Product Description

Advance Praise for The Accelerating Universe

"The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things."
—Alan Lightman, author of Einstein′s Dreams

"This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary discoveries that have made the last years a golden period for observational cosmology. But Mario Livio has not only given the reader one clear explanation after another of what astronomers are up to, he has used them to construct a provocative argument for the importance of aesthetics in the development of science and for the inseparability of science, art, and culture."
—Lee Smolin, author of The Life of the Cosmos

"What a pleasure to read! An exciting, simple account of the universe revealed by modern astronomy. Beautifully written, clearly presented, informed by scientific and philosophical insights."
—John Bahcall, Institute for Advanced Study

"A book with charm, beauty, elegance, and importance. As authoritative a journey as can be taken through modern cosmology."
—Allan Sandage, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #287068 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"...Elegantly written and timely book. Offering extraordinarily clear explanations of all key concepts and theoretical ideas..." (Science Book Board, October 2000)

From the Back Cover
A Brilliant Journey into the World of Beauty and Modern Cosmology

"Thought–provoking . . . engaging."–New Scientist

"The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind on its quest for beauty in all things."–Alan Lightman, bestselling author of Einstein’s Dreams

"Stimulating."–Nature

"The reader will enter a ‘garden of delights.’"–Physics World

"Far more than a puzzle for specialists, the struggle to reinterpret the cosmos raises fundamental questions about the human craving for order: Does this craving reflect deep cosmic harmonies that helped create our species? Or does it simply defy an irreducible chaos that we would rather not confront? Livio probes these questions with a daring sufficient to satisfy the hungriest curiosity."–Booklist

In this entertaining and lively exploration of the universe, Hubble Space Telescope scientist Mario Livio introduces us to the "old cosmology," which culminated in the view of a perfectly balanced universe, and then presents all of the fascinating ideas being explored by cosmologists in the "new cosmology," which has been inspired by the discovery of acceleration. Providing extraordinarily clear explanations of all the key concepts and theoretical ideas, Livio is a marvelous guide through this most exciting frontier in science today.

About the Author
MARIO LIVIO, Ph.D., is head of the science division at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which conducts the scientific program of the Hubble Space Telescope. He is recognized as a world expert on topics ranging from dramatic explosions like novae, supernovae, and gamma–ray bursts to compact astronomical objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. He has published over 300 scientific papers and has lectured to the public about discoveries in astronomy and cosmology all across the globe.

Customer Reviews

A fascinating review of physics and cosmology
This book is an in depth introduction to up-to-date thinking in physics and cosmology. At the beginning, the author explains the term "beauty" as it applies to physics. Then, as the book proceeds to tell the story of physics and cosmology, he shows how the quest for "beautiful" theories has always guided the search for theories about reality. But, now, some new observations have placed in doubt parts of the concept of "beauty."

This book excited me more than any has since Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Dr. Livio succeeds in explaining complicated scientific theories in a way that make sense to the simple layman (I am not a scientist, and have had practically no exposure to physics since my college days). Also, the book is written in a way that leaves you fascinated with the subject, and the evolution of thought in it.

I highly recommend this book.

Concepts of Infinite Beauty Amid Great Scientific Clarity
This book deserves far more than 5 stars.

Astrophysics is a subject that I stay current with about every three years or so. What a pleasant surprise it was to learn form this book that remarkable advances have occurred since my last visit to the starry science. Unless you read in this area regularly, you will find this update informative and fascinating.

This book will also change your thinking in fundamental ways about what qualities scientific theories and knowledge should contain, as well as your ideas about the nature of reality and the future of the universe. That's a lot of benefit from one book.

Two concepts are developed side by side in this book in an intertwined way, not unlike the two strands of DNA. The first concept is what we should look for in a rewarding scientific view of the world. The author argues for a concept of beauty in scientific theories and knowledge. This is not an aesthetic argument, but rather a practical one. When this concept has been pursued, it has advanced knowledge faster than when it was not. Although the point is not fully developed in the book, we should come to expect a symmetry and balance in reality. Whenever those qualities are lacking, we should expect to find them, and should keep looking until we do. The point the author is making is much more complex and powerful than this about scientific knolwedge, but my statement here will be enough to help you begin to understand the book's purpose. I encourage you to read and learn about it for yourself, directly from the author.

The second aspect of the book is looking at current theories about the evolution of the universe since the big bang to consider what has happened and will occur. The scientific concept of beauty is applied here, and you get fascinating glimpses of the latest research from the Hubble Space Telescope and other telescopes around the world.

The arguments build around new thoughts concerning the fundamental nature of matter. The physical explanations are the best I have ever read. I learned more about fundamental particles in this book than in all of the others I have read combined.

What emerges is a fascinating case for the idea that there is a lot of dark matter in the universe that we cannot see. This dark matter serves to repel the light matter, and is causing the expansion of the universe (well known from the red shift phenomenon) to accelerate.

If you are like me, you will develop a lot of fascinating new thoughts from this outstanding book. I also learned that I had better read up on the subject much more often, and plan to do so.

After you have finished with your universal thoughts, I suggest that you also take the author's concept of beauty and apply it to other areas of knowledge where you are familiar. What is missing from the theories and knowledge that your work with? How could experiments be designed to locate those missing elements and expand knowledge, accordingly?

Expand your mind and thoughts in an accelerating way as well!