The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a

The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe

The captivating, all-but-forgotten story of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and the search for a planet that never existed

For more than fifty years, the worldâ€™s top scientists searched for the â€œmissingâ€ planet Vulcan, whose existence was mandated by Isaac Newtonâ€™s theories of gravity. Countless hours were spent on the hunt for the elusive orb, and some of the eraâ€™s most skilled astronomers even claimed to have found it.

There was just one problem: It was never there.

In The Hunt for Vulcan, Thomas Levenson follows the visionary scientists who inhabit the story of the phantom planet, starting with Isaac Newton, who in 1687 provided an explanation for all matter in motion throughout the universe, leading to Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier, who almost two centuries later built on Newtonâ€™s theories and discovered Neptune, becoming the most famous scientist in the world. Le Verrier attempted to surpass that triumph by predicting the existence of yet another planet in our solar system, Vulcan.

It took Albert Einstein to discern that the mystery of the missing planet was a problem not of measurements or math but of Newtonâ€™s theory of gravity itself. Einsteinâ€™s general theory of relativity proved that Vulcan did not and could not exist, and that the search for it had merely been a quirk of operating under the wrong set of assumptions about the universe. Levenson tells the previously untold tale of how the â€œdiscoveryâ€ of Vulcan in the nineteenth century set the stage for Einsteinâ€™s monumental breakthrough, the greatest individual intellectual achievement of the twentieth century.

A dramatic human story of an epic quest, The Hunt for Vulcan offers insight into how science really advances (as opposed to the way weâ€™re taught about it in school) and how the best work of the greatest scientists reveals an artistâ€™s sensibility. Opening a new window onto our world, Levenson illuminates some of our most iconic ideas as he recounts one of the strangest episodes in the history of science.

Praise for The Hunt for Vulcan

â€œDelightful . . . a charming tale about an all-but-forgotten episode in science history.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal

â€œEngaging . . . At heart, this is a story about how science advances, one insight at a time. But the immediacy, almost romance, of Levensonâ€™s writing makes it almost novelistic.â€â€”The Washington Post

â€œCaptures the drama of the tireless search for this celestial object.â€â€”Science
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â€œA well-structured, fast-paced example of exemplary science writing.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

â€œA short, beautifully produced book that tells a cautionary tale . . . Levenson is a breezy writer who renders complex ideas in down-to-earth language.â€â€”The Boston Globe

â€œAn inspiring tale about the quest for discovery.â€â€”Walter Isaacson

â€œEqual to the best science writing Iâ€™ve read anywhere, by any author. Beautifully composed, rich in historical context, deeply researched, it is, above all, great storytelling.â€â€”Alan Lightman, author of The Accidental Universe

â€œLevenson tells us where Vulcan came from, how it vanished, and why its spirit lurks today. Along the way, we learn more than a bit of just how science worksâ€”when it succeeds as well as when it fails.â€â€”Neil deGrasse Tyson

â€œScience writing at its best. This book is not just learned, passionate, and wittyâ€”it is profoundly wise.â€â€”Junot DÃaz

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-11-03
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-11-03
Format	Kindle eBook

The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe

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