Product Description

On a clear, starry night you can catch a cold, and our
ancestors were sometimes tempted to think that the Moon and the stars
sucked heat from the Earth and made people ill. It was good observation but
dodgy theorizing. Astronomers will now tell you that most of the bright
stars are far hotter than the Sun. Yet when the biggest of them expire in
mighty supernova explosions they spray the Galaxy with atomic bullets, the
cosmic rays. As a result, those exploded stars do indeed chill the world,
by making it cloudier.

Like other big discoveries, it seemed crazy at first. Who would think that
the ordinary clouds that decorate the sky take their orders from exploded
stars far off in space? Or that the climate obeys the swarms of atomic
particles that rain down on us from the Milky Way? Many experts scoffed
when the Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark linked those cosmic rays to
clouds and temperatures, but investigations around the world confirm his
theory, altering much of what scientists believed they knew about the
weather, the climate, and the long history of life on the Earth.

To unwrap some of Nature's best kept secrets, this book visits unlikely
places, from the Atlantic seafloor to fossil-rich hills in China, and from
the stormy Sun to the spiral arms of the Milky Way.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57812 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
Scientists agree that over the last century the earth has become warmer. But do we really know why this has happened? A deftly written and enjoyable read, "The Chilling Stars" outlines a brilliant, daring and undoubtedly controversial new theory that will provoke fresh thinking about global warming. As prize-winning science writer, Nigel Calder and climate physicist Henrik Svensmark explain, an interplay of the clouds, the Sun and cosmic rays - sub-atomic particles from exploded stars - seems to have more effect on the climate than manmade carbon dioxide. This conclusion stems from Svensmark's research at the Danish National Space Center which has recently shown that cosmic rays play an unsuspected role in making our everyday clouds. And during the last 100 years cosmic rays became scarcer because unusually vigorous action by the Sun batted many of them away. Fewer cosmic rays meant fewer clouds and a warmer world. The theory, simply put here but explained in fascinating detail in the book, emerges at a time of intense public and political concern about climate change.

Motivated only by their concern that science must be trustworthy, Svensmark and Calder invite their readers to put aside their preconceptions about manmade global warming and look afresh at the role of Nature in this hottest of world issues.

About the Author
Henrik Svensmark is Director of Sun-Climate Research at the
Danish National Space Centre.

Nigel Calder has spent a lifetime spotting and explaining the big
discoveries in all branches of science. He served his apprenticeship as a
science writer on the original staff of the magazine New Scientist, and
became its editor, 1962-66. Since then he has worked as an independent
author and TV scriptwriter. He won the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the
Popularization of Science for his work for the BBC in a long succession of
`science specials', with accompanying books. His most recent book is Magic
Universe (OUP, 2003), a comprehensive guide to modern science, which was
shortlisted for the Aventis Prize for Science Books.

Customer Reviews

The open minded will thoroughly enjoy this...
Svensmark's theory finally offers a highly attractive alternative to the traditional GHG forcing model. It's neat, tight, not at all messy, rather elegant infact. `The Chilling Stars' takes you behind the dry published research paper's in far more detail, and allows you to engage with the excitement and wonder as a new scientific theory takes shape.

I've been following the AGW debate for some time, firstly as a supporter of AGW and then slowly moving towards a more sceptical stance. This year (2008) I've spent a lot of time reading the various research papers to get behind the media hype of both sides. What stands out is the relatively messy theory behind the idea of AGW, it's certainly not proven, it's just the best theory science had to date to explain the forcing seen. The GCR/Climate link just kept popping up in my research, as did Svensmark's name. Despite the rubbishing of his work, his hypothesis on paper looks sound to me. It's clearly upset a lot of people, more so because of the politically sensitive subject that Co2 has become.

We will know if Svensmark is really on the right track when the CLOUD project at CERN start's producing data in 2010. Although the cercumstantial evidence is continuing to pile up in his favour.

The Climate Is Changing!
Ever thought that maybe, just maybe the climate might not stay exactly as it is today? Ever thought that because you were told about ice ages at school that climate change happens? Ever thought that scientific pronouncements should be evidence based? If the answer to the latter is 'no' then you are probably an environmentalist, so this book will not interest you. If you want to know something and want it proven then you are ahead of our (current) Royal Society, as they would doubtless want to burn this book. The sun and water vapour are the main agents in our climate. Certainly not Man. And that is a fact; carbon emissions are not and never have (natural or human -which now counts as unnatural) been a main agent of change in our climate. Despite Al Gore believing he is possessed of an infallable dogma, the inconvenient fact is that recent cooling and increased emissions breaks his unassailable link. This book gives a possible explanation of what is happening to our planet's weather. It suggests, it doesn't shout. It looks for proof. How refreshing is that?

Refreshingly scientific
Written by the master of popular science writing Nigel Calder, this book offers a very accessible introduction to cosmoclimatology and will not leave one stone unturned in the search for scientifically consistent theories and explanations.

Based on the research done by Danish scientist Henrik Svensmark, this book is worth a read - don't be misled by reviewers who attack the messenger without having read the message.