Darkness at Night: A Riddle of the Universe

by Edward Harrison

Book Overview

Why is the sky dark at night?

The answer to this ancient and celebrated riddle, says Edward Harrison, seems relatively simple: the sun has set and is now shining on the other side of the earth. But suppose we were space travelers and far from any star. Out in the depths of space the heavens would be dark, even darker than the sky seen from the earth on cloudless and moonless nights. For more than four centuries, astronomers and other...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674192710
• ISBN13: 9780674192713
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 301 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A well-written story of a mystery most people never think about

I've been something of a minor astronomy geek all of my life, but until a few years ago, I'd never thought of the riddle we usually call "Olbers' paradox": if the universe is infinite, and contains an infinite number of stars, why is the sky dark at night? In other words, why is every spot in the night (or day) sky not filled with stars, if starlight should be coming at us from every point. I first encountered this when reading a piece by a young-earth astronomer, and have been fascinated by it ever since. This is a problem that goes back at least to Aristotle. Dr. Olbers (an ophthalmologist who was born in 1758) merely gave a name to this problem. And while if you've never thought about it, the issue may sound trivial, it's not. There are even some who consider this one of the primary concerns for cosmology. Edward Harrison has done a bang-up job in covering this question. Harrison is a professor of physics and astronomy -- fields not noted for their lucid writing style -- but he writes clearly, interestingly, and well. He combines the ability to write well with a thorough (obviously) knowledge of the subject of which he's writing. It's a good read, a good well-written overview, and accessible to even a relatively ignorant lay reader like myself. It's a fun read, too.

An amazing riddle

A masterly review of the history and science of a celebrated problem in the history of astronomy. Every chance I get I go out at night and look up at the dark sky and try to take in all that it means.+++