While I was writing this book, a tweet by Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) on 20 May 2021 began circulating through my social media feeds. “Stars are basically the immediate after-effects of the Big Bang,” it read. “A one-second sizzle of brightness before settling into an endless era of darkness. We live in that one bright second.”
There have been so many bright seconds, fortuitous transient events, and happenstance collisions that were made brighter by the immeasurable generosity of astronomical researchers around the world. Every researcher I chatted with and every observatory I visited told a rich, wondrous story deserving of so much more time in the spotlight. Whittling those countless hours to a page, a paragraph, or a passing mention—or even less—feels unfair. To everyone who gave so freely of their time, I owe a massive debt of gratitude.
I would especially like to honor the memories of Alison Doane (Harvard University), who revealed the glass universe to me, and Kevin Hurley (University of California, Berkeley), who shared with me the thrill of chasing gamma ray bursts. I hope I have done their work justice.
Special thanks go to Sarah Burke-Spolaor (West Virginia University), Jeff Cooke (Swinburne University of Technology), Tamara Davis (University of Queensland), Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University), Emmanuel Fonseca (West Virginia University), Duane Hamacher (University of Melbourne), George Hobbs (CSIRO Space and Astronomy), Rob Hollow (CSIRO Space and Astronomy), Simon Johnston (CSIRO Space and Astronomy), Amanda Karakas (Monash University), Paul Lasky (Monash University), Duncan Lorimer (West Virginia University), Ilya Mandel (Monash University), Maura McLaughlin (West Virginia University), Smadar Naoz (UCLA), Benjamin Pope (University of Queensland), Nikhil Sarin (Stockholm University), John Sarkissian (CSIRO Space and Astronomy), Susan Scott (Australian National University), Nathan Smith (University of Arizona), Nicholas Suntzeff (Texas A&M University), Lawrence Toomey (CSIRO Space and Astronomy), Sara Webb (Swinburne University of Technology), and finally Matt Caplan (Illinois State University), who has the added distinction of providing the largest number in this book.
Plenty of other people generously gave their time and expertise to help me understand the wide range of topics. I would like to offer heartfelt thanks to Corey Austin (LIGO Livingston), John Barentine (International Dark-Sky Association), Kathy Holt (LIGO Livingston), Lisa Koerner (University of Houston), Ryan Lynch (Green Bank Observatory), Jill Malusky (Green Bank Observatory), Richard McDermid (Macquarie University), Oliver Roberts (Universities Space Research Association), and Andy Seymour (Green Bank Observatory).
An earlier version of portions of chapters 6 and 24 was published in Astronomy magazine and is used here with permission from editor Dave Eicher. Part of chapter 21 was previously published in Mercury magazine and is used with the kind permission of editor Liz Kruesi.
I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who read and provided feedback on any portion of this book while it was in its larval phase, including everyone recognized above. Special thanks go to Holly Jean Richard, who helped me find my voice early on. Closer to home, my daughter, Megan, got to experience the entire sausage-making process and even learned a few cool things along the way. Sam Houston State University student Charise Lincoln not only provided feedback, but also was instrumental in organizing the finished product. I also want to thank my father, Don R. James, who spotted nearly every typo in the first draft and who really wanted me to find a way to work the name Willem Dafoe into the text. There. I’ve done it.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without both financial support and uninterrupted blocks of writing time. The former was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics, which funded much of the travel for the research and writing of the book. The latter came from Sam Houston State University in the form of a sabbatical that was thoroughly encouraged by my administration and colleagues. I am beyond fortunate to work with people who are so continually supportive of my academic pursuits.
Finally, I would like to thank my editor, Tiffany Gasbarrini, and everyone at Johns Hopkins University Press for their confidence in me and in this project.
One bright second, indeed!