Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe

Richly illustrated with the images from observatories on the ground and in space, and computer simulations, this book shows how black holes were discovered, and discusses our current understanding of their role in cosmic evolution. This second edition covers new discoveries made in the past decade, including definitive proof of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way, evidence that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, and the new appreciation of the connection between black holes and galaxy formation. There are entirely new chapters on gamma-ray bursts and cosmic feedback. Begelman and Rees blend theoretical arguments with observational results to demonstrate how both approaches contributed to this subject. Clear illustrations and photographs reveal the strange and amazing workings of our universe. The engaging style makes this book suitable for introductory undergraduate courses, amateur astronomers, and all readers interested in astronomy and physics.

Science & Math

Rees, Martin

Begelman, Mitchell

Astronomy & Space Science

Cambridge University Press

Black holes are an extraordinary construct, proposed by theorists and embraced by the popular imagination. They represent a mysterious, unexplored frontier where time and space behave in bizarre ways. In essence, black holes are an idea written, spoken, and thought about, but a fundamental question has always remained: Do black holes exist? Astrophysicists Mitchell Begelman and Martin Rees answer this question with a resounding yes. Central participants in the quest to understand black holes, they describe the great technological advances that have allowed scientists to gather compelling evidence that black holes are a real and ubiquitous phenomenon. These points where gravity is infinitely strong, "swallowing" everything in its vicinity, could number in the millions in every galaxy, as the remnants of ordinary stars several times more massive than the Sun. More remarkably, discoveries made early in 1995 supply conclusive evidence that giant black holes, perhaps weighing as much as billions of suns, are lurking at the very center of most galaxies. Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe tracks the observations and accidents through which scientists discovered black holes and the related phenomena they power, such as quasars and dazzling jets a million light-years long. Scientists are just beginning to understand the exotic ways these invisible objects manifest themselves, and how they relate to other structures in the cosmos. Yet, new questions continue to arise: Could microscopic holes exist, the size of an atomic nucleus but the weight of a mountain? As the Universe evolves, could it be the ultimate fate of all matter to be "swallowed" by black holes? As Begelman and Rees point out, the cosmic "fireworks" scientists are investigating may prove most valuable as stepping-stones to even more profound knowledge. The quest to find black holes and related structures, and to understand the mysterious work of gravity within them, could ultimately confirm or refute our theories describing the physical laws of the Universe, and even help us understand its origins and final fate.

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe (Scientific American Library)

W.H.Freeman & Co.

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

W.H.Freeman

This ingenious book is the account of an epic astronomical journey, a tale told by an early-twenty-first-century human sailor among the stars. The account is discovered, as an alien "translator's note" reveals, sixty million years in earth's future--the product of one man's amazing, revelatory, and occasionally perilous space odyssey. Astrophysicist Mitchell Begelman takes the reader to far-distant shores, across a vast ocean of time, in a narrative that zips along at just below light speed. We travel to the center of the Milky Way, witness the births and deaths of stars, almost perish in the crushing forces at the perimeter of a black hole--and all the while Begelman explains in clear and vibrant prose the way things work in the cosmos. A powerful imaginative work that is thoroughly grounded both in history and in the latest in astrophysical thinking and observation, Turn Right at Orion is serious science that reads like fiction.

Turn Right at Orion: Travels Through the Cosmos

Basic Books

Turn Right at Orion is the account of an epic astronomical journey, discovered sixty million years in Earth's future-the product of one man's amazing, revelatory, and occasionally perilous space odyssey. Astrophysicist Mitchell Begelman takes the reader to far distant shores, across a vast ocean of time, in a narrative style that zips along at just below light speed. We travel to the center of the Milky Way, witness the births and deaths of stars and of planets, and almost perish in the crushing forces at the perimeter of a black hole-and all the while Begelman explains in clear and vibrant prose how things work the way they do in the cosmos. Turn Right at Orion is a serious science book that reads like fiction.

Richly illustrated with the images from observatories on the ground and in space, and computer simulations, this book shows how black holes were discovered, and discusses what we've learned about their nature and their role in cosmic evolution. This thoroughly updated third edition covers new discoveries made in the past decade, including the discovery of gravitational waves from merging black holes and neutron stars, the first close-up images of the region near a black hole event horizon, and observations of debris from stars torn apart when they ventured too close to a supermassive black hole. Avoiding mathematics, the authors blend theoretical arguments with observational results to demonstrate how both have contributed to the subject. Clear, explanatory illustrations and photographs reveal the strange and amazing workings of our universe. The engaging style makes this book suitable for introductory undergraduate courses, amateur astronomers, and all readers interested in astronomy and physics.

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Books by Begelman, Mitchell

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Begelman, Mitchell. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe (Scientific American Library)

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe

Turn Right at Orion: Travels Through the Cosmos

Turn Right at Orion: Travels Through the Cosmos

Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe