The Unexplored Frontier
Gravity is the dominant force in our universe. In Gravity's Fatal Attraction, two renowned astrophysicists explore gravity where it is infinitely strong: in black holes. These mind-boggling structures can have a mass up to billions of times that of our sun, but remain detectable only by the evidence of a powerful gravitational force swallowing everything in its vicinity.
Gravity's Fatal Attraction describes how these massive, invisible objects were found and what their existence implies for the evolution of our universe. Updated to include the latest discoveries, and featuring superb illustrations and photographs, this account of black holes and the associated phenomena of quasars and cosmic jets reveals the workings of our strange and amazing universe.
Winner of the 1996 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award in Physics and Astronomy
"Martin Rees and Mitchell Begelman are probably the world's leading authorities on the astrophysics of black holes."
--Stephen W. Hawking
"Martin Rees is one of the great astronomers of our generation, and this felicitous collaboration with Mitchell Begelman brings alive a subject replete with wonder and mystery-- without losing the hard edge of scientific rigour. An exhilarating read!"
--Paul Davies, author of The Mind of God: The Scientific Basis for a Rational World
"Martin Rees and Mitchell Begelman have provided us with a dramatic, elegant, and fully authoritative account of [black holes], and of how they fit into our modern picture of the Universe."
--Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor's New Mind
"A terrific book. I doubt that you could find a more comprehensive and authoritative popular account of this spectacular subject."
--New Scientist
"An excellent beginner's account of the discovery of black holes and their importance in astrophysics today."
--Sky and Telescope
About the Authors
Mitchell Begelman is Professor of Astrophysics and Chairman of the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Martin Rees is Royal Society Professor at Cambridge University; he also holds the title of Astronomer Royal. He is also the author of Before the Beginning.
Scientific American Library Paperbacks
Critically acclaimed adventures in modern science, featuring expert authors, cutting-edge topics, and spectacular full-color presentations.
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