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Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos [Paperback]
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288 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2016
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About the author
Priyamvada Natarajan
5 books19 followersPriyamvada Natarajan is a professor in the departments of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University. She is noted for her work probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy, using gravitational lensing, and for developing models that describe the assembly and growth histories of black holes in the universe. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed book Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos (2016).
Born in Coimbatore, India into an academic family, she finished her schooling in New Delhi, India before coming to M.I.T. for undergraduate study. She has undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics from M.I.T. and was also enrolled as a graduate student in the Program in Science, Technology & Society (STS) as well as the Program in Technology and Public Policy (TPP). She was awarded a Master of Science (S.M.) degree from M.I.T. STS.
She was awarded the Isaac Newton Fellowship to pursue graduate studies in astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy, at the University of Cambridge, U.K. where she was a member of Trinity College. During her PhD, she was elected to a Title A Research Fellowship that she held from 1997 to 2003. She was the first woman in Astrophysics to be elected a fellow at Trinity. Prior to taking up her faculty position at Yale, she was a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics in Toronto, Canada.
Natarajan’s research work and original contributions to astrophysics have been recognized with many awards, including the Emeline Conland Bigelow Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University; a Guggenheim Fellowship; the India Abroad Foundation’s “Face of the Future” Award; an India Empire NRI award for Achievement in the Sciences, the award for academic achievement from the Global Organization for the People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), the recipient of the Genius Award from the Liberty Science Center, the New England Choice Award for Achievement in the Sciences, the Distinguished Immigrant Award for the State of Connecticut and the Tamil-American Pioneer Award. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Astronomical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Aspen Center for Physics, the Royal Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society and the Explorers Club.
She has served as Chair and Member of the National Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee and is past Chair and Member of the Executive Committee of the Division of Astrophysics of the American Physical Society. She is currently on the Editorial Board of the journals published by the American Astronomical Society as a Science Editor.
In addition to her faculty position at Yale, Natarajan holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship at the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and an honorary professorship for life at the University of Delhi, India. She is an external Principal Investigator at the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University and is an Associate Member of the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute in New York.
Born in Coimbatore, India into an academic family, she finished her schooling in New Delhi, India before coming to M.I.T. for undergraduate study. She has undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics from M.I.T. and was also enrolled as a graduate student in the Program in Science, Technology & Society (STS) as well as the Program in Technology and Public Policy (TPP). She was awarded a Master of Science (S.M.) degree from M.I.T. STS.
She was awarded the Isaac Newton Fellowship to pursue graduate studies in astrophysics at the Institute of Astronomy, at the University of Cambridge, U.K. where she was a member of Trinity College. During her PhD, she was elected to a Title A Research Fellowship that she held from 1997 to 2003. She was the first woman in Astrophysics to be elected a fellow at Trinity. Prior to taking up her faculty position at Yale, she was a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics in Toronto, Canada.
Natarajan’s research work and original contributions to astrophysics have been recognized with many awards, including the Emeline Conland Bigelow Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University; a Guggenheim Fellowship; the India Abroad Foundation’s “Face of the Future” Award; an India Empire NRI award for Achievement in the Sciences, the award for academic achievement from the Global Organization for the People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), the recipient of the Genius Award from the Liberty Science Center, the New England Choice Award for Achievement in the Sciences, the Distinguished Immigrant Award for the State of Connecticut and the Tamil-American Pioneer Award. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Astronomical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Aspen Center for Physics, the Royal Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society and the Explorers Club.
She has served as Chair and Member of the National Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee and is past Chair and Member of the Executive Committee of the Division of Astrophysics of the American Physical Society. She is currently on the Editorial Board of the journals published by the American Astronomical Society as a Science Editor.
In addition to her faculty position at Yale, Natarajan holds the Sophie and Tycho Brahe Professorship at the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and an honorary professorship for life at the University of Delhi, India. She is an external Principal Investigator at the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University and is an Associate Member of the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute in New York.
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May 29, 2016
There have been a number of books lately on the history of science, but most of them are very detailed - perhaps too much so for the average lay reader. This book includes just enough information to highlight the major players and their main contributions, and most interestingly, perhaps, to explain why the history of science has changed drastically in the past thirty years.
Specifically, the author points out that we are now in an era of “big science” - i.e., one dependent on large teams in more than one country, rather than lone scientists working in isolation. This is not to say there is no longer competition, but now it tends to be between teams rather than individuals. Dr. Natarajan adds that the advances in equipment, particularly from computerization, have also provided a huge boost in the capacity of scientists to explore the universe. And of course, there is the Internet, allowing for peer communication, peer review, and instant promulgation of ideas. Big science, she proposes, has the potential of accelerating the rate of discovery, although she allows that the vast amounts of data being collected have caused bottlenecks in analysis.
The author begins with the ancient Greeks. She goes through the contributions of the most prominent thinkers since then, focusing on those who contributed to major shifts in our understanding of where we are in the universe, and how central (or not) we are to the universe. Her first big shout-out is to Copernicus in 1543, who identified the earth as going around the sun instead of the reverse, creating a new reference system by reordering of the heavens. More recently, she cites Edwin Hubble who, as she says poetically, “set the entire universe adrift.”
