The Universe at Midnight by Ken Croswell, The Free Press, $27, ISBN
0684859319
POPULAR books about cosmology tend to become out of date very quickly, simply
because this is such a fast-moving science. Every month seems to bring a fresh
batch of discoveries and surprises. The Universe at Midnight by Ken Croswell is
fully up to date, and clearly the author has carried out a tremendous amount of
research.
The book covers the whole field of modern cosmology. The first chapter sets
the scene with some fascinating historical anecdotes. Then come sections on the
big bang and its rival theories, dark matter, stellar evolution, the expansion
of the Universe, its 鈥渨eight鈥�, background radiation and much else. The text
abounds in quotes from experts thus avoiding the danger of distortion or
misinterpretation鈥攎ost cosmologists, both past and present, have very
definite views. Many of the quotes from key figures given here will not be found
anywhere else.
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Croswell makes no attempt to disguise the fact that our present knowledge is
very limited, and that we are still uncertain about fundamentals such as the
Hubble constant, which defines the rate at which the Universe is expanding.
There is a long and particularly interesting chapter about this. Neither can we
be really confident about the age of the Universe. The best current estimate is
of the order of 15 billion years, but it is conceivable that this figure may be
drastically modified in the foreseeable future.
The final chapter, which deals with the eventual fate of the Earth, is rather
different in approach, and is highly speculative. Our planet cannot last
forever, but when the situation becomes intolerable is there anything our
descendants could do? As yet we cannot say, but breaking the Earth free from the
dying Sun and transferring it to another star is likely to be a rather difficult
matter. Fortunately, there is no need for immediate alarm . . .
The text is accurate, with only a few tiny and wholly unimportant slips (for
example, the Large Magellanic Cloud is no longer classed as a completely
irregular galaxy). The main disadvantage of Croswell鈥檚 approach, however, is
that the emphasis upon personalities sometimes masks the science. This is
probably not the book for a reader who wants a no-nonsense, straightforward and
concise account of modern cosmology.
It is also a pity that Croswell has emphasised personal conflicts between
researchers 鈥攁ccusations of plagiarism, attempts to claim credit for other
people鈥檚 work and so on. Of course this does happen, but from this book the
newcomer might well think that cosmologists are a jealous and arrogant breed.
This was certainly not the author鈥檚 intention. In places, too, the writing tends
to be of what may be called the tabloid variety. 鈥淧erhaps the Universe is
expanding into nothing, or into God鈥檚 living room, or into some physicist鈥檚
laboratory. Take your pick!鈥�
But these are quibbles. The Universe at Midnight is vastly entertaining and
enjoyable, as well as informative. It will be a welcome addition to any library,
particularly if it is read in conjunction with a book that deals with the same
subject in a more conventional way.