E-Book Overview
The remains of collapsed stars, black holes possess enormous gravities that pull in and annihilate any matter that strays too close. The latest evidence and theories for these bizarre objects are presented in this intriguing book, including how black holes were first predicted, how they form, their physical properties, and how scientists detect them. Also covered are the giant black holes now known to lurk at the centers of most galaxies and the possibility of using these objects as cosmic gateways.
E-Book Content
THE LUCENT LIBRARY OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Black Holes by Don Nardo
San Diego • Detroit • New York • San Francisco • Cleveland • New Haven, Conn. • Waterville, Maine • London • Munich
On cover: Of the three bright dots in the middle of this photo of the center of our galaxy, the one on the left, known as Sagittarius A*, is thought to be a supermassive black hole.
© 2004 by Lucent Books. Lucent Books is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Lucent Books® and Thomson Learning™ are trademarks used herein under license. For more information, contact Lucent Books 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 Or you can visit our Internet site at http://www.gale.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Nardo, Don, 1947– Black holes / by Don Nardo. p. cm. — (The Lucent library of science and technology) Summary: Discusses the history and current state of scientific understanding of black holes, exploring what they are, how they are formed, potential uses, and what th