Natarajan would agree with Wootton, in his recent book The Invention of Science, that while Copernicus’s insights were brilliant, they were not driven by data. Thus Wootton dates the beginning of the so-called “scientific revolution” with Tycho Brahe, who carefully compiled extensive data from observations. Natarajan concurs that “[t]he new primacy of empirical data marked an important turn in the history of science….” But she locates the points for major changes in science with changes in perceptual frameworks.
Nevertheless, she concedes, for ideas really to make headway, they must, as she writes, “marry observation, technology, and understanding.”
Quite a bit of Natarajan’s history focuses on questions about the origins of our universe, and the controversy among different proponents of theories, from the ancient model of “turtles all the way down” to the steady state theory, the big bang, and now, the multiverse. She explains each one as well as the data supporting or controverting the theories.
She also tackles black holes and their properties, doing a much better job than Stephen Hawking of explaining them for the non-scientist.
Other topics include standard candles - from Cepheids to Quasars, the electromagnetic spectrum, blackbodies, dark energy, dark matter, gravity, and the possibility of other forms of intelligence in the universe.
Evaluation: This is an excellent book, especially if you don’t want to delve too deeply into an equation-laden explanation of complex subjects. The author is a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale, but in addition to having many academic awards, she also writes for the popular media. This was evident from her lucid prose and ease in explaining complicated subjects.
Specifically, the author points out that we are now in an era of “big science” - i.e., one dependent on large teams in more than one country, rather than lone scientists working in isolation. This is not to say there is no longer competition, but now it tends to be between teams rather than individuals. Dr. Natarajan adds that the advances in equipment, particularly from computerization, have also provided a huge boost in the capacity of scientists to explore the universe. And of course, there is the Internet, allowing for peer communication, peer review, and instant promulgation of ideas. Big science, she proposes, has the potential of accelerating the rate of discovery, although she allows that the vast amounts of data being collected have caused bottlenecks in analysis.
The author begins with the ancient Greeks. She goes through the contributions of the most prominent thinkers since then, focusing on those who contributed to major shifts in our understanding of where we are in the universe, and how central (or not) we are to the universe. Her first big shout-out is to Copernicus in 1543, who identified the earth as going around the sun instead of the reverse, creating a new reference system by reordering of the heavens. More recently, she cites Edwin Hubble who, as she says poetically, “set the entire universe adrift.”
Natarajan would agree with Wootton, in his recent book The Invention of Science, that while Copernicus’s insights were brilliant, they were not driven by data. Thus Wootton dates the beginning of the so-called “scientific revolution” with Tycho Brahe, who carefully compiled extensive data from observations. Natarajan concurs that “[t]he new primacy of empirical data marked an important turn in the history of science….” But she locates the points for major changes in science with changes in perceptual frameworks.
Nevertheless, she concedes, for ideas really to make headway, they must, as she writes, “marry observation, technology, and understanding.”
Quite a bit of Natarajan’s history focuses on questions about the origins of our universe, and the controversy among different proponents of theories, from the ancient model of “turtles all the way down” to the steady state theory, the big bang, and now, the multiverse. She explains each one as well as the data supporting or controverting the theories.
She also tackles black holes and their properties, doing a much better job than Stephen Hawking of explaining them for the non-scientist.
Other topics include standard candles - from Cepheids to Quasars, the electromagnetic spectrum, blackbodies, dark energy, dark matter, gravity, and the possibility of other forms of intelligence in the universe.
Evaluation: This is an excellent book, especially if you don’t want to delve too deeply into an equation-laden explanation of complex subjects. The author is a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale, but in addition to having many academic awards, she also writes for the popular media. This was evident from her lucid prose and ease in explaining complicated subjects.
October 3, 2016
I tend to read in "projects", and once in a while I actually finish one. I've been reading our library's popular and semi-popular books on cosmology for about two years now, in chronological order starting with Steven Weinberg's 1977 "classic", The First Three Minutes. I finally reached the last book the library has, from 2016.
Mapping the Heavens is a historically oriented book about "maps" of the universe; the first chapter is about literal star maps and charts from antiquity and the middle ages, but after that the book turns to the different mental pictures we have of the universe, from Copernicus, through the expanding universe, black holes, the accelerating expansion and dark matter and energy, to the cosmic background radiation, with a final chapter on more speculative views (the multiverse and the search for extraterrestrial life.)
The book is a low-level popularization (I don't mean this in any pejorative sense, just that it is aimed at an audience that doesn't already know a lot about the subject, with little technical detail -- it focuses mainly on what has been learned and how, without going into the exact evidence or disputes.) As such, it didn't really have a lot that was new to me, beyond reporting on some of the latest projects and discoveries of the last two or three years.
One theme that permeates the book, and is a research interest of the author, is looking at the factors that affect the earlier or later acceptance of "radical" new ideas. I would like to see her take this on in a longer and more detailed book than this one.
