Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 188 ratings

Price: 18

Last update: 01-31-2025


About this item

Experimental physicist at CERN and acclaimed science presenter Harry Cliff offers an eye-opening account of the inexplicable phenomena that science has only recently glimpsed, and that could transform our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality.

Something strange is going on in the cosmos. Scientists are uncovering a catalogue of weird phenomena that simply can’t be explained by our long-established theories of the universe. Particles with unbelievable energies are bursting from beneath the Antarctic ice. Unknown forces seem to be tugging on the basic building blocks of matter. Stars are flying away from us far faster than anyone can explain.

After decades of fruitless searching, could we finally be catching glimpses of a profound new view of our physical world? Or are we being fooled by cruel tricks of the data?

In Space Oddities, Harry Cliff, a physicist who does cutting-edge work on the Large Hadron Collider, provides a riveting look at the universe’s most confounding puzzles. In a journey that spans continents, from telescopes perched high above the Atacama Desert to the subterranean caverns of state-of-the-art particle colliders to balloons hovering over the frozen ice sheets of the South Pole, he meets the men and women hunting for answers—who have staked their careers and reputations on the uncertain promise of new physics.

The result is a mind-expanding, of-the-moment look at the fields of physics and cosmology as they transform before us. With wonder, clarity, and a dose of humor, Cliff investigates the question: Are these anomalies accidents of nature, or could they be pointing us toward vast, hidden worlds?


Top reviews from the United States

  • Daniel Putman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent presentation of scientific anomalies with a misleading title
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2024
    This is a very good book with a cover that does not do it justice and that is easily misleading. At first glance (which might often be the case) the title “Space Oddities” makes it sound like an introduction to UFO’s or one of those books on amazing facts discovered by someone with secret insights into the nature of space. Then on the cover is “Author of How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch” that does not show the subtitle of that earlier book, “In Search of the Recipe for Our Universe.” The subtitle of this book itself on the cover, “The Mysterious Anomalies Changing Our Understanding of the Universe” is accurate. But a nonscientist who looks at the book for the first time and is unfamiliar with Harry Cliff and his work can easily reason from the title and the name of the pervious book by the author that this is meant to be a popular and dressed-up piece of pseudoscience.

    The book itself is an excellent presentation of some basic discoveries and theories in physics and astronomy that seem (or seemed) to run against the Standard Model in particle physics and the Standard Model in cosmology. Only the first example of the historical demise of the supposed planet Vulcan, which was used to explain the anomaly of Mercury’s orbit, and the last two on the different findings of the Hubble Constant and on Dark Matter are directly about space. The bulk of the book is centered on particle physics and sometimes involves Cliff’s own work. Though a couple small parts on particle physics are a bit hard to follow, overall Cliff does a fine job speaking to the non-physicist about what seem to be significant anomalies that do not (or did not) get explained by the Standard Model. His examples point out the enormous amount of work and time in the scientists’ lives that was required to check out the anomalies. The reader gets a strong sense of how these researchers felt at times when their years of work turned into a false alarm.

    So I recommend the book for anyone interested in the way science progresses when anomalies are found. Cliff nicely ties the scientific work into the lives of the researchers. The book gives the reader an excellent view of the ongoing work of science and scientists and the fact that NOT knowing an answer is as much a critical part of science as finding the right one.
  • J. D. Mason
    4.0 out of 5 stars I was expecting something a bit different
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
    This book is an excellent primer on the current state of particle physics. I learned about this subject 40 years ago and haven't really kept up on developments past the general discussions in popular press. Honestly I was expecting more paradoxes and mysteries - the anomalies aren't really anomalies to those of us who don't understand advanced math or statistics. We have to take the author's word that what has been discovered is a true mystery as opposed to just some more information about particle physics.

    I've never been fully satisfied with all the rules about the speed of light - like how the relative speed between two objects coming towards each at the speed of light is NOT 2 x the speed of light. This was the kind of paradox I was expecting.

    Anyway, as I said it's an excellent primer (or maybe one or two grades higher) on the current state of particle physics.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2024
    Fascinating stories, amazing experiments, head-scratching results, things never talked about. I really enjoyed this book. I graduated with a degree in physics when semiconductors were simple, one-component electronic devices. These tales of excitement and wonder, showing how far we've come in the last 60 years and how much is still left to be understood, are tributes to the intelligence, creativity and persistence of men and women, globally, past and present. Treat yourself to the joirney.
  • Elma Caplin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024
    "Space Oddities" is a captivating journey through the cosmos. Written by an astrophysicist, this book effortlessly blends humor and most-up-to-date information.With a unique perspective on space exploration, it offers an entertaining and accessible read for both science enthusiasts and casual.

    Scientific concepts are seamlessly woven into the narrative, making complex ideas accessible and engaging. The author's witty anecdotes and clever wordplay add lightheartedness.

    The author's take on gravity challenges conventional notions, injecting intrigue into the narrative. From 1859 stories about Mercury planet’s “poor time keeping skills” when the astronomers first started observing it to defining humans as quantum fields, this book made me laugh and devour information.
    Customer image
    Elma Caplin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024
    "Space Oddities" is a captivating journey through the cosmos. Written by an astrophysicist, this book effortlessly blends humor and most-up-to-date information.With a unique perspective on space exploration, it offers an entertaining and accessible read for both science enthusiasts and casual.

    Scientific concepts are seamlessly woven into the narrative, making complex ideas accessible and engaging. The author's witty anecdotes and clever wordplay add lightheartedness.

    The author's take on gravity challenges conventional notions, injecting intrigue into the narrative. From 1859 stories about Mercury planet’s “poor time keeping skills” when the astronomers first started observing it to defining humans as quantum fields, this book made me laugh and devour information.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
  • James
    4.0 out of 5 stars Neutrinos
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2025
    Great book on particles. A friend brought up weird lights coming out of the poles and asked me if it was Aliens... of course my scientific mind was like no. However I told him it was neutrinos acting strange most likely.. I find this book and read it and it's all about that exact thing. I took an educated guess and also recommended this book to him. Science is awesome.
  • Bob Cowles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Filled in some missing details
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
    I worked with the Atlas collaboration in the naughts, not the physics but the cyber security of the LHC computing grid. In the time since I've learned a lot from Sean Carroll 's books and podcasts plus Dr Becky 's YouTube videos. One of the latter alerted me to the talk being given 40 miles from me by Wendy Freedman exactly as I was reading the chapter on the tension about the Hubble constant. The $640 cost of a one day pass made me think I could wait until next week to read the summaries of the talks at the April APS meeting in Sacramento.

    As an example of the details, I had read many times of the suspicion that the hiss in the microwave antenna was caused by pigeon shit, but never that there were two nesting pigeons near the narrow part of the antenna where it was warmer inside the building. Many other examples... A great read.
  • B. Johnston
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gift for granddaughter
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
    I bought this book after reading a positive review. It was a surprise gift for, my Astrophysicists
    College major granddaughter. She loved it.
    Other family members are in line to read it.
    It worked out well for me, I was able not only to surprise her with something she would not have gotten for herself but look like an engaged grandparent.
  • Bernard Lavallee
    3.0 out of 5 stars OK
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2024
    Lots of interesting topics but too much extraneous detail describing on side topics.

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