Audiobook6 hours
Chandra's Cosmos: Dark Matter, Black Holes, and Other Wonders Revealed by NASA's Premier X-Ray Observatory
Written by Wallace H. Tucker
Narrated by Tom Perkins
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
On July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the most powerful X-ray telescope ever built, was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Since then, Chandra has given us a view of the universe that is largely hidden from telescopes sensitive only to visible light. In Chandra's Cosmos, Wallace H. Tucker uses a series of short, connected stories to describe the telescope's exploration of the hot, high-energy face of the universe. The book is organized in three parts: "The Big," covering the cosmic web, dark energy, dark matter, and massive clusters of galaxies; "The Bad," exploring neutron stars, stellar black holes, and supermassive black holes; and "The Beautiful," discussing stars, exoplanets, and life.
Chandra has imaged the spectacular, glowing remains of exploded stars and taken spectra showing the dispersal of their elements. Chandra has observed the region around the supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way and traced the separation of dark matter from normal matter in the collision of galaxies. Tucker explores the implications of these observations in an entertaining, informative narrative aimed at space buffs and general readers alike.
Chandra has imaged the spectacular, glowing remains of exploded stars and taken spectra showing the dispersal of their elements. Chandra has observed the region around the supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way and traced the separation of dark matter from normal matter in the collision of galaxies. Tucker explores the implications of these observations in an entertaining, informative narrative aimed at space buffs and general readers alike.
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Reviews for Chandra's Cosmos
Rating: 4.571428571428571 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
14 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is an excellent audiobook. A delightful & enlightening experience.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An account of a telescope that I didn’t know existed. Entertaining style, placing the significance of Chandra’s findings in the evolution of astrophysical thought. Enjoyable and the subject matter is magic. Thanks to author and publisher.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thanks Tucker, for such great and honest insight. This is a must.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is fascinating, mind-blowing, even awe inspiring, and I think with color photos it will be gorgeous as well (my review copy's images are black and white). Author Wallace H Tucker has done a good job of bridging the gap between astrophysicist and interested layperson, making difficult material easier to grasp for non-scientists who hope to understand the latest information about black holes, dark matter and their ilk.I really appreciate the author's use of analogies to make some of the information more vivid and accessible. For instance, he describes the immense power produced by spinning supermassive black holes by saying it is as if an energy source the size of a blueberry could heat a gas cloud the size of Earth to millions of degrees Celsius. Later in that same chapter, Black Hole Feedback, he puts a particular sound wave in perspective by saying it could be translated to the note of B-flat, but a B-flat that is 57 octaves lower than the middle C on a piano.The book does require some concentration to read, but it isn’t massive intimidating tome. My copy has just 238 pages of text, and many of the chapters are under 10 pages making them easier to follow.I read a free advanced review copy of this book. Review opinions are mine.