The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity
A Journey to Discover Black Holes
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- 22,99 €
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- 22,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
The mystery of gravity has captivated us for centuries. But what is gravity and how does it work? This engaging book delves into the bizarre and often counter-intuitive world of gravitational physics. Join distinguished astrophysicist Professor Luciano Rezzolla on this virtual journey into Einstein's world of gravity, with each milestone presenting ever more fascinating aspects of gravitation. Through gentle exposure to concepts such as spacetime curvature and general relativity, you will discover some of the most curious consequences of gravitational physics, such as black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves. The author presents and explains one of the most impressive scientific achievements of recent times: the first image of a supermassive black hole. Written by one of the key scientists involved in producing these results, you'll get a behind-the-scenes view of how the image was captured and discover what happens to matter and light near a black hole.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rezzolla (Relativistic Hydrodynamics), director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Frankfurt, Germany, serves up a difficult-to-follow primer on gravity and its role in general relativity. He describes how understandings of gravity have changed throughout history, from Galileo's primitive physics to Einstein's postulation that the presence of matter "curves" spacetime. Detailing some of the more eye-popping consequences of gravitational physics, Rezzolla explains how neutron stars form from massive stars collapsing under their own gravity and how gravitational waves "represent the propagation, at the speed of light, of ‘ripples' in the spacetime curvature." Elsewhere, Rezzolla recounts how his team created the first photograph of a black hole by mapping the radiation around the event horizon using a sophisticated technique in which two radio-telescopes thousands of miles apart act as a single telescope "with a diameter equal to the distance between the two." Rezzolla's expertise shines, but despite his intent to "steer us away from the treacherous waters of erudition and technicalities," his discussions of Einstein's theory of relativity and the advanced math necessary to observe black holes get bogged down in scientific jargon. This isn't for the faint of heart, but science buffs interested in cutting-edge astronomy will be more than satisfied. Photos.