The book is solidly based, with almost no "gosh wow" and very little that is speculative except for the very last chapter, so it would be good for someone just starting out and looking for a book on the latest accepted views on the subject.
Mapping the Heavens is a historically oriented book about "maps" of the universe; the first chapter is about literal star maps and charts from antiquity and the middle ages, but after that the book turns to the different mental pictures we have of the universe, from Copernicus, through the expanding universe, black holes, the accelerating expansion and dark matter and energy, to the cosmic background radiation, with a final chapter on more speculative views (the multiverse and the search for extraterrestrial life.)
The book is a low-level popularization (I don't mean this in any pejorative sense, just that it is aimed at an audience that doesn't already know a lot about the subject, with little technical detail -- it focuses mainly on what has been learned and how, without going into the exact evidence or disputes.) As such, it didn't really have a lot that was new to me, beyond reporting on some of the latest projects and discoveries of the last two or three years.
One theme that permeates the book, and is a research interest of the author, is looking at the factors that affect the earlier or later acceptance of "radical" new ideas. I would like to see her take this on in a longer and more detailed book than this one.
The book is solidly based, with almost no "gosh wow" and very little that is speculative except for the very last chapter, so it would be good for someone just starting out and looking for a book on the latest accepted views on the subject.
January 6, 2021
I thought this would be a fun book about stars maps after I heard the author speak on CBC radio.
Instead, I got a thrilling description of the history of scientific discovery in astronomy.
Biggest point for me was how disruptive Einstein was to preventing scientific discoveries. His biases as a person played a big part in this though he obviously genuinely cared a lot about science.
Some might say, okay, but pure science is not biased. This book refutes that argument.
Data is not biased. But how we collect it can be. Our claims at its veracity can be. Which theories we hang off of that data can be. And those theories will then repress interpretations down the road long after the founder was dead. Perhaps for centuries. So, ya science is biased. The stars aren't. Degrees Celsius aren't. But that is a very different argument.
I pick on Einstein because he so famously bucked some foundational principles. He was the maverick. He put forward new ideas that were then routinely proven true down the road. You can't get more poster child than that. Yet even this man was found to harbor dozens of discrete opinions and work politically against the work of peers on other theories. Defunding is the ultimate form of suppression in science. Even after he admitted defeat in public and being wrong, his private letters showed be continued to try and find a way to being right in his original ideas close to his dying day. Bias is so powerful!
Science is political and if we want to continue finding a path forward, we need to be open to accepting data that says that even the most dear of world assumptions are just plain wrong when armed with better information.
The true scientist is eagerly ready to admit defeat in the face of evidence and that is a very different paradigm than the cowboy genius who never says die.
Read this book! I bought the audiobook and book. Both rocked my little world.
Instead, I got a thrilling description of the history of scientific discovery in astronomy.
Biggest point for me was how disruptive Einstein was to preventing scientific discoveries. His biases as a person played a big part in this though he obviously genuinely cared a lot about science.
Some might say, okay, but pure science is not biased. This book refutes that argument.
Data is not biased. But how we collect it can be. Our claims at its veracity can be. Which theories we hang off of that data can be. And those theories will then repress interpretations down the road long after the founder was dead. Perhaps for centuries. So, ya science is biased. The stars aren't. Degrees Celsius aren't. But that is a very different argument.
I pick on Einstein because he so famously bucked some foundational principles. He was the maverick. He put forward new ideas that were then routinely proven true down the road. You can't get more poster child than that. Yet even this man was found to harbor dozens of discrete opinions and work politically against the work of peers on other theories. Defunding is the ultimate form of suppression in science. Even after he admitted defeat in public and being wrong, his private letters showed be continued to try and find a way to being right in his original ideas close to his dying day. Bias is so powerful!
Science is political and if we want to continue finding a path forward, we need to be open to accepting data that says that even the most dear of world assumptions are just plain wrong when armed with better information.
The true scientist is eagerly ready to admit defeat in the face of evidence and that is a very different paradigm than the cowboy genius who never says die.
Read this book! I bought the audiobook and book. Both rocked my little world.
November 18, 2016
There really wasn't much new here. The history of how we came to know our universe has been told many times over. One thing this book did have going for it was that it was new (2016). Yet, the newer advances in mapping the skies were but mere mentions in this book. She included only a scarce little bit about Stephen Hawking's collaboration with Yuri Milner. This collaboration is extremely exciting and, for a 2016 book, deserved much more attention.
I appreciated how much time she spent detailing the history of WMAP. In particular, her focus on the work of Alpher and Herman's in 1948 was great. They were trying to measure how much hydrogen and helium were in space, which had significant implications for measuring the temperature of space. Their story highlighted how important it was and is to publish in the right journal, not hide your findings in an appendix, be your own PR person, etc. Their story also highlighted how competitive science can be. Alpher and Herman made the predictions but Penzias and Wilson, who were not even looking for background radiation, got all the glory. It sounds like there was active sabotage at work. It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last. (Best story in the book).
