in which we live, just as we have mapped the oceans and continents of our planet. Now, in the dawn of the new millennium, details of this grand cosmic map are coming into focus. Through a kind of cosmic archaeology and without leaving Earth, we can look at the pattern of hot spots left over from the big bang and begin to trace the 'shape of space'.
Beautifully written in a colloquial style by a world authority, Janna Levin explores our aspirations to observe our universe and contemplate our deep connection with it. While relating her own personal and intellectual journey through space and time, the author gently takes in such gravity-defying concepts as black holes, time-warps, invisible 'strings' and chaotic flows.
It is a fantastic voyage, impressing on us the extraordinary fact that we are progeny of this universe and that our ability to understand it is an inheritance.
