Details Regarding Books Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos
| Title | : | Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos |
| Author | : | Caleb Scharf |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 272 pages |
| Published | : | August 7th 2012 by Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux (first published 2012) |
| Categories | : | Science. Physics. Nonfiction. Astronomy. Audiobook. Unfinished. Popular Science |
Caleb Scharf
Hardcover | Pages: 272 pages Rating: 4.04 | 529 Users | 70 Reviews
Commentary To Books Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos
One of The Barnes and Noble Review Editors' Picks: Best Nonfiction of 2012Selected by The Christian Science Monitor as one of "21 smart nonfiction titles we think you'll enjoy this summer"
Selected by The New Scientist as one of 10 books to look out for in 2012
We've long understood black holes to be the points at which the universe as we know it comes to an end. Often billions of times more massive than the Sun, they lurk in the inner sanctum of almost every galaxy of stars in the universe. They're mysterious chasms so destructive and unforgiving that not even light can escape their deadly wrath.
Recent research, however, has led to a cascade of new discoveries that have revealed an entirely different side to black holes. As the astrophysicist Caleb Scharf reveals in Gravity's Engines, these chasms in space-time don't just vacuum up everything that comes near them; they also spit out huge beams and clouds of matter. Black holes blow bubbles.
With clarity and keen intellect, Scharf masterfully explains how these bubbles profoundly rearrange the cosmos around them. Engaging with our deepest questions about the universe, he takes us on an intimate journey through the endlessly colorful place we call our galaxy and reminds us that the Milky Way sits in a special place in the cosmic zoo—a "sweet spot" of properties. Is it coincidental that we find ourselves here at this place and time? Could there be a deeper connection between the nature of black holes and their role in the universe and the phenomenon of life? We are, after all, made of the stuff of stars.
Itemize Books In Favor Of Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos
| ISBN: | 0374114129 (ISBN13: 9780374114121) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos
Ratings: 4.04 From 529 Users | 70 ReviewsWrite-Up Regarding Books Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos
Best explanation of general relativity I've ever read--he avoids the limitations of the oft-used and overly simplistic description of gravity influencing space-time as though t were just two-dimensional.Equal parts history, physics and autobiography, the book is loosely structured but engaging and immensely enjoyable. While his writing is clearly intended for the layman, he never underestimates the intelligence of his audience, using amusingly specific analogies to precisely describe extremelyIf you only read one book on black holes, let this be that book. Scharf has a rare ability to view the universe from the type of wide scope that allows for a fairly complete understanding of how our beautiful cosmos works. Often concepts are isolated. Scharf has a talent to tie things together. There have been some updates from Hawking as of late, concerning the event horizon of black holes. This book goes into glorious detail about what sorts of things occur near a black hole. It is easy to
This author considers black holes to be an important part of the structure of the universe, and builds a convincing case for this. An interesting part of them is their effects from spinning: Conservation of angular momentum cause them to spin in the first place, and their extreme density makes them into incredibly powerful "slingers" that both absorb (or maybe, swallow) things like stars, but also tear them into shreds with big parts being thrown out into space with velocities that are extremely
The first half of this book discusses gravity and Scharf clears up a few points that have been confusing. Does an object free float in space or free fall? Scharf answers this indirectly (this is probably not a question for him) when he writes about an object "falling in the gravity field of a massive object." Does gravity "pull" light, thereby bending it? Again, indirectly, Scharf notes that light has no mass, but "simply follows the shortest path in time and space" toward a massive body. We
I don't see the structure, synthesis and simple language I expect from a science book. It looks to me like an excellent magazine article of 220 pages. Nevertheless the point of view is different from other black hole literature, and the topic very interesting.
An excellent primer, enthusiastic but not overwhelming, and understandable but never simple. Starting with Einstein's explanations of how gravity is just the curvature of spacetime, affecting even light, to the discovery that objects could collapse to be massive and small enough to trap even light within their event horizons, and to recent developments in cosmology and telescopy that fit black holes into the history and geography of our universe. Not sure I understood it all, but I still gained
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