Afterglow of Creation: From the Fireball to the Discovery of Cosmic Ripples

The Afterglow of Creation is a very fine history of the discovery of evidence to support the Big Bang Theory, in particular the microwave background radiation. Although primarily a history of this effort and a list of the Who's Who of scientists associated with it, the book is also a wonderful demonstration of the scientific method at work. If nothing else, it shows that science is not done all at once or by one single individual; it's a collaborative effort--and one that is not always harmonious as the final pages of the book point out to the reader. Probably the most important thing the book does is show that there is never a point where one can say "this is the last word on the subject." Some theories thought to be irrelevant or downright wrong have surfaced again at a later time with important points to offer an on-going scientific process.I think the book would be a very good resource for high school students interested in knowing more about science and who it's done. It certainly shows that while individual scientists can make mistakes the scientific process is designed to correct them. I think this book and the author's other volumes on science and its history would make a fine collection for any public or school library.

Very little math, but very carefully written. This is the first place to start if you want to get a perspective on the whole range of experiments that led up to the Cobe data. I am particularly impressed with the quality and clarity of the writing. This book is so carefully written that you can actually understand much of the physics involved

I had been looking for a copy of this book for about 15 years. I first read it, as background reading, for an OU course on Astronomy; having borrowed it from the local library. A few years later I asked the Chief Librarian for N. Yorkshire if I could purchase it when they decided to dispose of it. She refused as it was against their policy, and eventually it was sold off in the normal branch book disposal sale, so I missed it.I was really please to find this copy, and have enjoyed reading it again. I find books by Marcus Chown very interesting although, at times, they can be difficult to digest unless you already have more than average knowledge of the subject area.V. good transaction.

Fascinating report of the work to discover the origin of the universe and the current thinking on dark matter and dark energy

as usual, chown tells a brilliant story.this book starts with the realisation that the milky way is just one galaxy amongst billions of others and goes on to explain the significance of that knowledge with reference to the more recently proposed big bang theory.it's a fascinating tale. chown relates the serendipitous discoveries that astronomers and cosmologists have continued to find. these are men and women of gigantic intellect and genius. in short, you will probably find it as fascinating a read as i did.on the other hand, it IS a shorter book than chown's other works. but that's not necessarily a criticism.

Nice reading

Intriguing and informative - I did skip through the parts that talk about the political fight in the scientific community! As a reader I was v focused on the amazing science and revelations! I love the tittle Afterglow of creation!