Einstein's Telescope
The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
"In Einstein’s Telescope, Evalyn Gates, an expert on all that’s dark in the universe, brings dark matter, dark energy, and even black holes to light." —Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History, and New York Times best-selling author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
In 1936, Albert Einstein predicted that gravitational distortions would allow space itself to act as a telescope far more powerful than humans could ever build. Now, cosmologists at the forefront of their field are using this radical technique ("Einstein’s Telescope") to detect the invisible. In fresh, engaging prose, astrophysicist Evalyn Gates explains how this tool is enabling scientists to uncover planets as big as the Earth, discover black holes as they whirl through space, and trace the evolution of cosmic architecture over billions of years. Powerful and accessible, Einstein’s Telescope takes us to the brink of a revolution in our understanding of the deepest mysteries of the Universe.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
There is far more to the universe than meets the eye: invisible dark matter and dark energy constitute the vast bulk of the cosmos and are responsible for its accelerating expansion. Gates, assistant director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, explores the science of these invisible phenomena and the questions they raise about the universe's origins, its present and its future. Gates explains how scientists discovered the existence of dark matter and their theories about the nature of the particles (with named like WIMPs) that form it. Astrophysicists have found tools to measure the invisible mass: the stars themselves. Drawing on Einstein's theory of general relativity, scientists can "see" dark matter using "gravitational lensing" by measuring the deflection of light around a cosmic object, they can measure the object's mass. Presenting complicated topics concisely and clearly, Gates explains what we know about the universe, what scientists wish they knew, and what's at stake the fate of the universe itself. 8 pages of color and 40 b&w illus.
