Empire of the Stars: Obsession, Friendship, and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes.

EMPIRE OF THE STARS: Obsession, Friendship, and Betrayal in the Quest for Black Holes

ARTHUR I. MILLER

Launched in 1999, the Chandra X-ray Observatory was named for a man who 64 years earlier had developed a monumental calculation to explain a space marvel. Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, nicknamed Chandra, of India had proposed that a white dwarf star eventually collapse under its own weight to form a body whose gravity is so strong that it won't even let out light: a black hole. Despite this remarkable insight, Chandra saw his motivation for a lifetime of research in astrophysics hindered by an ultimately erroneous attack on his theory by one of the great astrophysicists of the day, Sir Arthur Eddington. Miller examines the complex emotional and intellectual ramifications that this attack had on Chandra and on astrophysics in general. The author discovers an intensely private man who shunned attention even after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1980. Ultimately, Miller concludes, early ridicule led Chandrasekhar to some of the most insightful and paradigm-shifting work ever accomplished in physics. Houghton Mifflin, 2005, 320 p., b&w plates, hardcover, $26.00.