The Black Cloud
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The Black Cloud is a science fiction novel written by astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. Published in 1957, the book details the arrival of an enormous cloud of gas that enters the solar system and threatens to destroy most of the life on Earth by blocking the Sun's radiation.
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[edit] Plot summary
In 1957, astrophysicists on earth become aware of an immense cloud of gas that enters the solar system. Moving to interpose itself between the sun and the earth, the cloud could wipe out most of the life on earth by blocking solar radiation and ending photosynthesis. In an act of desperation, a cadre of astronomers try to communicate with the cloud, which to their surprise, is actually successful.
At one point the astronomers ask the cloud what its life form believes to be their origin, it replies that they believe that they always existed. One of the astronomers says something like "Well! Wait till the Big Bang boys hear about this!". It seems that Hoyle could have been fantasising about a deus ex machina to disprove the Big Bang theory.
[edit] Hoyle's scientific background
Though the presence of a sentient cloud of gas may seem unlikely, the story is grounded in hard science. The detection of the cloud is described using physics equations, all of which are included in the book. Hoyle brought his experience and knowledge as the Director of the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Society into the book. Hoyle was also responsible for the term Big Bang, though Hoyle himself did not believe the Big Bang theory. In an ironic plot twist that would foreshadow Hoyle's stance on panspermia, the cloud expresses surprise that intelligent life is capable of forming on planets.
[edit] Plagiarism by other authors
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In 2000, Gregory Benford published a novel called "Eater" with a plot which, in the first half at least, is almost the same as that of The Black Cloud. Some scenes are virtually identical, and the main character even has the same name (Kingsley). However, no acknowledgement is made to Hoyle.[citation needed]
[edit] Cultural references
- In the 1976 novel by Terry Pratchett, The Dark Side of the Sun, a sentient planet, ocean and sun speculate about the existence of an intelligent gas cloud
