Product Description
One of the world's leading astronomers, Robert Kirshner, takes readers inside a lively research team on the quest that led them to an extraordinary cosmological discovery: the expansion of the universe is accelerating under the influence of a dark energy that makes space itself expand. In addition to sharing the story of this exciting discovery, Kirshner also brings the science up-to-date in a new epilogue. He explains how the idea of an accelerating universe--once a daring interpretation of sketchy data--is now the standard assumption in cosmology today. This measurement of dark energy--a quality of space itself that causes cosmic acceleration--points to a gaping hole in our understanding of fundamental physics. In 1917, Einstein proposed the "cosmological constant" to explain a static universe. When observations proved that the universe was expanding, he cast this early form of dark energy aside. But recent observations described first-hand in this book show that the cosmological constant--or something just like it--dominates the universe's mass and energy budget and determines its fate and shape. Warned by Einstein's blunder, and contradicted by the initial results of a competing research team, Kirshner and his colleagues were reluctant to accept their own result. But, convinced by evidence built on their hard-earned understanding of exploding stars, they announced their conclusion that the universe is accelerating in February 1998. Other lines of inquiry and parallel supernova research now support a new synthesis of a cosmos dominated by dark energy but also containing several forms of dark matter. We live in an extravagant universe with a surprising number of essential ingredients: the real universe we measure is not the simplest one we could imagine. This book invites any reader to share in the excitement of a remarkable adventure of discovery.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 17 reviews)

A must - have in you library! by Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)

5 Stars
January 25, 2007
Who may resist the irresistible magnetism of an unfinished and always explored issue like this one?. This is indeed, one of the hottest topics in the modern science, supported by an easy lexicon and remarkable information.

Great writing, but not enough physics, and too much history by nerdyguy1618 (Long Island, NY USA)

3 Stars
September 28, 2006
The writing is excellent. He has a nice way of describing things. I wish the book focussed more on describing physical processes. For example, he briefly defines a cepheid on p. 62 (of the hardcover edition) and uses the term often. But I wish he spent some time describing exactly what a cepheid is. He couldn't spare 10 pages, or even 5, on the subject? Depsite these reservations, I found the first half of the book very interesting, especially the issue of the cosmological constant and how it went out of fashion and then back in. Then beginning with Chapter 8 ("Learning to Swim"), the book become more of a journal of what happened. I made it through chapter 8, but then I finally put the book down in chapter 9. Here's an example, taken completely out of context. On p. 216 (hardcover): "The weeks passed quickly in Pasadena while Adam and I went back and forth about the latest results. Did we really believe we were seeing the effects of a cosmological constant?" It goes on and on like this. There's too much "We did this", "I said that", or "Then we thought that". Yawn. Just get to the point and tell us what the heck is going on with the universe. Where did the physics go?

Extravagant Universe, by Robert P. Kirshner by Physicians Interactive (Vincennes,Indiana)

5 Stars
August 27, 2005
I loved this book!! Very informative but easy to understand. I read it 4 times!!

Good, but was hoping for more scientific detail by Adam Rosenbaum (Sacramento, California)

4 Stars
January 10, 2005
The Extravagant Universe is an interesting read, taking you through the career of Professor Kirshner as well as an overview of the components of the universe and astronomy. Particularly interesting are the descriptions of how the researchers use supernovae to measure the expansion of the universe. Likewise, other scientific discussions, such as how the different elements in the universe were formed are well detailed. However, I was hoping for a more detailed discussion of dark matter and a greater focus on the scientific concepts. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a story of the evolution of a discovery and the twists and turns of the research behind it. If you're looking for a pure description of the theories discussed in The Extravagant Universe, this book may fall short.

Nice story - science lacking by D. Bennett (Los Angeles, CA USA)

4 Stars
May 19, 2004
Dr. Kirshiner spins a good yarn. The focus of the book is mostly on the story and history of the accelerating universe theory, presented in a very readable style. I would only fault the book in that after reading it, while I'm now comfortable with the idea of the accelerating universe, I would have liked to see more of the science and math involved. It's a great overview, though; recommended!

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