Read Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries Online
Authors: Neil Degrasse Tyson
Tags: #Science, #Cosmology
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
DEATH BY BLACK HOLE
“Tyson proves that no topic is too big or small for his scrutiny…. [He] tackles an impressive range of subjects…with great humor, humility, and—most important—humanity.”
—Wook Kim,
Entertainment Weekly
“[Tyson] demonstrates a good feel for explaining science in an intelligible way to interested lay readers; his rather rakish sense of humor should aid in making the book enjoyable.”
—
Library Journal
“Neil deGrasse Tyson has mined his columns from
Natural History
magazine for his most interesting essays on exploring the cosmos [written] in his characteristically fun and jaunty style.”
—
Sky and Telescope
“Highly enjoyable.”
—
Bookends
“…Tyson’s style will connect with general readers. Whatever readers’ scientific tastes, something in Tyson’s wide-ranging collection will sate them.”
—Gilbert Taylor,
Booklist
“Vibrant collection of essays.”
—
Book Passage
“Dr. Tyson has a grand time dissecting certain forms of foolishness. Get it, plan to savor it. Savor ‘Coming to Our Senses,’ a gorgeous dissection. It’s one of those essays that makes you call up your friends and start reading quotes over the phone. Light, elegant and rich.”
—Angela Gunn, USAToday.com
“An exciting journey through the extremes of the universe.”
—
Commonwealth Science News
“The ideal book for those fascinated by space, the cosmos, black holes, and all the questions and wonders therein. The perfect book for the reader who wants simple and clearly defined answers.”
—Alex Telander, Bookloons.com
“Tyson comes across as having an excellent grasp of the current state of astrophysics, cosmology, chemistry and other scientific disciplines…he conveys knowledge clearly to the nonspecialist, often with ingratiating humor and wit.”
—Roy E. Perry,
The Tennessean
“[An] eclectic mix of subjects…. Of most value in the book is Tyson’s thorough explanation of each subject, enlarging the reader’s understanding, even about familiar things.”
—Kathy Avakian,
Journal of Amateur Astronomers Association of New York
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
(with Donald Goldsmith)
My Favorite Universe
(A 12-Part Video Lecture Series)
One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos
(with Charles Liu & Robert Irion)
Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge
(with Steven Soter, eds)
The Sky Is Not the Limit:
Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist
Just Visiting This Planet
Universe Down to Earth
Merlin’s Tour of the Universe
DE
GRASSE TYSON
AND OTHER COSMIC QUANDARIES
W. W. NORTON & COMPANY
New York
•
London
Copyright © 2007 by Neil deGrasse Tyson
All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
Production manager: Amanda Morrison
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tyson, Neil deGrasse.
Death by black hole: and other cosmic quandaries / Neil deGrasse Tyson.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-0-393-11378-5
1. Black holes (Astronomy) 2. Cosmology. 3. Astrobiology. 4. Solar system. 5. Religion and science. I. Title.
QB843.B55T97 2007
523.8'875—dc22
2006022058
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
My own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.
—J. B. S. H
ALDANE
Possible Worlds
(1927)
I
see the universe not as a collection of objects, theories, and phenomena, but as a vast stage of actors driven by intricate twists of story line and plot. So when writing about the cosmos, it feels natural to bring readers into the theater, behind the scenes, to see up close for themselves what the set designs look like, how the scripts were written, and where the stories will go next. My goal at all times is to communicate insight into how the universe works, which is harder than the simple conveyance of facts. Times arise along the way, as for the drama icon itself, to smile or to frown when the cosmos calls for it. Times arise to be scared witless when the cosmos calls for that, too. So I think of
Death by Black Hole
as a reader’s portal to all that moves, enlightens, and terrifies us in the universe.
Each chapter first appeared, in one form or another, on the pages of
Natural History
magazine under the heading “Universe” and span the 11-year period of 1995 through 2005.
Death by Black Hole
forms a kind of “Best of the Universe” and includes some of the most requested essays I have written, mildly edited for continuity and to reflect emergent trends in science.
I submit this collection to you, the reader, for what might be a welcome diversion from your day’s routine.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
New York City
October 2006