Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and Gambled On by Hawking Became Loved

by Marcia Bartusiak

Overview

The contentious history of the idea of the black hole—the most fascinating and bizarre celestial object in the heavens

For more than half a century, physicists and astronomers engaged in heated dispute over the possibility of black holes in the universe. The weirdly alien notion of a space-time abyss from which nothing escapes—not even light—seemed to confound all logic. This engrossing book tells the story of the fierce black hole debates and the contributions of Einstein and Hawking and other leading thinkers who completely altered our view of the universe.

Renowned science writer Marcia Bartusiak shows how the black hole helped revive Einstein’s greatest achievement, the general theory of relativity, after decades during which it had been pushed into the shadows. Not until astronomers discovered such surprising new phenomena as neutron stars and black holes did the once-sedate universe transform into an Einsteinian cosmos, filled with sources of titanic energy that can be understood only in the light of relativity. This book celebrates the hundredth anniversary of general relativity, uncovers how the black hole really got its name, and recounts the scientists’ frustrating, exhilarating, and at times humorous battles over the acceptance of one of history’s most dazzling ideas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300210859
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	04/28/2015
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	912,396
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Marcia Bartusiak is Professor of the Practice, Graduate Program in Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the award-winning author of five previous books, including most recently The Day We Found the Universe. She lives in Sudbury, MA.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 It Is Therefore Possible That the Largest Luminous Bodies in the Universe May Be Invisible 1

2 Newton, Forgive Me 16

3 One Would Then Find Oneself… in a Geometrical Fairyland 35

4 There Should Be a Law of Nature to Prevent a Star from Behaving in This Absurd Way! 44

5 I'll Show Those Bastards 60

6 Only Its Gravitational Field Persists 70

7 I Could Not Have Picked a More Exciting Time in Which to Become a Physicist 87

8 It Was the Weirdest Spectrum I'd Ever Seen 110

9 Why Don't You Call It a Black Hole? 122

10 Medieval Torture Rack 142

11 Whereas Stephen Hawking Has Such a Large Investment in General Relativity and Black Holes and Desires an Insurance Policy 148

12 Black Holes Ain't So Black 163

Epilogue 175

Timeline 183

Notes 189

Bibliography 209

Acknowledgments 224

Index 227

Editorial Reviews

03/30/2015
Bartusiak (Archives of the Universe), professor in the Graduate Program in Science Writing at MIT, reveals the story and science of black holes in all their “stark and alien weirdness.” Black holes begin, and end, with gravity. The first person to propose this idea was 18th-century English polymath John Michell, who imagined a star so massive that “all light... would be made to return towards it, by its own proper gravity.” As Bartusiak relates, the idea remained a curiosity until Einstein proffered his theory of special relativity (1905) and the idea that gravity could bend light and motion. German astronomer Karl Schwarzschild envisioned an “event horizon,” the point of no return beyond which nothing could escape a massive star’s extreme gravity, but no one believed it could happen. Then Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar showed how a massive white dwarf star could shrivel to nothing under its own gravity. Bartusiak notes that Einstein and many others rejected the idea, but by the 1960s, observational evidence and computer advances that allowed astronomers to model stellar collapse showed that black holes were real. Bartusiak’s lively, accessible writing and insight into the personalities behind the science make her book an entertaining and informative read. (May)

Publishers Weekly

You don’t need an advanced degree to enjoy this entertaining tale of how black holes meandered their way from theoretical oddity into everyday consciousness. . . . A beautiful case study in how scientific ideas grow through inspiration, thought and, finally, observation.”—Mike Brown, Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal - Mike Brown

Astronomers took fifty years to carry the black hole from laughable concept to central importance in every galaxy. Marcia Bartusiak accomplishes the same feat here, in one irresistibly attractive read.”—Dava Sobel, author of Longitude

Dava Sobel

Marcia Bartusiak takes us on a fascinating ride around black holes, showing the beauty and mystery of a concept that has intrigued scientists from Einstein to Hawking.”—Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, and Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson

An engrossing and mind-bending read . . . Bartusiak provides a front row seat as many of the most famous scientists of all time grapple with the strangest objects in the universe, black holes.”—Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011

Adam Riess

Captivating and authoritative, Black Hole traces a truly weird concept from its tentative conjecture to inescapable reality. Bartusiak recounts a compelling tale with quirky turns, curious revelations, intellectual rumbles and personal gambles.”—Ray Jayawardhana, author of Neutrino Hunters

