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Prisons of Light - Black Holes

Author: Kitty Ferguson

Date Published: April 1998
availability: Available
format: Paperback
isbn: 9780521625715

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About the Authors

What is a black hole? Could we survive a visit to one … perhaps even venture inside? Have we yet discovered any real black holes? And what do black holes teach us about the mysteries of our Universe? These are just a few of the tantalizing questions examined in this tour-de-force, jargon-free review of one of the most fascinating topics in modern science. In search of the answers, we trace a star from its birth to its death throes, take a hypothetical journey to the border of a black hole and beyond, spend time with some of the world's leading theoretical physicists and astronomers, and take a whimsical look at some of the wild ideas black holes have inspired. Prisons of Light - Black Holes is comprehensive and detailed. Yet Kitty Ferguson's lightness of touch and down-to-earth analogies set this book apart from all others on black holes and make it a wonderfully stimulating and entertaining read.
- Beautifully written - stimulating and thorough, yet fun to read and jargon-free
- Among authors currently writing popular science, Ferguson is widely recognised as the only one who does not assume her readers have any scientific background
- Takes the reader to the forefront of observational astronomy (showing just what astronomers are looking for and finding); and provides a comprehensive and in-depth review of the theory
- Best-selling author of: Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything (Franklin Watts, 1991; Bantam Books, 1992), Black Holes in Space and Time (Franklin Watts 1991), The Fire in the Equations: Science, Religion, and the Search for God (Bantam Books, 1994; William Eerdmans, 1995), Measuring the Universe: Our Historic Quest to Chart the Horizons of Space and Time (Headline, 1999; Walker Books, 2000), Tycho and Kepler (Walker Books, 2002) and The Music of Pythagoras (Walker Books 2008).
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Reviews & endorsements
'Ferguson succeeds in explaining … black holes at a level that will be inviting to those with little or no prior knowledge. Her writing is lucid, her analogies good. Just when you thought it was all over, black holes are back.' John Barrow, New Scientist
'Kitty Ferguson marshals her arguments well, taking a bite at a time and giving the reader the opportunity to digest before cramming in the next … Her text is carefully thought out, vivid and accurate … A sensible index and suggestions for further reading round the whole thing off nicely. I am glad I read it.' Roger O'Brien, Journal of the British Astronomical Society
'An astute blend of entertainment and enlightenment, the sort of book that might have come from George Gammow as part of his series Mr Tompkins in Wonderland. Ferguson's grip on her material is firm, her style crisp, lucid and lively.' Werner Israel, Physics World
'The reader … will be amply rewarded not only with knowledge, but also with the humor, fantasy, poetry and awe Ferguson brings to the subject.' Publishers Weekly
'… a crystal clear guide for a first trip around the black hole block.' Gilbert Taylor, Booklist
'… delightfully clear account, well illustrated and bare of jargon and equations … I recommend it.' Robert Boyd, Science and Christian Belief
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Product details
- Date Published: April 1998
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521625715
- length: 228 pages
- dimensions: 225 x 145 x 17 mm
- weight: 0.385kg
- contains: 64 b/w illus.
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Prologue
1. A cosmic case of burnout
2. Matters of gravity: Newton and Einstein
3. The capture of light
4. Tripping the theoretical fantastic
5. Crossing the bar
6. Contemplating an enormous nothing
7. Evidence in the case
8. Hearts of darkness
9. The search goes on
10. Passages into the labyrinth
11. Black hole legends and far out ideas
Epilogue.
Author
Kitty Ferguson