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Ripples in Spacetime: Einstein, Gravitational Waves, and the Future of Astronomy by Govert Schilling
slipperychimp's review
5.0
If you have even a passing interest in understanding the nature of reality, this is the book for you. The explanation of the practical side of how LIGO and the other gravitational wave detectors work off the back of the theory is excellent.
intermittent_farting's review
5.0
Aside from the gross overuse of the phrase "by the way," this is a well planned, concise detailing of the first direct detection of gravitational waves, the history leading up to it, and why it's important. It saddens me to think how many Americans likely know nothing about even the broadest strokes of this discovery or even the basics of cosmology. It's not niche, it's not useless knowledge, and it affects everyone.
persistent_reader's review
3.0
An interesting Muggle-level explanation of the theory of gravitational waves, the scientific history that led up to their discovery in September 2015, and plans for further research.
cade's review
3.0
I am surprised there have not been more books like this popularizing gravitational waves since the announcement of the first detection by LIGO. This book scratches that itch, but it is a bit of a hodge-podge itself. I enjoyed reading the description of LIGO although you can find more detailed but still accessible information on LIGO operation/design online. I also appreciated the systematic run-down of proposed and in-progress gravitational wave detectors which facilitated the very interesting section on what sorts of science current and future gravitational wave detectors could investigate.
I think the author went too far afield a couple times. The history of the debate over gravitational waves going back to Einstein was fair game although it was not the most interesting part of the book. However, the chapter spend explaining stellar evolution leading to the formation of neutron stars was unnecessary and only tangentially relevant (yes, colliding neutron stars are a source of gravitational waves, but how they formed is moot). It is easy to see the author's passion for astronomy getting the best of his self-editorship here. Similarly, the author's life as a journalist induced him to describe the details of the public communications aspects of the first LIGO detection at a level of detail that is a bit tedious if you aren't a professional science communicator.
As with all books about the cutting edge, this book is already a bit out of date. The recent detection of the "kilonova" neutron star merger with rapid follow-up by more or less every telescope worth pointing is a harbinger of major developments in astronomy. This book discusses the possible detection of these events and considers at some length the potential significance of combining gravitational waves and traditional electromagnetic observations for "multi-messenger" astronomy. Although this section was somewhat out of date, it held up very well; the hypothetical predictions largely matched the actual detection event. Although I read the press coverage of the actual event, I still learned something more about what sort of discoveries this sort of event can facilitate.
I think the author went too far afield a couple times. The history of the debate over gravitational waves going back to Einstein was fair game although it was not the most interesting part of the book. However, the chapter spend explaining stellar evolution leading to the formation of neutron stars was unnecessary and only tangentially relevant (yes, colliding neutron stars are a source of gravitational waves, but how they formed is moot). It is easy to see the author's passion for astronomy getting the best of his self-editorship here. Similarly, the author's life as a journalist induced him to describe the details of the public communications aspects of the first LIGO detection at a level of detail that is a bit tedious if you aren't a professional science communicator.
As with all books about the cutting edge, this book is already a bit out of date. The recent detection of the "kilonova" neutron star merger with rapid follow-up by more or less every telescope worth pointing is a harbinger of major developments in astronomy. This book discusses the possible detection of these events and considers at some length the potential significance of combining gravitational waves and traditional electromagnetic observations for "multi-messenger" astronomy. Although this section was somewhat out of date, it held up very well; the hypothetical predictions largely matched the actual detection event. Although I read the press coverage of the actual event, I still learned something more about what sort of discoveries this sort of event can facilitate.
books_and_tea_brie's review
3.0
This book was a good, informative read that included some things I have read in other books but also contained some new information.
For some reason, I had it in my head that this book was only about LIGO. However, while LIGO is covered in this book, the narrative revolves around gravitational waves: the science behind them, the theories that predicted them, and the experiments to find them. Schilling does a good job explaining what a gravitational wave is, and helps one visualize them. He covers many of the missions/experiments that scientists have built to find them. Bar detectors, LIGO, and future missions are all included here. I was quite excited to read about the future of gravitational wave astronomy, and the many telescopes that will be coming online to study them.
Overall, a good read. I actually think I would have liked it more had I paid more attention to the fact that it covered a more broad span of information than I was expecting. I kept thinking 'When is it going to get to LIGO?" But I would recommend it to someone interested in the science and detection of gravitational waves. Similar books I've read are [b:Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space|27430326|Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space|Janna Levin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528655022l/27430326._SY75_.jpg|47481732] and [b:Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time|482381|Einstein's Unfinished Symphony Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time|Marcia Bartusiak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200968l/482381._SX50_.jpg|470735].
For some reason, I had it in my head that this book was only about LIGO. However, while LIGO is covered in this book, the narrative revolves around gravitational waves: the science behind them, the theories that predicted them, and the experiments to find them. Schilling does a good job explaining what a gravitational wave is, and helps one visualize them. He covers many of the missions/experiments that scientists have built to find them. Bar detectors, LIGO, and future missions are all included here. I was quite excited to read about the future of gravitational wave astronomy, and the many telescopes that will be coming online to study them.
Overall, a good read. I actually think I would have liked it more had I paid more attention to the fact that it covered a more broad span of information than I was expecting. I kept thinking 'When is it going to get to LIGO?" But I would recommend it to someone interested in the science and detection of gravitational waves. Similar books I've read are [b:Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space|27430326|Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space|Janna Levin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528655022l/27430326._SY75_.jpg|47481732] and [b:Einstein's Unfinished Symphony: Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time|482381|Einstein's Unfinished Symphony Listening to the Sounds of Space-Time|Marcia Bartusiak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200968l/482381._SX50_.jpg|470735].
barbtrek's review
4.0
Really interesting book. Great narration. I would’ve rated it 5 stars but my mind started to wander during some of the lengthy explanations of laboratories & the different testing apparatus.
abrswf's review
5.0
Fascinating. Luckily, it is very clearly written, but the concepts involved are not exactly easy. I do feel I know a lot more than I did about current astronomical developments tracking gravitational waves and the implications for general relativity (or maybe quantum mechanics) theory.
stevewhitaker's review
5.0
I can’t recommend this book strongly enough. It was one of the most interesting and informative books I have read in a long time.