Death By Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
My preferred way of meditating is to sit in my balcony and look at the stars. It feels good to feel unimportant sometimes. I would lay awake thinking about the black holes. Of our star-dust bodies. That this Earth is a speckle of dust in a cosmic dust storm. To think of our frivolities against the colors of the chalky galaxy. Of Jupiter’s moon Europa with its layers of ice stretching across the sphere. The moon of ice. To imagine faraway planets illuminated by a star who annihilates itself in a supernova explosion. The book was easily fathomable and with a subject like the universe, it can leave one startled. Some of the chapters near the end of the book didn’t interest me as much, mainly concerning media, culture and religion (and of their relation/references to astronomy). I look to the starlit sky. I know the luster is illusive. It is a haunting place with its empty distances. There is beauty and chaos. It is there. And we are here, feeling our own weight against them. I enjoy reading about physics and astrophysics. And while I don't have much of a mathematical background in those sciences (beyond the basics), I took enough classes in high school and undergrad (and have read enough books with interest) that I feel like I know a thing or two about what goes on up there.Tyson (whom I find utterly charming on television) doesn't break any new ground in science -- this isn't a book about string theory or any other single cutting-edge topic. (Most of it's not even about black holes.) What this book is, rather, is a series of science essays, each one tackling one specific piece of the astrophysics puzzle and explaining it in a very approachable, understandable way. In doing this, Tyson builds up a fairly detailed picture of how the universe works without ever getting too complicated or dull.So while I felt like I had been exposed to much of this information in the past (in a liberal arts sort of way), I really appreciated the science refresher and I appreciated being taken away from my mundane day-to-day back to a place where I could appreciate space and science. It's something I used to enjoy -- but it's hard to find the time to fit into an otherwise rather busy life.My only criticism is about the last two sections, which were mostly about earthly concerns such as lack of public scientific literacy and the place of religion and intelligent design in science. Tyson and I are on the exact same page on these issues and he, of course, can make his arguments much more elegantly than I could. But. I really don't need to be convinced of these issues and I really just wanted to hear more about the actual science. And it ended the book on a kind oddly combative note.So: Great book! It's a relatively quick and easy read given the subject matter and Tyson's almost as charming on the printed page as he is on TV.
What do You think about Death By Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries (2014)?
I can see how this book can be good to popularize science to wide audience.
—Steph
Can be difficult at times but it's fascinating
—Quentin
