Heavenly Errors

259 Pages·2001·1.399 MB·English

by  Neil F. Comins

MMiissccoonncceeppttiioonnss AAbboouutt tthhee RReeaall NNaattuurree ooff tthhee UUnniivveerrssee
Neil F. Comins
Heavenly Errors

Heavenly Errors
Misconceptions About
the Real Nature of
the Universe
Neil F. Comins
Columbia University Press
New York
Figure Sources
I.1—Yerkes Observatory
1.1b, 1.3, 1.7, 1.8, 2.2, 3.2—Discovering the Universe, Neil F. Comins and William J. Kauf-
mann, III, © 2000Neil F. Comins; reprinted by permission, W. H. Freeman & Co.
1.6—Yerkes Observatory photograph; diagram from Discovering the Universe, Neil F.
Comins and William J. Kaufmann, III
1.2—Universe, William J. Kaufmann, III and Roger A. Freedman, © 1999; reprinted by
permission, W. H. Freeman & Co.
1.4—Adapted from Astronomy Today, Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan, © 1996Pren-
tice Hall
2.1—Prof. Joel Mintzes, private communication
3.3—William C. Keel, University of Alabama, Lowell Observatory
3.5, 6.3—NASA
5.1—Adapted from Foundations of Astronomy, Michael A. Seeds, © 1999Wadsworth

Disclaimer:
Some images in the original version of this book are not
available for inclusion in the eBook.
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2001Neil F. Comins
All rights reserved
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Comins, Neil F., 1951–
Heavenly errors :
misconceptions about the real
nature of the universe / Neil F. Comins.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0–231–11644–6(acid-free paper)
1. Astronomy. 2. Errors, Popular. I. Title.
QB44.2.C65 2001
520—dc21 00–050853
Casebound editions of
Columbia University Press books
are printed on permanent and
durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Audrey Smith
c 10987654321
Dedicated to my students,
past, present, and future.

Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
1. Fun in the Sun:
Some Misconceptions Close to Home 9
2. Blame It on Someone Else:
External Origins of Incorrect Beliefs 49
3. Creating Your Own Private Cosmos:
Internal and Mixed Origins of Incorrect Beliefs 83
4. Survival in a Misperceived World: How Well Did Our
Ancestors Do Without Understanding Nature? 121
Contents ❘ viii
5. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do:
Misconceptions Are Hard to Replace 145
6. The Sage on the Stage or the Guide by Your Side:
A Peek Behind the Effort to Help You Unlearn Misconceptions 169
7. Let the Buyer Beware:
How to Avoid Future Misconceptions 195
8. Conflicts and Dangers:
The Problems That Misconceptions Create 215
Epilogue: False Personal Cosmologies 229
Selected Bibliography 233
Index 237
Preface
Few things in nature conform to our expectations: objects with differ-
ent weights fall at the same speed; time slows down the faster you
move; the bulk of a tree’s matter comes straight out of the air. Scien-
tific understanding reveals that space, time, matter, and energy are by
and large inconsistent with our common sense. How can this be?
Our brains evolved to help us survive, not to comprehend the
cosmos. But as a by-product of that evolution, we have minds that
want, or rather, need to understand how the natural world operates.
While this desire has existed far back into prehistory, only in the past
few centuries have we developed the mental discipline of using science
to bridge the gap between what appears to be happening and what
really is happening.