Wallace Tucker

This book is fascinating, mind-blowing, even awe inspiring, and I think with color photos it will be gorgeous as well (my review copy's images are black and white). Author Wallace H Tucker has done a good job of bridging the gap between astrophysicist and interested layperson, making difficult material easier to grasp for non-scientists who hope to understand the latest information about black holes, dark matter and their ilk.

I really appreciate the author's use of analogies to make some of the information more vivid and accessible. For instance, he describes the immense power produced by spinning supermassive black holes by saying it is as if an energy source the size of a blueberry could heat a gas cloud the size of Earth to millions of degrees Celsius. Later in that same chapter, Black Hole Feedback, he puts a particular sound wave in perspective by saying it could be translated to the note of B-flat, but a B-flat that is 57 octaves lower than the middle C on a piano.

The book does require some concentration to read, but it isn’t massive intimidating tome. My copy has just 238 pages of text, and many of the chapters are under 10 pages making them easier to follow.

I read a free advanced review copy of this book. Review opinions are mine.… (mer)