In the northern hemisphere, we’re getting on to enjoying summer time which traditionally includes vacationing. Typically, vacations are a time to pause from work and remember life’s possibilities beyond work. Now, perhaps you the vacationer want to rekindle a brief fling you had with science or maybe begin a new science tryst. Ersilia Vaudo’s book “The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions” could be just the impetus necessary for such a diversion.
In “The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions”, Vaudo details the progress made by humankind in the science of astrophysics. The book is fairly brief considering all that we’ve accumulated. But her narration is of someone sharing a passion rather than simply reciting statements. Vaudo reminds us that the study of science includes observation and emotions. For instance, just imagine, as she describes staring up at the night sky and wondering if and when all the other galaxies will disappear due to our exponentially expanding universe. That exercise should generate a powerful emotional response!
While this book distinguishes astrophysics into five revolutions, or chapters, I’m not seeing a need for these separations. As commonly done, the book advances in temporal steps from Galileo to Green (apologies for missing out any of the many included references). Similarly, the subject matter advances from the idea of gravity as a force propagating through an ether, onto special relativity, and up to string theory. I find it interesting reading how Vaudo shows developments that initially originate from observation, then from imagination, and finally from mathematics. All together, the book makes for a solid read.
Given that Vaudo works with the European Space Agency, the book is somewhat Europe centric. Understandably, the historical aspect of astrophysics is European as Europe is the source of scientific knowledge for most of the Western world. Some of the more recent elements in the book include CERN, ESAs Euclid and CUORE. Admirably, Vaudo includes the names of many previous and current researchers as well as references to their work. These would readily serve as jump-off points for those interested in delving deeper.
For me, this book is satisfactorily light on rigid science, e.g. no equations to be found, yet heavy on concept. Further, given its easy, pleasant prose, it does make for an enjoyable summer read. As there’s not a strong connection from one line of reasoning to the next, it’s also fairly easy to pick up and put down if the weather warrants. Last, note that the original text was written in Italian. Thus kudos to the translator for producing such a joyful manuscript.
Vacationing can let your mind wander. Some let their minds wander away from the anthropocentric view and consider humans as just part of a very vast space we call the universe or maybe a multiverse. Ersilia Vaudo in her book “The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions”, presents a temporally aligned progression of our understanding of our existence within this great space. And she does so with a lightness to quell concerns of the unknown while adding a thoughtfulness to any day, whether vacationing or other.