Black Hole Chasers: The Amazing True Story of an Astronomical Breakthrough

by Anna Crowley Redding

Overview

In Black Hole Chasers, award-winning investigative journalist Anna Crowley Redding presents the riveting true story of one of the most inspiring scientific breakthroughs of our lifetime—the Event Horizon Telescope team's reveal of the first image of a super massive black hole.

In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope Team unveiled the first ever image of a super massive black hole.

This inspiring scientific breakthrough took years of hard work, innovative thinking, and a level of global cooperation never seen before. The challenge was immense. The goal was impossible. They would need a telescope as big as the earth itself. The technology simply didn’t exist. And yet, a multi-national team of scientists was able to show the world an image of something previously unseeable.

Based off extensive research and hours interviews with many of the team's ground-breaking scientists, physicists, and mathematicians, Black Hole Chasers is a story of unique technological innovation and scientific breakthroughs, but more importantly, it's a story of human curiosity and triumph.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250622327
Publisher:	Feiwel & Friends
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	920L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Anna Crowley Redding is the author of Google It, Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World, and Black Hole Chasers. The recipient of multiple Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards, Crowley Redding uses her Emmy award-winning investigative reporting skills to dig into compelling topics that are shaping our world. Her works have been translated into multiple languages, garnered national news coverage, and been recognized by the National Association of Science Teachers for excellence. Crowley Redding lives outside of Portland, Maine with her family.

Editorial Reviews

08/30/2021

This accessible account chronicles the complex work of the Event Horizon Telescope Project in 2019 to capture and publish definitive data about and photographs of black holes, which no human had ever seen. Journalist Redding (Google It) capably documents the history of black holes and the compelling story of how American astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman and German radio astronomer Heino Falcke created a global team to investigate their existence and garner the first black hole photo using a complex network of connecting radio telescopes around the world. The narrative breaks down difficult vocabulary and concepts such as gravitational collapse, and offers relatable contextualizing examples, for instance comparing the space-time fabric to the surface of a trampoline. Some pop culture references prove distracting, including a tangent about the television series MacGyver, but short biographies of notable scientists and contributors to the project highlights its history, diversity, scope, and complexity. Dramatic b&w photographs and diagrams not only break down the anatomy of black holes but also illustrate the project’s scale. The twists and turns of this scientific breakthrough should pique reader curiosity about innovation. Ages 9–12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"An intriguing and comprehensive look at the subject... Kids will be enthralled by exceptional storytelling and inspired to learn more about the phenomenon, and astronomy overall." —School Library Journal Online, starred review

"This accessible account chronicles the complex work of the Event Horizon Telescope Project in 2019 to capture and publish definitive data about and photographs of black holes.... The twists and turns of this scientific breakthrough should pique reader curiosity about innovation." — Publishers Weekly

"More comprehensive than other books for young readers about Google’s founders, with energetically written short chapters, interesting facts, graphics, and photos" —Booklist on Google It, starred review

"This readable and breezy history of the tech behemoth [is] An appealing and timely look at a universally relevant subject and a good fit for STEAM-related reading lists." —School Library Journal on Google It

"Humorous accounts of Google's unpretentious beginnings as a student project, and its early years as a bare-bones startup in a friend's garage will intrigue teens who dream of growing their own projects into software and devices used by millions." — VOYA on Google It

From the Publisher

★ 10/02/2021

Gr 5–8—An intriguing and comprehensive look at the subject. The focus of this readable and captivating narrative is in detailing the history of black holes, following the lives of the lead scientists and how they became interested in black holes, and sharing the challenges, failures, and eventual success of the Event Horizon Telescope project. The short chapters have many asides highlighting scientists throughout history who contributed to our understanding of black holes. Lingo alerts appear throughout when a new term is introduced. The volume includes an extensive bibliography with books, articles, and websites where readers can go do further research. Redding's narrative on the lives of the scientists and their seemingly insurmountable challenge of capturing the first image of a black hole will immediately grab readers and pull them in. Her book explains complex ideas in easy-to-understand terms and sprinkles photos and interesting anecdotes throughout to flesh out the story. Kids will be enthralled by exceptional storytelling and inspired to learn more about the phenomenon, and astronomy overall. VERDICT Put in the hands of your aspiring scientists and readers with insatiable curiosity. An essential purchase.—Kristin Williamson, Metropolitan Lib. Syst., OK

School Library Journal