GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan, the writer of space science in literature

GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan has been recognized worldwide through a series of astrophysics research works. In addition, he is also famous for his valuable books. A special feature of his book is that he writes about the universe in a literary way, thereby helping to popularize science.
Discover the youngest galaxy in the universe

GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan Born in 1948 in Hanoi, at the age of 6, he moved with his family to Saigon to live. As a child, he attended Jean-Jacques Rousseau High School (now Le Quy Don School, Saigon). GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan Graduating from high school in 1966, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan went to Switzerland to study engineering. He then decided to study astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology, then at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. For the first time in his life, at the observatory on top of Mount Palomar, California, young Trinh Xuan Thuan observed the magic of the galaxy, moon and light from billions of stars through the telescope. The largest telescope in the world at that time with a diameter of 5.1 m. His life has been associated with cosmic astronomy since then. After completing his doctoral thesis at Princeton, GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan teaches at the University of Virginia since 1976, and has become a world-renowned expert on extragalactic astronomy. In which, the most prominent event is the GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan is the youngest known co-discoverer of the galaxy in the universe today, thanks to the study of observations made by the Hubble space telescope. That is galaxy I Zwicky 18. Called I Zwicky 18, this galaxy appeared just 500 million years ago. This discovery is shocking because the word I Zwicky 18 allows people to understand the first small galaxies in the early universe. Writing about the universe in a special way In addition to research, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan writes a book. From the research results, extremely attractive and interesting findings of astronomy, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan wishes to share with everyone about the beauty, harmony of the universe and the creation of nature. GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan is highly appreciated for his ability to popularize science. He began to write his first book ‘Mysterious Melodies – La Mélodie secrète, published in 1988′. Currently, there are about 20 books of GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan was translated and published in Vietnam as Origin, nostalgia for the early days; The Paths of Light, The Fullness of Nothingness, One Night… GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan writes three times more popular science books than specialized research books. He confided: “Because I want to meet more readers. If I write a book on a complex subject, only a few hundred people can understand it. I want the knowledge of science and astrophysics to spread in many readers. So I write books for the masses. If I’m lucky, my books will be read by hundreds or thousands of people.” When writing the book, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan wants to explain to the general public about the stars, the universe, about what astronomers have discovered; phenomena of the sun dying into a dwarf star, or stars ten times more massive than the sun, the sun becoming a black hole… In particular, when writing books, he did not use science but wrote about the universe in a literary way. GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan explains: The voice of the universe is math. Scientists all use math equations to understand the universe. But when I write the book, I do not use it, but use images in everyday life, to let the public understand the ideas that scientists find in the universe. Therefore, although writing about distant planets, cold galaxies, mysterious black holes… GS. Trinh Xuan Thuan always tries to use a simple but clear language. He refrains from using overly technical terms. For difficult concepts, he often refers to images in everyday life as an example. For example, in the latest book titled “One Night” (Pham Van Thieu, translated by Pham Viet Hung, Youth Publishing House, 2020), Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan brings readers into a vast world, explores the night sky with easy-to-understand explanations. As a lover of poetry, he also quoted many verses and poems of famous poets. For example, when writing about the Moon, Professor Trinh Xuan Thuan quotes John Keats’ “Song of the Nightingale”: “The night is gentle/ And maybe Hang Nga is on the throne/ Among the stars of fairies/ But in Here, nowhere is it clear / Except for the breezes / On the dark and mossy leaves of the winding roads. He even quoted W. Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliette”: “Come, night, come here/ Romeo me, come back to me!/ I’m the sun in the dark/ Because I’ll lie under the night darkness of the night…”. In the spring of 2007, the famous work “Paths of Light” (Les Voies de la lumière) was awarded the Moron Prize by the French Academy. Two years later, Prof. Trinh Xuan Thuan also became the first Vietnamese in history to be awarded the prestigious Kalinga Prize by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Soon after, the Institut de France awarded the Prix mondial Cino del Duca, recognizing the persuasive transmissions of complex knowledge of arid space science, yet blended under a contemplative, rich gaze. literature in his outstanding works. GS review. Trinh Xuan Thuan, Mr. François Delattre, French Ambassador to the US, respectfully called the Vietnamese-born astronomer a “world asset” when he devoted his life to the goal of “popularizing science”. Invite readers to watch the video:Fish at the fried statue. Source: VTV24.