Cosmic Catastrophes: Exploding Stars, Black Holes, and Mapping the Universe - Hardcover

Wheeler, J. Craig

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521857147 ISBN 13: 9780521857147

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007

Synopsis

From supernovae and gamma-ray bursts to the accelerating Universe, this is an exploration of the intellectual threads that lead to some of the most exciting ideas in modern astrophysics and cosmology. This fully updated second edition incorporates new material on binary stars, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, worm-holes, quantum gravity and string theory. It covers the origins of stars and their evolution, the mechanisms responsible for supernovae, and their progeny, neutron stars and black holes. It examines the theoretical ideas behind black holes and their manifestation in observational astronomy and presents neutron stars in all their variety known today. This book also covers the physics of the twentieth century, discussing quantum theory and Einstein's gravity, how these two theories collide, and the prospects for their reconciliation in the twenty-first century. This will be essential reading for undergraduate students in astronomy and astrophysics, and an excellent, accessible introduction for a wider audience.

About this title

About the Author

J. Craig Wheeler is Samuel T. and Fern Yanagisawa Regents Professor of Astronomy and Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas Austin. He was elected President of the American Astronomical Society in 2006.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521857147
• ISBN 13: 9780521857147
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 358