In the epilogue, the author found her voice. I could finally detect her passion for maps. She made me, if only for a second, feel and ponder the wonder of maps -- how they helped us gather clues, put those clues together, and ultimately begin to understand our universe on a deeper level. I love when an author can make me feel wonder. The epilogue told me she was capable of invoking those feelings. So, I hope she writes another book, one that reflects her unique voice, one that engenders passion in her readers and helps them see the universe in a new way.
August 30, 2020
The book's mostly about the history of the astronomical breakthroughs such as Copernican Model of Universe, Accelerating Universe, Dark stuffs and energy, Black holes and quasars. A very little ideas from the author regarding the mapping and it's future scope in the epilogue. It's good to know both the facts and speculations.
Personally, I found this book very addictive. The author uses very simple yet catchy words that could inspire the readers to watch out for the sky. I've read outstanding books written by Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and other contemporary science promoters and I'm proud to showcase this book among their works in my favourite shelf. After reading the inceptional chapters, It was too delicate that even I felt like joining Astronomy courses and seek an alternative career for me. Unlike other popular space science books, it has several moderate technical details of various methods involved in mapping the details. Totally loved it. Anyone comfortable with high school science can find this comfortable as well. Some mistakes though, especially at page 183 it was indicated that lithium is the seventh element. Overall a very good book inorder to feed the cosmic hunger within you and to have an esoteric, inexplicable feel of what is meant to be alive.
Personally, I found this book very addictive. The author uses very simple yet catchy words that could inspire the readers to watch out for the sky. I've read outstanding books written by Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and other contemporary science promoters and I'm proud to showcase this book among their works in my favourite shelf. After reading the inceptional chapters, It was too delicate that even I felt like joining Astronomy courses and seek an alternative career for me. Unlike other popular space science books, it has several moderate technical details of various methods involved in mapping the details. Totally loved it. Anyone comfortable with high school science can find this comfortable as well. Some mistakes though, especially at page 183 it was indicated that lithium is the seventh element. Overall a very good book inorder to feed the cosmic hunger within you and to have an esoteric, inexplicable feel of what is meant to be alive.
July 25, 2016
I received this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Priyamvada Natarajan, and the publisher, Yale University Press, for this opportunity.
This is the non-fictional accounts of some of the greatest cosmological discoveries in the history of mankind. From past to present, this chronicles amazing discoveries, complex theories and astounding sightings that showcase man's obsession with the unknown and with the unknowable universe around us.
I expected this to be a little dry, as fast-based books so often are, but was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful quality of the writing. This felt almost poetic in some places and really engaged me as a reader as well as highlighting the author's passion for his study. The references to both fictional literature as well as scientific discovery, made this a book that can be universally loved by all; not just those with a direct interest in the field.
This is the non-fictional accounts of some of the greatest cosmological discoveries in the history of mankind. From past to present, this chronicles amazing discoveries, complex theories and astounding sightings that showcase man's obsession with the unknown and with the unknowable universe around us.
I expected this to be a little dry, as fast-based books so often are, but was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful quality of the writing. This felt almost poetic in some places and really engaged me as a reader as well as highlighting the author's passion for his study. The references to both fictional literature as well as scientific discovery, made this a book that can be universally loved by all; not just those with a direct interest in the field.
May 14, 2024
Interesting and informative!
May 13, 2016
3.5 stars
This is a very interesting look at some of the history around such cosmological discoveries as black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and string theory. The author frequently points out how various personalities or situations often got in the way of advancing scientific knowledge, dispelling the notion that science is an orderly advance from one level of knowledge to the next. I think I understand the things explained a little better than I did before, but I'm not sure I'd go along with some other reviewers thoughts that it's always simple enough for 'even a lay person' to understand. Still, a good read for those of us who'd *like* to know more about the cosmos.
This is a very interesting look at some of the history around such cosmological discoveries as black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and string theory. The author frequently points out how various personalities or situations often got in the way of advancing scientific knowledge, dispelling the notion that science is an orderly advance from one level of knowledge to the next. I think I understand the things explained a little better than I did before, but I'm not sure I'd go along with some other reviewers thoughts that it's always simple enough for 'even a lay person' to understand. Still, a good read for those of us who'd *like* to know more about the cosmos.
September 27, 2017
Fantastic book to learn about our universe! The author discusses in great detail about black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and how the discoveries were made and defended, without requiring the reader to have advanced knowledge of physics, astronomy or math. The author clearly delineates the arguments between the theoretical and observational groups without a bias. The later chapters - about the six cosmological constants, the Supernova cosmology project and theories about bubble universes make you wonder and appreciate how little we know.
The book goes into fair amount of detail about the history of astrophysics before diving into current day research. While certainly interesting, it'll take the readers a few chapters to read through before the book leans more towards the scientific topics.
The book goes into fair amount of detail about the history of astrophysics before diving into current day research. While certainly interesting, it'll take the readers a few chapters to read through before the book leans more towards the scientific topics.
March 4, 2021
Fascinating at times. Not too much history. Lots of modern scientific work and ideas. Fits well with other books.
