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UVA astronomy professor contemplates God, other dimensions, in new book

Chris Graham
Kelsey Johnson astronomy professor University of Virginia
Kelsey Johnson (Photo by Dan Addison)

A University of Virginia astronomy professor will take part in a book talk at signing at a Charlottesville bookshop this weekend.

Kelsey Johnson will be speaking about her new nonfiction book, Into the Unknown: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the Cosmos, which was released from Basic Books in the fall.

The event will take place at New Dominion Bookshop on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Humans have learned a lot about the world around us and the universe beyond.A University of Virginia astronomy professor will take part in a book talk at signing at a Charlottesville bookshop this weekend. We have made powerful insights and created profound theories about the universe and everything in it. Surely the ultimate theory must be waiting, just beyond our current knowledge. Well, maybe.

In Into the Unknown, Johnson takes readers to the edge of scientific understanding about the universe: What caused the Big Bang? What happens inside black holes? Are there other dimensions?

She doesn’t just celebrate what we know but rather what we don’t and asks what it means if we never find that knowledge.

Exploring the convergence of science, philosophy and theology, Johnson argues we must reckon with possibilities — including those that may be beyond human comprehension.

The very places where we run smack into total ignorance are the places where the most important questions — about the philosophy of knowledge, the nature of our cosmos and even the existence of God — await.

Kelsey Johnson is the former president of the American Astronomical Society and founder of the award-winning Dark Skies, Bright Kids program.

She has won numerous awards for her research, teaching and promotion of science literacy.

This in-person event will be free and open to the public.

New Dominion Bookshop is located at 404 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville.

For more information, visit ndbookshop.com

 

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].