Foreword; Prologue: the breath of Armageddon; 1. The sky watchers of Los Alamos; 2. The bat mystery; 3. A duel over distance; 4. Liras, tears and satellites; 5. Beaming in on afterglows; 6. First among equals; 7. Saucers and shimmers; 8. Thinking with the speed of light; 9. Competition for the Big Bang; 10. Amazing relations; 11. Alchemists of the cosmos; 12. The magnetar attraction; 13. Argus eyes and Livermore; 14. Fireworks and Black Holes; 15. A flashing future; 16. War and peace.
Exciting story of gamma-ray burst research, from initial detection to most recent discoveries.
'… one of the best generally accessible overviews of gamma ray
astronomy … strongly recommended.' Richard Taylor, Spaceflight
'Schilling, a professional science writer, skillfully leads the
reader through the work of scientists in the filed … the book is an
excellent account … an enlightening and stimulating read.' Luigi
Piro, Nature
'… a fascinating account of the day-to-day process of modern
astronomy, giving a believable picture of how astronomers work. It
focuses on the people involved and uses their own accounts of the
process and how they experienced these events. This is a book that
could usefully be given to any young person wondering why people go
into science and what might await them there.' Sue Bowler,
Astronomy and Geophysics
'If you want to know how the messy business of making an
astronomical discovery actually works, read this book.' Andrew
King, The Observatory
'I recommend Schilling's book for the interested non-scientist. …
The reader is taken on a literary roller-coaster ride, in which
discoverery and breakthrough alternate with struggle and setback,
and in which one learns a lot about science and scientists along
the way.' Physics World
'The strength of this book arises from the way Schilling conveys
the cut and thrust of professional astronomy. Because he tells us
about the personalities involved we can share their frustration,
despair and elation. Alan Longstaff, Astronomy Now
'Visual and highly accessible, Schilling's book is a masterpiece of
lay scientific reporting. He is the author of more than 2 previous
books and hundreds of articles on astronomical subjects (it shows;
the prologue alone is almost worth the price of the book.' Robert
Eisenstein, CERN Courier
'… there are few popular books devoted to GRB science … I will be
surprised if a better one appears for a while.' Nial Tanvir,
JBAA
'… a very enjoyable book …' Southern Observer
'As in any good human drama, you will find ambition, triumph,
disappointment and just a little treachery. If you like your
science writing to remind you that astronomers are people too, read
Flash!' Astronomy Now
'Flash!, might be one of the most entertaining…popular books on
gamma ray bursts …the style is colourful …It is hard to get
anything else done while Flash! lies around the house, only
partially read.' American Association of Variable Star Observers
Bookstore
'The book is written in lucid prose … the explanations are clear
and revealing … perhaps because it is such a rapidly moving field,
there are few popular books devoted to GRB science, but I will be
surprised if a better one appears for a while.' Journal of the
British Astronomical Association
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