An account of the century of experimentation that confirmed Einstein's theory of relativity, bringing to life the science and scientists at the origins of relativity, the development of radio telescopes, the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory. Albert Einstein did nothing of note on May 29, 1919, yet that is when he became immortal. On that day, astronomer Arthur Eddington and his team observed a solar eclipse and found something extraordinary: gravity bends light, just as Einstein predicted. The findings confirmed the theory of general relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time. A century later, another group of astronomers is performing a similar experiment on a much larger scale. The Event Horizon Telescope, a globe-spanning array of radio dishes, is examining space surrounding Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As Ron Cowen recounts, one foremost goal of the experiment isto determine whether Einstein was right on the details. Gravity lies at the heart of what we don't know about quantum mechanics, but tantalizing possibilities for deeper insight are offered by black holes. By observing starlight wrapping around Sagittarius A*, the telescope will not only provide the first direct view of an event horizon--a black hole's point of no return--but will also enable scientists to test Einstein's theory under the most extreme conditions. Gravity's Century shows how we got from the pivotal observations of the 1919 eclipse to the Event Horizon Telescope, and what is at stake today. Breaking down the physics in clear and approachable language, Cowen makes vivid how the quest to understand gravity is really the quest to comprehend the universe.-- - (Baker & Taylor)

Published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, a sweeping account of the discoveries and technologies it inspired includes coverage of radio telescopes, black holes, quasars and the yet-unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory. - (Baker & Taylor)

Explains why understanding gravity is so important to understanding quantum mechanics, and describes the 1919 solar eclipse observation that proved Einstein's theory of relativity and the planned 2019 Event Horizon Telescope experiment. - (Baker & Taylor)

Cowen traces the course of science from the 1919 solar eclipse that verified Einstein's calculation that gravity bends light--the sun bending light from the stars appearing behind it--and the 2017 solar eclipse that allowed scientists to examine the supermasive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. He arranges the material in chapters on genesis; from turmoil to triumph; Eddington on a mission; expanding the universe; black holes and testing general relativity; quantum gravity; hearing black holes; and imaging black holes. Annotation ©2019 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com) - (Book News)

A sweeping account of the century of experimentation that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity, bringing to life the science and scientists at the origins of relativity, the development of radio telescopes, the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory.

Albert Einstein did nothing of note on May 29, 1919, yet that is when he became immortal. On that day, astronomer Arthur Eddington and his team observed a solar eclipse and found something extraordinary: gravity bends light, just as Einstein predicted. The finding confirmed the theory of general relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time.

A century later, another group of astronomers is performing a similar experiment on a much larger scale. The Event Horizon Telescope, a globe-spanning array of radio dishes, is examining space surrounding Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As Ron Cowen recounts, the foremost goal of the experiment is to determine whether Einstein was right on the details. Gravity lies at the heart of what we don’t know about quantum mechanics, but tantalizing possibilities for deeper insight are offered by black holes. By observing starlight wrapping around Sagittarius A*, the telescope will not only provide the first direct view of an event horizon—a black hole’s point of no return—but will also enable scientists to test Einstein’s theory under the most extreme conditions.

Gravity’s Century shows how we got from the pivotal observations of the 1919 eclipse to the Event Horizon Telescope, and what is at stake today. Breaking down the physics in clear and approachable language, Cowen makes vivid how the quest to understand gravity is really the quest to comprehend the universe.

Ron Cowen offers a sweeping account of the century of experimentation that has consistently confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity. He shows how we got from Eddington’s pivotal observations of the 1919 eclipse to the Event Horizon Telescope, aimed at starlight wrapping around the black hole at our galaxy’s center. - (Harvard University Press)

Publishers Weekly Reviews

This gracefully written history of 20th-century gravity research from science writer Cowen shines a light on a key aspect of modern physics. As he explains, the current view of gravity began with a young Albert Einstein's curiosity about what a beam of light might look like. Cowen describes how Einstein eventually published the theory of general relativity in 1916, predicting how gravity would bend light. Proving this required photographing a solar eclipse in 1919 and seeing whether, as the theory predicted, the stars whose rays pass close to the sun would seem to shift position. When astronomer Arthur Eddington announced the photos showed that the sun's gravity did indeed bend light, Einstein became the world's first "science superstar." Cowen shows how successive generations of physicists have worked to understand gravity, exploring research that showed the universe was expanding (a conclusion Einstein initially resisted); observing this, and the rotation of galaxies, gave physicists their first clues about dark energy and dark matter. Other phenomena touched on include black holes, gravity waves, and even wormholes. Filled with vivid descriptions of cutting-edge work and the scientists behind it, Cowen's book is fascinating, both a learning experience and a pleasure to read. (May)