Black Holes [Paperback]

A fabulous journey through space and time to discover the fascinating truth about the legendary black hole.Are black holes an observable reality, or just hypothetical objects from the theory of relativity? A journey through space and time helps to resolve these questions in a study of one of the most fascinating and mysterious discoveries of modern astronomy.Are black holes an observable reality, or just hypothetical objects from the theory of relativity? A journey through space and time helps to resolve these questions in a study of one of the most fascinating and mysterious discoveries of modern astronomy.Dr. Jean-Pierre Luminet makes the subject of black holes accessible to any interested reader, who will need no mathematical background. The reader of this book will feel that the developments in modern astrophysics are as fascinating to discover and digest as the most fantastic science fiction novels. While answering such questions, the author takes us on a fabulous journey through space and time. We travel into the realms of supernovae, X-ray stars and quasars--a journey to the very edge of the universe and to the limits of contemporary physics.Foreword to the French edition; Foreword to the English edition; Acknowledgements; Part I. Gravitation and Light: 1. First fruits; 2. Relativity; 3. Curved space-time; Part II. Exquisite Corpses: 4. Chronicle of the twilight years; 5. Ashes and diamonds; 6. Supernovae; 7. Pulsars; 8. Gravitation triumphant; Part III. Light Assassinated: 9. The far horizon; 10. Illuminations; 11. A descent into the maelstrom; 12. Map games; 13. The black hole machine; 14. The quantum black hole; Part IV. Light Regained: 15. Primordial black holes; 16. The zoo of X-ray stars; 17. Giant black holes; 18. Gravitational light; 19. The black hole Universe; Appendices; Bibliography; Name index; Subject index. This is an outstanding work of scientific exposition that can be recommended as a manifestation of the dictum that common sense often leadl³E