When Science Stood Still: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes

Astrophysicist Subrahmanya Chandrasekhar (1910–1995), known as Chandra, becomes a model of perseverance in the face of prejudice in this account of a scientist ahead of their time. The story opens with Chandra as an eager young student of mathematics. Later, on scholarship from India’s government, he arrives in England ready to share recent calculations that seem to suggest “that a dying star could result in something mind-boggling”: a black hole. But when he presents his ideas to other scholars, “the audience roared with laughter at this audacious young man from across the seas.” Glossing over the science behind the theory, Rao’s enthusiastic narration describes the post-WWII moment when the world finally sees the brilliance of Chandra’s early work, resulting in his being awarded the Nobel Prize. Across this work’s gratifying arc, Srinivasan’s digitally finished, starry illustrations move comfortably between everyday scenes of Chandra and solar system panoramas. Contextualizing back matter concludes. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)