November 4, 2019
Mindbogglingly cool. At least, the parts I understood were.
August 9, 2019
Not what I expected. History of astrophysics. Interesting read nevertheless.
December 10, 2017
Mapping the Heavens provides a solid summary for the layman of the current state of cosmology and our understanding of the universe and its component parts. It’s bolstered by a friendly and slighty quirky narrative voice, which attempts to be inclusive in its telling. Readers looking for an introduction to the big issues in astronomy and how they developed will find much to like here.
Unfortunately, the book is a bit of a hodge-podge. It starts off as a very cursory history of the mapping of the heavens, turns to a telling of the astronomical discoveries of the last century, periodically discusses the personal rivalries between scientists and teams, and ends with some general musings about the state of science. It lacks a thesis, so sometimes the structure is obtuse. Moreover, it doesn’t use its visuals well; they rarely are referred to in the text, and often lack informative content.
While I learned a bit about the most recent astronomical theories and some of the personalities involved in the science, I would have preferred either a deeper and more holistic dive into how scientific disputes are resolved, or a book that is more pointedly about the historical development of skymapping.
Unfortunately, the book is a bit of a hodge-podge. It starts off as a very cursory history of the mapping of the heavens, turns to a telling of the astronomical discoveries of the last century, periodically discusses the personal rivalries between scientists and teams, and ends with some general musings about the state of science. It lacks a thesis, so sometimes the structure is obtuse. Moreover, it doesn’t use its visuals well; they rarely are referred to in the text, and often lack informative content.
While I learned a bit about the most recent astronomical theories and some of the personalities involved in the science, I would have preferred either a deeper and more holistic dive into how scientific disputes are resolved, or a book that is more pointedly about the historical development of skymapping.
April 22, 2016
It's a well written book about some of the most important discoveries in cosmology, about the people behind those discoveries and a bit of discussion about who has gotten the fame and credit for a discovery when someone else might have discovered it before.
I did find that it is certainly a great book to read if you're just getting acquainted with cosmology - you'll start to understand what role Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity plays in modern science, how it was discovered that the Universe is expanding and doing so at an accelerating pace, how black holes are interesting, how the discoveries of dark matter and dark energy came about and the same for cosmic microwave background radiation.
The author certainly includes more historic people than some other books about the same topic.
In this book you can also read a little about how the nature of scientific research has changed in the last 100 years or so, and how recognizing the importance of a scientific idea in modern times wouldn't be stopped anymore just because of one authoritative scientist not believing in it.
In general: very informative and enjoyable easy read.
I did find that it is certainly a great book to read if you're just getting acquainted with cosmology - you'll start to understand what role Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity plays in modern science, how it was discovered that the Universe is expanding and doing so at an accelerating pace, how black holes are interesting, how the discoveries of dark matter and dark energy came about and the same for cosmic microwave background radiation.
The author certainly includes more historic people than some other books about the same topic.
In this book you can also read a little about how the nature of scientific research has changed in the last 100 years or so, and how recognizing the importance of a scientific idea in modern times wouldn't be stopped anymore just because of one authoritative scientist not believing in it.
In general: very informative and enjoyable easy read.
June 7, 2016
Excellent discussion of the history and development of the field of astronomy. Written in easy to understand terms, the author looks at many of the great turning points in this field. A must read for anyone interested in the current state of astronomy and cosmology.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway but the opinions expressed are solely my own.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway but the opinions expressed are solely my own.
October 20, 2016
The author, a scientist, often seems to be that superb conversationalist who weaves stories and facts in a way that is just aimed at you. I'm a non scientist and enjoyed every minute of this private conversation about science, cosmology and a solid hope for the future. The science, history and theory are all here. But, in a way that was always accessible for me. A splendid read.
August 15, 2017
Very boring and superficial. I love reading about cosmology but there was nothing here to enjoy. A bunch of historical facts that you can find searching Wikipedia.
April 16, 2016
Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos is an excellent guide to the many radical discoveries that are remaking our understanding of the cosmos. The author, Priyamvada Natarajan is a theoretical astrophysicist at Yale who maps dark matter by observing how light is bent by “potholes” as it travels from its source to where we see it. These potholes reveal the mysterious dark matter whose effects we can map (Well, Natarajan can map.) even while we don’t have a clue what it is.
There is a poem that I used to include in my syllabus as a history teacher. It’s by Thomas Bailey Aldrich and begins, “My mind lets go a thousand things/Like dates of wars and deaths of kings” and then goes on to recall the very hour the wind shook loose two petals from a flower. I think of it often when reading historical overviews. Authors are always in a double-bind. If they don’t include the thousand things, they will be perceived as unserious, and if they do, they risk losing their readers before they get to the good stuff when those petals start falling. For me, when I read the overviews, I just tell myself, it will get better and it usually does.
The book begins with an extensive overview of the history of cosmology from the earliest observations recorded in cuneiform more as statistical tabulations without any attempt at explanation though the centuries. Natarajan makes some effort to remind readers that cosmological exploration was not isolated to Europe, reminding us of the invention of the compass by the Chinese, the mapping advances from India and the critical role of Arabs in creating the mathematics that formed the foundation for advanced cosmology. She also reminds us that the Flat-Earth Society has been a collection of anti-science cranks since Ptolemy, not Columbus – though not in those words.
