The Hunt for Vulcan: How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet and Deciphered the Universe

Levenson, Thomas

ISBN 10: 178497398X / ISBN 13: 9781784973988

Published by Head of Zeus, 2016

About this Item

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned.

Seller Inventory # wbs1594471316

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Hunt for Vulcan: How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet and Deciphered the Universe
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178497398X
• ISBN 13: 9781784973988
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 250 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In 1859, the brilliant scientist Urbain LeVerrier discovered that the planet Mercury has a wobble, that its orbit shifts over time. His explanation was that there had to be an unseen planet circling even closer to the sun. He called the planet Vulcan. Supported by the theories of Sir Isaac Newton, the finest astronomers of their generation began to seek out Vulcan and at least a dozen reports of discovery were filed. There was only one problem. Vulcan does not exist - and was never there.

The real explanation was only revealed when a young Albert Einstein came up with a theory of gravity that also happened to prove that Mercury's orbit could indeed be explained - not by Newton's theories but by Einstein's own theory of general relativity.

THE HUNT FOR VULCAN is a scientific detective tale at the intersection of theory, measurement, and belief; and a reflection on a bizarre period in which the power of conformity led very smart people to literally see a planet that wasn't there.

About the Author

Thomas Levenson is the author of Newton and the Counterfeiter, a bestselling book about Newton's time as Master of the Royal Mint. He published The Hunt for Vulcan with Head of Zeus in 2016, a book shortlisted for the Science Book Prize. He teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a frequent visitor to London.