Simon Singh chronicles the intellectual shift from the belief in a static, eternal cosmos to the acceptance of an expanding universe born from a singular point. The narrative follows the progression of physical cosmology through the mathematical frameworks of Albert Einstein, Georges Lemaître, and Fred Hoyle. Singh details the conflict between the Steady State model and the Big Bang theory, culminating in the accidental discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation by Penzias and Wilson. The text outlines how scientists utilized Doppler shifts, stellar parallax, and nucleosynthesis to measure the age and scale of existence.
This book serves readers interested in the history of science and the mechanics of astronomical discovery. It provides a foundational understanding of how evidence is gathered to support theoretical physics. Readers gain a clear perspective on the scientific method, learning how peer skepticism and rigorous testing eventually validated a counterintuitive origin story. By the final chapter, a reader understands the specific observations that prove the universe is billions of years old and continues to grow.
Outward-looking and clear-cut; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Evidence Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2004
- Language
- EN
