The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy

by Gerrit L. Verschuur

This is the story of radio astronomy, of how radio waves are generated by stars, supernova, quasars, colliding galaxies, and by the very beginnings of the universe itself. This revised book provides an update on the state of radio astronomy and those sections no longer regarded as cutting edge have been removed. With this book, aimed at a lay audience, you learn what astronomers are doing with those huge dishes. With each of these observatories, the scientists collect and analyze their data, "listening" to the radio signals from space, in order to learn what is out there, and perhaps even if someone else may be listening as well.

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction

169 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were too many typos for a book so expensive.

As far as the actual content - I liked that the author had so many personal anecdotes about his participation in the beginnings of radio astronomy.

He wandered into silliness when he tackled the Drake equation and spent far too many pages on it. The thing that disappointed me the most was the descriptions and pictures of the discoveries of the radio telescopes wasn't accompanied by pictures of the telescope that made the discovery. In the appendix, the author points out how fascinated we humans are by the telescopes, so he knows it exists. Make use of it!

Otherwise, it's an interesting read with a folksy tone that makes it seem like oral history to some extent, even when discussing difficult scientific concepts.

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow progress through this one, but so good! This book talks mostly about the short history of radio astronomy. But since its history is so short, around 55 years perhaps, the author has lived through almost the entirety of it. He intersperses his own personal experience of the history into the narrative. I came away from this book wondering why we don't teach hard sciences through the lense of history more often.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

learned a lot of radio astronomy from this book