Ray Jayawardhana

"[A] Sparkling new book . . . One of the delights of this witty book is seeing the many ways physicists historically found to dismiss, deny and disdain black holes."—Washington Post

Washington Post

‘The irony that Einstein sought desperately for order in a universe he had so thoroughly trashed is not lost on Bartusiak, who packs a lot of learning into a deceptively light and enjoyable read.’—New Scientist
 

New Scientist

Bartusiak's new book is thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and full of insights about the nature of the scientific enterprise. Aficionados of black holes will love this book.”—Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams and The Accidental Universe

Alan Lightman

"Black Hole is engaging and lively, weaving in personal drama . . . with a clear account of the underlying science.  An acclaimed science writer."—Tom Siegfried, Science News

Science News - Tom Siegfried

"Expertly tells the story of the emergence of black holes. . . . [Bartusiak] offers a concise but comprehensive history . . . from the 18th century ponderings of stars massive enough that light could not escape to present-day studies of these very real objects."—Jeff Foust, The Space Review

The Space Review - Jeff Foust

"Lively and readable. . . . Read it if you want to know how the concept of black holes has changed dramatically over the past 100 years—from being an apparent mistake in the maths to the strangest and most outlandish objects that we (currently) know of."—Pippa Goldschmidt, Spectator

Spectator - Pippa Goldschmidt

"Bartusiak's book traces the crooked path black holes took through the history of science. . . . The narrative features intriguing cameos from many of history's well-known physicists."—Scientific American, listed as a recommended book

Scientific American

"Tells this story with . . . an accessibility that other popular writers in the field have sometimes struggled to achieve when dealing with the subject. There’s as much history and character study as hard science, which is no bad thing, and even the most mathophobic reader will find this book a satisfying and enlightening read."—Mike Parker, Tribune magazine

Tribune Magazine - Mike Parker

"Lively and dramatic. . . . There's no danger of being bored. Bartusiak does a good job of tracing the twisted route that our understanding has followed, from Newton to Einstein and to today as we try to extend gravity to quantum scales."—Tara Shears, Times Higher Education Supplement

Times Higher Education Supplement - Tara Shears

‘Ms. Bartusiak weaves scientific concepts to create a portrait of the scientific institution itself, showing how its norms and personalities served to shape the path taken… a considered background to a still-unfolding idea.’—The Economist.
 

The Economist

‘[A] reliable and readable account of this amazing story.’—Andrew Crumey, Literary Review.
 

Literary Review - Andrew Crumey

Longlisted for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award given by PEN America.

PEN America - PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

Won honorable mention for the 2016 PROSE Awards in the Cosmology & Astronomy category.

PROSE - Awards

Black Hole is informative and exceedingly well written, a brilliant introduction to the history of black holes and general relativity.”—The Common Reader

The Common Reader

What [Bartusiak] accomplishes deftly is to provide a fascinating account of how the scientific community came to embrace the idea of a black hole.”—The New York Review of Books

The New York Review of Books

Shortlisted for the 2016 Award in Science given by the Phi Beta Kappa Society. 

