Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space

The full inside story of the detection of gravitational waves at LIGO, one of the most ambitious feats in scientific history. Travel around the world 100 billion times. A strong gravitational wave will briefly change that distance by less than the thickness of a human hair. We have perhaps less than a few tenths of a second to perform this measurement. And we don't know if this infinitesimal event will come next month, next year or perhaps in thirty years. In 1916 Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves: miniscule ripples in the very fabric of spacetime generated by unfathomably powerful events. If such vibrations could somehow be recorded, we could observe our universe for the first time through sound: the hissing of the Big Bang, the whale-like tunes of collapsing stars, the low tones of merging galaxies, the drumbeat of two black holes collapsing into one. For decades, astrophysicists have searched for a way of doing so...In 2016 a team of hundreds of scientists at work on a billion-dollar experiment made history when they announced the first ever detection of a gravitational wave, confirming Einstein's prediction. This is their story, and the story of the most sensitive scientific instrument ever made: LIGO. Based on complete access to LIGO and the scientists who created it, Black Hole Blues provides a firsthand account of this astonishing achievement: a compelling, intimate portrait of cutting-edge science at its most awe-inspiring and ambitious.

Review
"It is hard to imagine that a better narrative will ever be written about the behind-the-scenes heartbreak and hardship that goes with scientific discovery. Black Hole Blues is a spectacular feat - a near-perfect balance of science, storytelling and insight ... It is as inevitable as gravity that this book will win a swath of awards" -- Michael Brooks New Statesman "A remarkable achievement that potentially opens up a whole new chapter in our understanding of the cosmos and, with perfect timing, Janna Levin's elegant and lucid book is here to tell us how it was done ... the human drama is compelling ... The main protagonists ... comprise as fascinating a triumvirate as you will anywhere in scientific literature. Levin, a distinguished astrophysicist in her own right, writes eloquently, sometimes even poetically, about the search for what she calls gravity's music" -- Simon Griffith Mail on Sunday "Taking on the simultaneous roles of expert scientist, journalist, historian and storyteller of uncommon enchantment, Levin delivers pure signal from cover to cover ... Levin harmonizes science and life with remarkable virtuosity ... exposing the invisible, incremental processes that produce the final spark we call genius ... As redemptive as the story of the countless trials and unlikely triumph may be, what makes the book most rewarding is Levin's exquisite prose" -- Maria Popova The New York Times "The most important development in astronomy since the invention of the telescope ... [Levin] excles in conveying the personalities of the scientists and their professional and personal struggles ... With the success of Ligo, we stand at the dawn of a new era in astronomy, Levin says in her excellent book" -- Marcus Chown Times Higher Education "Brilliant and timely" -- James Gleick

About the Author

Janna Levin is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University and Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works, a centre for art and innovation in Brooklyn. She has contributed to the understanding of black holes, the cosmology of extra dimensions and gravitational waves. She was the first scientist-in-residence at the Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing at Oxford University with an award from NESTA, and was recently named a Guggenheim fellow. Her previous books are How the Universe Got Its Spots and a novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, which won the PEN/Bingham prize. She has also appeared at TED and contributes to numerous radio and television programmes.