Overview

We wish to understand why the night sky is dark and the nature of the dark matter in the universe; these topics are intimately related. The darkness of the night sky is due to the age of the universe, its rate of expansion and its content of luminous matter in the form of stars and galaxies. However, the latter have motions, which imply the existence of large amounts of non-luminous material, probably in the form of particles. These slowly decay, producing photons. So while intergalactic space is dark, it is not completely black. Understanding the relation between the dark sky and dark matter is comparable to a modern vision of Olber's paradox. The approach of the authors is to compare the best observational data from large telescopes with the best cosmological theroy based on general relativity and particle physics. This attempts to give us a more accurate picture of the universe and the exotic material believed to constitute dark matter.

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9780750306843

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Reviews

Right after 'Why is the sky blue?,' 'Why is the sky dark?' is the next most commonly asked question kids, and non-kids, too, ask of parents, in particular, and science in general ... the dilemma of the question actually became tougher to explain, resulting in what has become known as Olbers' paradox. Olbers, a Prussian astronomer, postulated in 1823, 'given that the Universe is unbounded, governed by the standard laws of physics, and populated by light sources of constant intensity, the simple cube law of volumes and numbers implies that the sky should be ablaze with light. Obviously, this is not so.' Dark Sky, Dark Matter takes this paradox and runs with it. To the authors' credit, they begin the book with a remarkable history of Olbers and his paradox, explaining the variety of tactics people have used either to explain away the paradox or to support their own theories. The rest of the book delves into the astrophysical nature of the universe, structure of the stars and galaxies, radiation, and dark matter. The ancillary material includes three appendices that detail mathematical models and an adequate index. This book utilizes advanced mathematics and physics appropriate for a graduate course in physics or astrophysics. Recommended for academic collections supporting physics (astrophysics) programs. -Peggy Dominy, E-Streams The story of how all these exotic ingredients can be constrained by modern data is well told, and contains some interesting material. Overall, this book may well be consulted by graduate students seeking details of these topics. -John Peacock, The Observatory, June 2003

"""Right after 'Why is the sky blue?,' 'Why is the sky dark?' is the next most commonly asked question kids, and non-kids, too, ask of parents, in particular, and science in general … the dilemma of the question actually became tougher to explain, resulting in what has become known as Olbers' paradox. Olbers, a Prussian astronomer, postulated in 1823, 'given that the Universe is unbounded, governed by the standard laws of physics, and populated by light sources of constant intensity, the simple cube law of volumes and numbers implies that the sky should be ablaze with light. Obviously, this is not so.' Dark Sky, Dark Matter takes this paradox and runs with it. To the authors' credit, they begin the book with a remarkable history of Olbers and his paradox, explaining the variety of tactics people have used either to explain away the paradox or to support their own theories. The rest of the book delves into the astrophysical nature of the universe, structure of the stars and galaxies, radiation, and dark matter. The ancillary material includes three appendices that detail mathematical models and an adequate index. This book utilizes advanced mathematics and physics appropriate for a graduate course in physics or astrophysics. Recommended for academic collections supporting physics (astrophysics) programs."" -Peggy Dominy, E-Streams ""The story of how all these exotic ingredients can be constrained by modern data is well told, and contains some interesting material. Overall, this book may well be consulted by graduate students seeking details of these topics."" -John Peacock, The Observatory, June 2003"

Right after Why is the sky blue?, Why is the sky dark? is the next most commonly asked question kids, and non kids, too, ask of parents, in particular, and science in general ... the dilemma of the question actually became tougher to explain, resulting in what has become known as Olbers' Paradox. Olbers, a Prussian astronomer, postulated in 1823, given that the Universe is unbounded, governed by the standard laws of physics, and populated by light sources of constant intensity, the simple cube law of volumes and numbers implies that the sky should be ablaze with light. Obviously, this is not so. Dark Sky, Dark Matter takes this paradox and runs with it. To the authors' credit, they begin the book with a remarkable history and treatment of Olbers and his paradox, explaining the variety of tactics people have used either to explain away the paradox or to support their own theories. The rest of the book delves into the astrophysical nature of the universe, structure of the stars and galaxies, radiation, and dark matter. The ancillary material includes three appendices detailing mathematical models and an adequate index. This book utilizes advanced mathematics and physics, more appropriate for a graduate course in Physics or astrophysics. Recommended for academic collections supporting physics (astrophysics) programs. - Peggy Dominy in E-Streams The story of how all these exotic ingredients can be constrained by modern data is well told, and contains some interesting material. Overall, this book may well be consulted by graduate students seeking details of these topics. - John Peacock in The Observatory, June 2003

Author Information

Overduin, J.M; Wesson, P.S

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