One of the central points she makes is that science is provisional and self-correcting. Throughout the history of science, new technologies enable the collection of new data, new data creates new insights and discoveries, and meanwhile old ideas resist change. There is a clash of ideas, sometimes people suggest a middle way, but ultimately, the best data and explanations win out because science chooses what is replicable and empirical even when it is uncomfortable.
It is unfortunate that this overview must come first, but it must because all the rest of the book is built on its foundation, but it is far less exciting and interesting than the meat of the book that beings in the second chapter and then just keeps building. The tone of the writing changes dramatically after the first chapter, becoming more conversational, more engaging and far more fascinating. Natarajan adds lots of interesting information such as Poe presaging Hubble’s discovery of the expanding universe in a poem eighty years before Of course, Poe had no evidence, it was a dream of an idea, but it was true and Hubble confirmed it with science. The expanding universe upends everything, after all literature is full of the constancy of the heavens and Hubble broke it. It makes this science so much more accessible for the general public when she makes this connections with other disciplines like literature and poetry.
I love how Natarajan reveals the humanity of the scientists who shape our worldview. Einstein’s resistance to the expanding universe, his “fudge” as she calls it, a final attempt to hand onto the static universe model in the face of new evidence and his eventual confession he was wrong. It’s kind of reassuring to know that even Einstein hung onto belief over evidence for a while before coming round. Because he did come around. Perhaps those who cling to denial of climate change and evolution will do the same. Maybe not, but the idea that Einstein fudged for a bit makes me feel more optimistic about those who doubt science today. She also describes how Sitter’s wrong explanation while being totally, bizarrely wrong, contained a nugget of an idea that helped jumpstart another direction that led toward the right solution (or at least, since science is provisional, what we believe now is the right solution.) Equally fascinating, it is something so simple as photographic plates that enabled the real breakthroughs in observation that advanced the radical theories we have now come to accept.
Natarajan brings the same enthusiastic passion to revealing the nonlinear push and pull advancements that led to the discovery of black holes, dark matter, background radiation, the accelerating universe and will, I am certain, the discovery of other worlds and other sentient, curious, imaginative and creative beings. Full disclosure: I began volunteering my background computer capacity to SETI back when I had a Apple Mac Classic. But when Natarajan talks about other worlds, she does not mean just habitable planets with sentient life out there somewhere lost in the stars, but also other worlds in the multiverse and whether there could be life where the cosmological parameters necessary for the universe as we know it are different. This is radical stuff, revealing that scientists are some of the wildest and most radical thinkers on the planet.
But isn’t that what science is? Taking what we know, what we can observe and then getting freaky with it? Always presuming of course, the evidence backs it up.
4paws I recommend this book highly. Natarajan has a way of taking theory and all its complexity and explaining it so this non-scientist can easily understand it. She effectively explains the ideas that develop and the historical and technological waves that eventually erode those past explanations and replace them with new constructs, new ideas. She makes the process of interesting, human and fun, with little tidbits of gossipy details that bring revered scientists to life. I have always loved physics, took one astronomy class in college and worked at a planetarium (As an usher, believe me hearing the same presentation 6 times a weekend for 3 months ingrains those particular ideas forever,) so I am not intimidated by science, but I have no real science background, no expertise, and yet never felt overwhelmed by the science.
I like her holistic approach, combining literature and cultural information as ways of showing how radical some of these new concepts are. There are wonderful illustrations. It took me a few weeks to read this, but that is generally how I read nonfiction. I read until I come to a concept I need to think about and internalize and switch to some fiction, coming back when I have chewed it over a bit and am ready to learn something new. My mind still lets go a thousand things, but this book is full of falling petals and they are beautiful in their mystery and magnificence.
Mapping the Heavens will be released on April 26th. I received an electronic advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
There is a poem that I used to include in my syllabus as a history teacher. It’s by Thomas Bailey Aldrich and begins, “My mind lets go a thousand things/Like dates of wars and deaths of kings” and then goes on to recall the very hour the wind shook loose two petals from a flower. I think of it often when reading historical overviews. Authors are always in a double-bind. If they don’t include the thousand things, they will be perceived as unserious, and if they do, they risk losing their readers before they get to the good stuff when those petals start falling. For me, when I read the overviews, I just tell myself, it will get better and it usually does.
The book begins with an extensive overview of the history of cosmology from the earliest observations recorded in cuneiform more as statistical tabulations without any attempt at explanation though the centuries. Natarajan makes some effort to remind readers that cosmological exploration was not isolated to Europe, reminding us of the invention of the compass by the Chinese, the mapping advances from India and the critical role of Arabs in creating the mathematics that formed the foundation for advanced cosmology. She also reminds us that the Flat-Earth Society has been a collection of anti-science cranks since Ptolemy, not Columbus – though not in those words.
