The Edge of Infinity
This timely book is suitable for the general reader wishing to find answers to some of the intriguing questions now being asked about black holes. Although once recognized as the most destructive force in nature, following a cascade of astonishing discoveries, the opinion of supermassive black holes has undergone a dramatic shift. Astronomers are discovering that these objects may have been critical to the formation of structure in the early universe, spawning bursts of star formation, planets, and even life itself.
Fulvio Melia is Associate Head of Physics and Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He is author of Electrodynamics (University of Chicago, 2001), and a forthcoming title, The Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy (Princeton).
- Contains the most up-to-date results from scientific research
- Suitable for all with a curiosity for the fundamental nature of the universe
- Beautifully illustrated throughout
Reviews & endorsements
"Th[is] book is a quick read and a welcome addition to any black hole aficionado's bookshelf. Highly recommended." Choice
Product details
October 2003Hardback
9780521814058
158 pages
236 × 160 × 17 mm
0.484kg
5 b/w illus. 39 colour illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. The most powerful objects in the universe
- 2. Weighing supermassive objects
- 3. The black hole spacetime
- 4. Formation of supermassive black holes
- 5. Relativistic ejection of plasma
- 6. Supermassive black holes in the universe.