Overview

"A leading astronomer takes readers behind the scenes of the thrilling science of stellar archaeology Astronomers study the oldest observable stars in the universe in much the same way archaeologists study ancient artifacts on Earth. Anna Frebel takes readers into the far-flung depths of space and time to provide a gripping firsthand account of the cutting-edge science of stellar archaeology. Weaving the latest findings in astronomy with her own compelling insights as one of the world's leading researchers in the field, she explains how sections of the night sky are ""excavated"" in the hunt for these extremely rare, 13-billion-year-old relic stars and how this astonishing quest is revealing tantalizing new details about the origins and evolution of the cosmos. Along the way, Frebel recounts her own stories of discovery, offering an insider's perspective on this exciting frontier of science."

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9780691197197

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Reviews

Frebel's narrative provides a rich picture of the understandings astronomers have gleaned from studies of the elements in stars. --Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History A gripping account of astronomy and the thrill of scientific discovery. --Dave Pugl, Library Journal An excellent description of how a scientist approaches and works through a research project and how her cutting-edge project fits into the larger view of modern astronomy. --Choice The core of Frebel's book, and the source of its appeal, is the joy it conveys. --Brian Bethune, Maclean's A delight. --Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews

[Frebel] offers an excellent description of how a scientist approaches and works through a research project and how her cutting-edge project fits into the larger view of modern astronomy. Personal details enliven the narrative, and the topic is accessible even to those who choose not to dive deeply into all chapters. --Choice [Anna Frebel] makes this crash course in astronomy accessible to stargazers of all knowledge levels. . . . Woven through the science are personal anecdotes from Frebel, which give the impression of a face-to-face lesson with a favorite professor. . . . Frebel offers a handy learning tool for fledgling astronomers and a fascinating, enjoyable look into her own research. --Publishers Weekly Frebel presents a gripping account of astronomy and the thrill of scientific discovery, making a complex subject accessible to general readers. ---Dave Pugl, Library Journal This is an excellent book exploring both the oldest stars and the life of a scientist, bursting with information and passion. ---Osnat Katz, Popular Astronomy One of the glories of astrophysics is the way it combines real-world uselessness with mind-blowing effects on human consciousness. Here, Searching For The Oldest Stars shines. Frebel deals with the evolution of scientific thinking on the nature of the universe, the formation of ideas on how to identify such stars, and the wearisome but hopeful search for individual examples, with real descriptive power. . . . But good popular exposition of specialized knowledge is not that rare--the core of Frebel's book, and the source of its appeal, is the joy it conveys. ---Brian Bethune, Maclean's Edifying, engaging, and ever more reason to be humbled by the starry night, [Searching for the Oldest Stars] is a delight. ---Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews Frebel's narrative provides a rich picture of the understandings astronomers have gleaned from studying the elements in stars. We are gradually developing a picture of how the elements evolved from the earliest moments of the Big Bang and how these elements were distributed through our Milky Way galaxy, eventually forming the solar system we inhabit today. ---Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History This authoritative and accessible book is a delightful read. Covering wide swathes of the subject, Frebel provides readers with insights into what it is like to be a research astronomer today. I am thrilled to see the recognition given to the work done by women astronomers. --Jocelyn Bell Burnell, University of Oxford Frebel accessibly describes the cutting-edge archaeological search in our cosmic backyard--the halo of the Milky Way galaxy--for relics from the first generation of stars born shortly after the big bang. This wonderfully written book captures the scientific excitement of research in this field by one of its pioneers. --Avi Loeb, Harvard University I loved reading these great stories by a master of the subject. Frebel tells them as simply as possible but no simpler--to paraphrase Einstein--and peppers her narrative with her own adventures and those of other pioneer women astronomers. There's plenty here to interest professional astronomers as well as nonspecialists. --John Mather, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics Frebel provides an entertaining introduction to stellar astrophysics and the hunt for the oldest stars. Blending hard science with an account of her own experiences as one of the leading scientists in stellar archaeology, she manages to discuss complex phenomena in an intuitive way that nonspecialists can understand. Readers will enjoy this book without having an extended background in astrophysics. --Ralf S. Klessen, Heidelberg University This is a beautiful book. Frebel describes, firsthand, the hunt for the first stars in the universe and the genuine thrill felt when working at the frontier of human knowledge. She weaves an engaging story of discovery. --Volker Bromm, University of Texas at Austin Anna Frebel is the Indiana Jones of astronomy. In the search for the oldest stars, her cosmic fossils, she and her colleagues are revealing the very evolution of our universe. This book offers a thorough and detailed summary of those stellar explorations -- how stars are born and die, how they generate the chemical elements -- but also a fascinating portrait of how science gets done. --Marcia Bartusiak, author of The Day We Found the Universe and Black Hole

A gripping account of astronomy and the thrill of scientific discovery. -Dave Pugl, Library Journal An excellent description of how a scientist approaches and works through a research project and how her cutting-edge project fits into the larger view of modern astronomy. -Choice The core of Frebel's book, and the source of its appeal, is the joy it conveys. -Brian Bethune, Maclean's A delight. -Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews Frebel's narrative provides a rich picture of the understandings astronomers have gleaned from studies of the elements in stars. -Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History

A gripping account of astronomy and the thrill of scientific discovery. Dave Pugl, Library Journal An excellent description of how a scientist approaches and works through a research project and how her cutting-edge project fits into the larger view of modern astronomy. Choice The core of Frebel's book, and the source of its appeal, is the joy it conveys. Brian Bethune, Maclean's A delight. Matt Sutherland, Foreword Reviews Frebel's narrative provides a rich picture of the understandings astronomers have gleaned from studies of the elements in stars. Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History

Author Information

Anna Frebel is associate professor in the Department of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Twitter @annafrebel

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