One of the central points she makes is that science is provisional and self-correcting. Throughout the history of science, new technologies enable the collection of new data, new data creates new insights and discoveries, and meanwhile old ideas resist change. There is a clash of ideas, sometimes people suggest a middle way, but ultimately, the best data and explanations win out because science chooses what is replicable and empirical even when it is uncomfortable.
It is unfortunate that this overview must come first, but it must because all the rest of the book is built on its foundation, but it is far less exciting and interesting than the meat of the book that beings in the second chapter and then just keeps building. The tone of the writing changes dramatically after the first chapter, becoming more conversational, more engaging and far more fascinating. Natarajan adds lots of interesting information such as Poe presaging Hubble’s discovery of the expanding universe in a poem eighty years before Of course, Poe had no evidence, it was a dream of an idea, but it was true and Hubble confirmed it with science. The expanding universe upends everything, after all literature is full of the constancy of the heavens and Hubble broke it. It makes this science so much more accessible for the general public when she makes this connections with other disciplines like literature and poetry.
I love how Natarajan reveals the humanity of the scientists who shape our worldview. Einstein’s resistance to the expanding universe, his “fudge” as she calls it, a final attempt to hand onto the static universe model in the face of new evidence and his eventual confession he was wrong. It’s kind of reassuring to know that even Einstein hung onto belief over evidence for a while before coming round. Because he did come around. Perhaps those who cling to denial of climate change and evolution will do the same. Maybe not, but the idea that Einstein fudged for a bit makes me feel more optimistic about those who doubt science today. She also describes how Sitter’s wrong explanation while being totally, bizarrely wrong, contained a nugget of an idea that helped jumpstart another direction that led toward the right solution (or at least, since science is provisional, what we believe now is the right solution.) Equally fascinating, it is something so simple as photographic plates that enabled the real breakthroughs in observation that advanced the radical theories we have now come to accept.
Natarajan brings the same enthusiastic passion to revealing the nonlinear push and pull advancements that led to the discovery of black holes, dark matter, background radiation, the accelerating universe and will, I am certain, the discovery of other worlds and other sentient, curious, imaginative and creative beings. Full disclosure: I began volunteering my background computer capacity to SETI back when I had a Apple Mac Classic. But when Natarajan talks about other worlds, she does not mean just habitable planets with sentient life out there somewhere lost in the stars, but also other worlds in the multiverse and whether there could be life where the cosmological parameters necessary for the universe as we know it are different. This is radical stuff, revealing that scientists are some of the wildest and most radical thinkers on the planet.
But isn’t that what science is? Taking what we know, what we can observe and then getting freaky with it? Always presuming of course, the evidence backs it up.
4paws I recommend this book highly. Natarajan has a way of taking theory and all its complexity and explaining it so this non-scientist can easily understand it. She effectively explains the ideas that develop and the historical and technological waves that eventually erode those past explanations and replace them with new constructs, new ideas. She makes the process of interesting, human and fun, with little tidbits of gossipy details that bring revered scientists to life. I have always loved physics, took one astronomy class in college and worked at a planetarium (As an usher, believe me hearing the same presentation 6 times a weekend for 3 months ingrains those particular ideas forever,) so I am not intimidated by science, but I have no real science background, no expertise, and yet never felt overwhelmed by the science.
I like her holistic approach, combining literature and cultural information as ways of showing how radical some of these new concepts are. There are wonderful illustrations. It took me a few weeks to read this, but that is generally how I read nonfiction. I read until I come to a concept I need to think about and internalize and switch to some fiction, coming back when I have chewed it over a bit and am ready to learn something new. My mind still lets go a thousand things, but this book is full of falling petals and they are beautiful in their mystery and magnificence.
Mapping the Heavens will be released on April 26th. I received an electronic advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
May 27, 2019
This is a pretty good book. Strengths: the approach is historical, so one gets a sense of how ideas about the cosmos evolved, and how, in particular research and discoveries about atoms and sub-atomic particles and forces on the one hand, and research and discoveries about what is observed in space, on the other, ultimately came to be part of the same overall intellectual endeavor. The historical approach also permits Natarajan to discuss the process of science, not just its "results", and to demonstrate how that process is both socially constructed (i.e. science is undertaken by human beings in particular social, ideological, and historical contexts) and also ultimately grounded in material evidence (i.e. which theories prevail are not the result of a popularity contest). Weaknesses: frankly, I got lost int the science. After the reading the book, I couldn't explain dark matter, dark energy, or the cosmological constant to anyone. But I got a *sense*, just a *sense* of what they are and what role they play in explaining observed reality.
May 6, 2024
4-4.5 stars.
This is a history of the science of the cosmos that looks at the evolution of what we know and the journey that the scientific community took on their path to now.
This book stands out most for giving that insight into the journey of science. While there were times I was interested in learning more, and wished the author had delved a bit deeper, I think she effectively communicated the broad history and the many side steps along the way. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how major figures in history stick to wrong preconceived ideas. It really speaks to the community effort of science, and it humanizes some of the idolized figures we have all come to know.