Phi Beta Kappa - Award in Science

You don’t need an advanced degree to enjoy this entertaining tale of how black holes meandered their way from theoretical oddity into everyday consciousness. . . . A beautiful case study in how scientific ideas grow through inspiration, thought and, finally, observation.”—Mike Brown, Wall Street Journal 
"[A] sparkling new book . . . One of the delights of this witty book is seeing the many ways physicists historically found to dismiss, deny and disdain black holes."—Washington Post 
“Superior science writing that eschews the usual fulsome biographies of eccentric geniuses, droll anecdotes and breathless prognostication to deliver a persistently fascinating portrait.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review 
“Bartusiak’s lively, accessible writing and insight into the personalities behind the science make her book an entertaining and informative read.”—Publishers Weekly 
"Black Hole is engaging and lively, weaving in personal drama . . . with a clear account of the underlying science.  An acclaimed science writer."—Tom Siegfried, Science News 
"Expertly tells the story of the emergence of black holes. . . . [Bartusiak] offers a concise but comprehensive history . . . from the 18th century ponderings of stars massive enough that light could not escape to present-day studies of these very real objects."—Jeff Foust, The Space Review 
"Lively and readable. . . . Read it if you want to know how the concept of black holes has changed dramatically over the past 100 years—from being an apparent mistake in the maths to the strangest and most outlandish objects that we (currently) know of."—Pippa Goldschmidt, Spectator 
"Bartusiak's book traces the crooked path black holes took through the history of science. . . . The narrative features intriguing cameos from many of history's well-known physicists."—Scientific American, listed as a recommended book 
"Tells this story with . . . an accessibility that other popular writers in the field have sometimes struggled to achieve when dealing with the subject. There’s as much history and character study as hard science, which is no bad thing, and even the most mathophobic reader will find this book a satisfying and enlightening read."—Mike Parker, Tribune magazine 
"Lively and dramatic. . . . There's no danger of being bored. Bartusiak does a good job of tracing the twisted route that our understanding has followed, from Newton to Einstein and to today as we try to extend gravity to quantum scales."—Tara Shears, Times Higher Education Supplement 
“Black Hole is informative and exceedingly well written, a brilliant introduction to the history of black holes and general relativity.”—The Common Reader 
“What [Bartusiak] accomplishes deftly is to provide a fascinating account of how the scientific community came to embrace the idea of a black hole.”—The New York Review of Books 
Longlisted for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award given by PEN America. 
Won honorable mention for the 2016 PROSE Awards in the Cosmology & Astronomy category. 
Shortlisted for the 2016 Award in Science given by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.  
“Astronomers took fifty years to carry the black hole from laughable concept to central importance in every galaxy. Marcia Bartusiak accomplishes the same feat here, in one irresistibly attractive read.”—Dava Sobel, author of Longitude 
“Marcia Bartusiak takes us on a fascinating ride around black holes, showing the beauty and mystery of a concept that has intrigued scientists from Einstein to Hawking.”—Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute and author of Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, and Steve Jobs 
“An engrossing and mind-bending read . . . Bartusiak provides a front row seat as many of the most famous scientists of all time grapple with the strangest objects in the universe, black holes.”—Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011 
“Captivating and authoritative, Black Hole traces a truly weird concept from its tentative conjecture to inescapable reality. Bartusiak recounts a compelling tale with quirky turns, curious revelations, intellectual rumbles and personal gambles.”—Ray Jayawardhana, author of Neutrino Hunters 
“Bartusiak's new book is thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and full of insights about the nature of the scientific enterprise. Aficionados of black holes will love this book.”—Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams and The Accidental Universe

From the Publisher

"Tells this story with . . . an accessibility that other popular writers in the field have sometimes struggled to achieve when dealing with the subject. There’s as much history and character study as hard science, which is no bad thing, and even the most mathophobic reader will find this book a satisfying and enlightening read."—Mike Parker, Tribune magazine

Tribune magazine - Mike Parker

★ 2015-02-03
Black holes enthrall physicists and astronomers, as well as Hollywood filmmakers, and readers of this fine popular science account will understand why.It all begins with gravity, writes Bartusiak (Science Writing/MIT; The Day We Found the Universe, 2009) in this entirely engaging narrative of "the cosmic object [astrophysicists are] most likely to be asked about." Although the concept of black holes is ancient, it was Isaac Newton who explained it more or less correctly in 1687. By the 18th century, imaginative scientists realized that since gravity was a universal force, light was not exempt. Gravity from a star far more massive than the sun would slow the light it emitted to zero, and it would become invisible: a black hole. They were right—sort of. In 1916, Einstein's theory of relativity showed that light speed never slows but that gravity distorts space, so light near a large body appears to curve. Examining Einstein's equations, early researchers calculated that as gravity increases, distortion becomes so great that the light would double back. Einstein insisted that no such invisible star existed, and few disagreed until the 1960s, when astronomers detected quasars: strange, distant objects emitting unimaginable quantities of energy equivalent to billions of suns. These turned out to be supermassive black holes; most galaxies have one, ours included. Formerly a mathematical hypothesis, black holes of all sizes became front-page news, occupying brilliant scientists such as Stephen Hawking and John Wheeler, who revealed that they are a normal product of stellar evolution and even more bizarre than predicted. Superior science writing that eschews the usual fulsome biographies of eccentric geniuses, droll anecdotes and breathless prognostication to deliver a persistently fascinating portrait of an odd but routine feature of the cosmos.

Kirkus Reviews

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