This book tells the story of the team who came to a conclusion based on Type 1A Supernovae data that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. This is out of a choice of three models - either that it is slowing down due to gravity and will eventually come to a stop before collapsing in on itself and culminating in a "big crunch." The second option is that the acceleration of the universe is constant and it will keep expanding at the same rate. The third is obviously the one which was proven by their data - that the expansion of the universe is in fact accelerating.
The team (known as the High-z Supernova Search Team) used large telescopes to look for type 1a supernovae. This kind of supernova is rare - there is approximately one per galaxy per century, but since the universe is pretty big, high powered telescopes can be used to find these and measure their redshifts (redshifts mean they are moving away, blueshifts moving towards us). Kirshner has recounted the methods the team used and the other team they were competing with. He has also looked at how a variety of different universities across several countries colluded to get these results.
Kirshner has tried to keep this book relatively unscientific. In other words, it is made for the lay-reader and written so the wider public can understand how this operation played out, what it means and its ramifications for modern physics. In this mission, he did a relatively good job. It seemed sometimes like he was trying a bit too hard to amuse the reader with amusing anecdotes and jokes. Although this was a good idea, it was a little too often and came across or desperate. The book was highly interesting without this added information.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone interested in what's going on in the world of science.
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