A monograph of Academic Jaan Einasto speaks about the discovery of the dark matter and the Universe

Honorary Doctor of UT, Academic and Astrophysicist Jaan Einasto published a book “Dark Matter And Cosmic Web Story“. In the book, the author combines skilfully the discoveries, which are the basis of a modern cosmological worldview, with the history of Estonia and the story of her own family.

In his book “Dark Matter And Cosmic Web Story”, Academic Jaan Einasto looks at the discovery of the structure of the dark matter and the Universe from the point of view of Estonian scientists. “Several very good manuals and textbooks have been written on the topic of the discovery of the dark matter and the Universe, but research on the topic has been handled rather one-sidedly being mostly based on research carried out in the USA,” said Einasto and added, “This is how I got an idea to write about the discovery of the structure of the dark matter and the Universe by means of the science story of Estonia and experience of Estonian scientists.”

“The scientific history of the discovery of the dark matter has been thrillingly combined with personal stories in the book,” recognized Virginia Trimble, Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, having read the book. The book consists of several layers telling the reader simultaneously several different stories. “On the one hand, it is a story about the discovery of the structure of the dark matter and the Universe, which forms the basis of the modern cosmological worldview, and a story about how science can function based on an example of one discovery,” described Einasto.

“On the other hand, it is a story about Tartu Observatory and history of Estonia, and how our scientific community participated in the independence process of Estonia, occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union,” said Einasto. The author admits that eventually it is also a story about his family, which illustrates the development of Estonia from the country of farmers to the modern country of culture. “This is all unfamiliar to the Western World, including to astronomers who are our colleagues.”

With this book, Einasto would like to attract also the attention of young people and inspire them to be more curious. “Be curious to find out how the world around us has been built and how it functions – from the microcosm inside us until the Universe. Curiosity is characteristic of all living creatures and it is one of the most important qualities of life – without knowing the surroundings, we are not able to act properly,” Einasto emphasised by encouraging young people to make mistakes and learn from them.

The book was published by Worlds Scientific Publ. Co. For further information about the book see the web page of the book.