Chandra's Cosmos

January 9, 2017
Tucker (Revealing the Universe, with Karen Tucker), science spokesperson for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center, relates the history of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the purpose for which it was constructed. When Chandra was launched in 1999 aboard the space shuttle Columbia, astrophysicists hoped the x-rays it observed emitting from the hottest regions of space would reveal the twisted space around black holes, the secrets of supernovas, and how the big bang’s early moments shaped the universe. Tucker tells his story in three sections. “The Big” explores the paradox of dark matter and dark energy, the mysterious features that make up 95% of our universe. “The Bad” illuminates supermassive black holes, including the monsters that fuel quasars and those that lurk at the center of many galaxies—including the Milky Way. Tucker’s “The Beautiful” takes a closer look at supernovas, the explosive stellar death throes that end in white dwarfs, neutron stars, and pulsars. Because Earth’s atmosphere absorbs x-rays, astronomers need telescopes like Chandra in space to collect data. Tucker’s richly illustrated book shows why Chandra’s data is essential to building a more complete picture of our universe, its components, and its history. Illus.

March 15, 2017
NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory has been orbiting Earth taking precise readings of the universe's hot spots since 1999. The unprecedented high-resolution images it generates of exploded stars, galaxy clusters, and matter around black holes is, thanks to the work of innovative astrophysicists, dramatically changing our understanding of the shape and makeup of the universe. This is heady material and Tucker is pitch-perfect in his elucidation of how X-ray astronomy works and what it is revealing about the powerful phenomena that keep the cosmos forever in flux. With spectacular photographs accompanying his vivid descriptions, Tucker explains that 95 percent of the universe is dark that is, impenetrable to our tools of detectionwith 25 percent defined as dark matter and 70 percent as dark energy, a mysterious force that is increasing as the universe expands. Tucker writes of cosmic rays, cosmic webs connecting massive galaxy clusters, sheets of gas, and, most dramatically, black holes, around which blast jets of high-energy particles resembling awesome waterspouts. It's one astonishment after another in this invaluable, imagination-stirring overview of cutting-edge astrophysics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)