MEASURING ETERNITY: The Search for the Beginning of Time

Is it possible to discern the instant of the universe's birth? Aristotle believed the universe to be eternal, while a 17th-century Irish bishop insisted its creation occurred at the shockingly specific moment of 6 p.m., October 23, 4004 BC. Few questions have baffled and excited mathematicians, astronomers, physicists, geologists, theologians and average Joes as much as those that seek to explore the mysteries of time. Gorst, a writer and director of science documentaries, discusses how human understanding of time shifted throughout the centuries, as models of the universe became more accurate and instruments for gathering data grew more sophisticated. He spends the majority of the book on the time follies of scientific figures from the last three centuries, from Bishop Ussher (whose inaccurate October theory wasn't entirely debunked until the 20th century) to Newton, Buffon, Darwin and Lyell—all of whom failed the time test. There's enough background in each of these profiles to keep readers engaged, and when Gorst reaches present-day science, there's a good payoff. The last three years have been particularly productive ones for astrophysicists, and it's now possible to offer an age for the universe based on real observational data (especially the Hubble constant—in other words, the rate at which the universe is expanding). This brief and lively volume is a great middle-of-the-pool place to dive into the nature of time; its accessibility ensures that most readers will want to keep swimming. (Dec.)