About this item
The authoritative story of the headline-making discovery of gravitational waves - by an eminent theoretical astrophysicist and award-winning writer.From the author of How the Universe Got Its Spots and A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, the epic story of the scientific campaign to record the soundtrack of our universe. Black holes are dark. That is their essence. When black holes collide, they will do so unilluminated. Yet the black hole collision is an event more powerful than any since the origin of the universe. The profusion of energy will emanate as waves in the shape of spacetime: gravitational waves. No telescope will ever record the event; instead, the only evidence would be the sound of spacetime ringing. In 1916, Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, his top priority after he proposed his theory of curved spacetime.
About the Author
I am an astrophysicist and writer. My favorite topics for research include black holes, the big bang, extra dimensions, and dark energy. These days I'm a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University in Manhattan. I'm also director of sciences at Pioneer Works, a center for art and ideas in Red Hook, Brooklyn. My latest book, Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, tracks the arduous campaign to detect gravitational waves. I hope you like it.
