Predicting the Eclipse: A Multimillennium Tale of Computation

by Stephen Wolfram

Total eclipses of the Sun are rare and dramatic—and on April 8, 2024, one will cross the US. But when exactly will it happen? In this short but richly illustrated book, prominent scientist and computation pioneer Stephen Wolfram tells the triumphant and hard-won story—spanning more than two thousand years—of how science, mathematics and computation have brought us to the point where we can now predict the time of the eclipse to within one second. Learn how the problem of eclipses brought us some of the earliest exact science, the first known computer, contributions from many of the all-time greats of mathematics and physics, and critical technology for the space program. See how all this provides a clear, modern understanding of a phenomenon that has surprised and amazed throughout human history.

Genres: Science

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2024

About the author

Stephen Wolfram is the founder & CEO of Wolfram Research, creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha & Wolfram Language, author of A New Kind of Science and other books, and the originator of Wolfram Physics Project.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

Wolfram reframes this into a computational frame as he has done with other physics concepts. Sometimes it’s hard to understand if you aren’t a computer geek. Conventional physics frames are a bit easier because they are easier to tie to observations (the three body problem is still almost impossible) but he does a pretty good job explaining things. I wish he would label his diagrams though. Still, it’s a short read and well worth the time.

[Chris Prout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, although the math quickly went over my head.