The Invisible Universe Revealed: The Story of Radio Astronomy

by Gerrit L. Verschuur

In this book, radio astronomer, Gerrit L. Verschuur, reveals the exciting panorama that is the story of radio astronomy. Illustrated with 60 detailed radiographs of deep-space wonders, The Invisible Universe Revealed is a must for anyone with an interest in discovery.

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were too many typos for a book so expensive.

As far as the actual content - I liked that the author had so many personal anecdotes about his participation in the beginnings of radio astronomy.

He wandered into silliness when he tackled the Drake equation and spent far too many pages on it. The thing that disappointed me the most was the descriptions and pictures of the discoveries of the radio telescopes wasn't accompanied by pictures of the telescope that made the discovery. In the appendix, the author points out how fascinated we humans are by the telescopes, so he knows it exists. Make use of it!

Otherwise, it's an interesting read with a folksy tone that makes it seem like oral history to some extent, even when discussing difficult scientific concepts.

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow progress through this one, but so good! This book talks mostly about the short history of radio astronomy. But since its history is so short, around 55 years perhaps, the author has lived through almost the entirety of it. He intersperses his own personal experience of the history into the narrative. I came away from this book wondering why we don't teach hard sciences through the lense of history more often.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

learned a lot of radio astronomy from this book