Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes (Scientists in the Field Series) (Hardcover)

~ Ellen Jackson (Author), Nic Bishop (Photographer)
Key Phrases: supernova search team, nearby supernovae, dark energy, Eta Carinae, Mauna Kea, Mount Hamilton

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–7—This entry in an exemplary series follows prominent astronomer Alex Filippenko and associates from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii to the Lick Observatory in California on a hunt for supernovae and related large-scale astronomical phenomena. Though portraying astronomers in action isn't easy-mostly they sit and stare at screens— the charismatic Filippenko does his best, pouring sand through his fingers to hint at the numbers of stars in one of Bishop's bright color photos and dressing up as a Black Hole in another. Along with depicting the scientists, the images also include massive telescopes and photos or digital simulations of galaxies, exploding stars, and other astronomical phenomena. Gray mottled backgrounds give the blocks of text a smudged look, but that won't diminish the sense of adventure that readers will feel as they join a team of researchers on science's biggest frontier. Multimedia resource lists are appended.—John Peters, New York Public Library
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From Booklist

A potentially crushing moment for aspiring astronomers might be when they learn that, in reality, most of these scientists’ time is spent looking at a computer screen. Although this entry in the consistently top-notch Scientists in the Field series remains honest about less-than-glamorous aspects of the featured career, its enthusiastic approach will bring even disillusioned stargazers right back into the fold. Focusing on astronomer Alex Filippenko and his work at some of the world’s most sophisticated astronomical facilities, the book illustrates his contagious excitement about his field. It also focuses on viscerally fascinating celestial subjects: supernovae, dark energy, and black holes. These are fairly complex matters, but Jackson’s treatment makes them accessible through reasoned explanations and comparisons, helpful diagrams, and, of course, dazzling photographs of the universe’s most awesome spectacles. Splitting its attention evenly between the scientist and his field, this handsomely designed volume displays the joys of being fascinated by one’s work in a way that will encourage students to seek similar professional satisfaction for themselves. Grades 5-8. --Ian Chipman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618563253
• ISBN-13: 978-0618563258
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,872 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richie's Picks: THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE, June 3, 2008

By	Richie Partington "http://richiespicks.com" (Sebastopol, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"'If it weren't for supernovae, we wouldn't exist,' says Alex [Filippenko]. 'The carbon in our cells, the oxygen that we breathe, the calcium in our bones -- all were cooked up in the stars and expelled in to space by these explosions.'
"The heat and pressure in stars fuse simple atoms, tiny particles of matter that make up everything we see, into other, more complex atoms. Without supernovae, these larger atoms, such as carbon and iron, would stay locked inside the stars forever. But when supernovae explode, they scatter these atoms throughout space.
"Eventually the atoms created in supernovae swirl together like water in a whirlpool to form stars and planets, such as Earth. Carbon and other atoms come together to make up our bodies and the bodies of the plants and animals we see around us. Without supernovae, there would be no flowers or forests, no hummingbirds or humans.
"Supernovae are also helping scientists understand a mystery that lurks in space. The discovery of a new substance called dark energy has stunned the scientific world. Until the 1990s, no one knew this strange energy existed. In fact, if you had asked a scientist about dark energy twenty years ago, you would have been told to stop watching so many science fiction movies. In contrast, today astronomers think it's very real."

This stuff is all so amazing! When I consider how little of the information in this book I knew --- when you consider how little of this information anyone knew until recent years -- you come to understand why it is so essential that dated science books be constantly removed from libraries and classrooms in order to make room for such exceptionally engaging, up-to-date, and stunningly beautiful, informational books as THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE.

"According to Carl Sagan, a well-known astronomer, the total number of stars is greater than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of Earth combined."

THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE is out of this world! Similar to what I've found from reading other volumes of the noted SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series, I just learned a wealth of mind-blowing facts -- this time about the universe and matter -- by following an inspirational scientist doing his thing. As noted in the book's fore-matter, Dr. Alex Filippenko is a Berkeley prof who has been voted the "Best Professor on Campus" five times. We trail Alex and one of his student assistants to their nights of observations at the twin Keck telescopes which are perched 13,796 feet above sea level at the peak of Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano. Then we ride shotgun as Alex heads up to the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, to the east of Silicon Valley.

"A teaspoon of material from a neutron star would weigh more than a pile of a billion cars."

It's all in the presentation: I can just imagine how boring this subject matter could have been presented if it had been done Twentieth-century institutional-text style. Instead, you have a work of art that is dominated by the craftsmanship of award-winning photographer Nic Bishop (and whatever higher power may be responsible for setting in motion the process that results in spectacularly stunning supernovae, along with dark energy and black holes). The actual text here takes up roughly thirty percent of the book. The remainder is a rich mix of vivid, captioned photos. The book concludes with resources, bibliography, glossary, and indexing.

Scientists now hypothesize that 96 percent of the universe is composed of dark matter and dark energy. If you only know about the other four percent, you definitely need to take a serious look at THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE.