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Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
by
A noted astrophysicist presents a lively and accessible introduction to radical ideas and discoveries that are transforming our knowledge of the universe
“A strikingly lucid account of the expansion, not just of the universe, but of the way we have tried to understand it, from the Babylonians to black holes and dark matter.”—Richard Holmes, “By the Book,” New York Times ...more
“A strikingly lucid account of the expansion, not just of the universe, but of the way we have tried to understand it, from the Babylonians to black holes and dark matter.”—Richard Holmes, “By the Book,” New York Times ...more
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Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 23rd 2017
by Yale University Press
(first published April 26th 2016)
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Start your review of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos

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 ...more
Specifically, the author points out that we are now in an era of “big science” - i.e., one dependent on large teams in more ...more

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 age ...more
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 age ...more

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 detailin ...more

Jul 20, 2016
muthuvel
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
astronomy-physics
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 boo ...more
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 boo ...more

Mar 29, 2016
Dannii Elle
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-books-read,
non-fiction-nuances
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 b ...more
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 b ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 mak
...more

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 ...more
Unfortunately, the book is a bit of a hodge-podge. It starts off as a very cursory history of the mapping of the ...more

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 th ...more
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 th ...more

Jun 06, 2016
Amy
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads-giveaways-read
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.

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.
...more

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
...more

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 de
...more

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.
...more

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 mater ...more
Certainly a slow read, wrote notes as it went along and that helped immensely to let the mater ...more

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.

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
...more

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!

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?

Apr 20, 2018
Christopher Obert
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2018
A great book about the universe and how we can understand it all.

Kind of a boring rehash of every other popsci history out there. Good enough if you're new to the subject but didn't really add anything to an already crowded field.
...more
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