Overall, this is an easy book to recommend, especially to lay readers with limited background. Even those who have some exposure may still find parts of this enlightening. It may not satiate the depths of your interest, but it may spark a new interest that can guide you in future reads. I know it has with me.
This is a history of the science of the cosmos that looks at the evolution of what we know and the journey that the scientific community took on their path to now.
This book stands out most for giving that insight into the journey of science. While there were times I was interested in learning more, and wished the author had delved a bit deeper, I think she effectively communicated the broad history and the many side steps along the way. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how major figures in history stick to wrong preconceived ideas. It really speaks to the community effort of science, and it humanizes some of the idolized figures we have all come to know.
Overall, this is an easy book to recommend, especially to lay readers with limited background. Even those who have some exposure may still find parts of this enlightening. It may not satiate the depths of your interest, but it may spark a new interest that can guide you in future reads. I know it has with me.
February 23, 2024
An unexpectedly well-rounded medley of astronomy, cartography, and history. Informative in a way that I think will stick with me: along with descriptions of cosmological phenomena, Natarajan explains how and why we know what we do. The who and the when. What did they notice in the skies? What questions did those observations raise, how did they go about searching for answers, what technologies did they have available to them, and—most discouraging—what personality conflicts hindered them?
I long for an updated edition. The book was published in 2014, which you’d think is fairly recent but it really isn’t. In particular, just a few months after publication, LIGO recorded observations that confirmed some of her predictions. It was fun, and inspiring, to see what Natarajan has been up to in these last ten years.
I long for an updated edition. The book was published in 2014, which you’d think is fairly recent but it really isn’t. In particular, just a few months after publication, LIGO recorded observations that confirmed some of her predictions. It was fun, and inspiring, to see what Natarajan has been up to in these last ten years.
April 10, 2018
Covers topics such as celestial physics, black holes, dark matter, the big bang and string theory. A brief account of technological advances that improved scientific analyses throughout history. There is the strange assertion that biologists think only Earth harbours life - including no citation - but on the whole it's decent. I do think that Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is a little better.
July 30, 2019
Incredibly researched thorough explanation of how the current view of the universe came into fruition. It's peppered with tons of insight of how the world and specially the scientific community's reaction to proposed discoveries changed since ancient times to now. Specifically, how science has become a mainstream worldwide effort where communities, not singular geniuses like Einstein or Newton, rule it.
Certainly a slow read, wrote notes as it went along and that helped immensely to let the material marinate. Multiplied by knowledge of astronomical history and overall knowledge.
Certainly a slow read, wrote notes as it went along and that helped immensely to let the material marinate. Multiplied by knowledge of astronomical history and overall knowledge.
December 31, 2020
An engaging summary of how astronomy has evolved over the centuries since the scientific revolution. The author also includes anecdotes of scientific discourse on more modern discoveries such as black holes, dark matter, and dark energy that showcase how influence, clout, and the race to be the first can sometimes dilute or detract from the true essence of this field- to map the heavens and answer questions about the unknown.
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July 30, 2022i will admit that i only fully read through the beginning and end of this book, and gazed through the others, simply because Priyamvada Natarajan was just being her professor of astronomy and physics self, and i didn’t feel intelligent enough to read her work 😭 but the way that she addresses the theories of the universe, and the reality of it all, while giving such thorough and beautiful history of it all, makes me so happy. i will definitely be referring back to this book in the future!!
May 12, 2023
Very enjoyable! It’s all about leaps of imagination. Flexible but exacting. The history, the wonder of humanity looking up at the sky. Across time, across cultures, across different scientific backgrounds, rivalries, long cherished beliefs, and new discoveries shattering old across continents. We are connected by this simple act, we all perform; looking up and then making a map. The references are brilliantly broken down & explained in this fascinating book.
July 20, 2023
A great overview of how our view, i.e. "map", of the celestial realm has changed over time, with a specific emphasis on the past few decades. I though Ms. Natarajan did a great job blending historical accounts, modern scientific theory, and her own personal views. A especially liked her commentary about why some scientific ideas don't get their time in the sun for decades, and the use of many sources from all over the world.
January 10, 2018
Really interesting book, the narrative of how we came to have our current understanding of the universe is a fascinating one, and looking at how science itself has changed is a very effective way of anchoring the discussion. Some of the writing is a little trite and some of the technical descriptions could be clearer (very very possible I just didn't get them) but overall it was very good
February 7, 2019
Good and clear explanation of where we currently find ourselves in our understanding of the universe end our place in it and how we managed to find our way to this knowledge.
The author also details some of the conflicts between scientists (philosophers) of the beliefs in their day and the new explanations that were developed.
Good book!
The author also details some of the conflicts between scientists (philosophers) of the beliefs in their day and the new explanations that were developed.
Good book!
June 5, 2019
4.5 stars. I loved this. My complaints are only that the final chapter was a bit woolly and looked again into the past, instead of peering into the future. I learned so much! Gravity waves, standard candles, the cosmological constant. Did you know that the calcium in our bones was made in supernovae?
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