Fully updated second edition for undergraduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.

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.

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

ISBN:

9780521857147

Publication date:

January 2007

Length:

230mm

Width:

161mm

Thickness:

21mm

Weight:

699g

Edition:

2nd Edition

Pages:

339

Illustrations:

Illustrated

Readership:

Academic

Illustrated:

Illustrated

'Wheeler's is one of those rare popular science books that leaves readers both thoroughly entertained and considerably more expert than when they began. Written in a lively, jargon-free style, laced with personal anecdotes, this is a hard-to-put-down, deeply satisfying book.' Kitty Ferguson, author of the best-seller, Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything 'The writing style is very informal and the explanations are kept at a general, nonmathematical level ! very informative and well worth reading. It is as up to date as possible on some of the most exciting and cutting-edge topics in astrophysics ! I would feel comfortable using this book as a text in a survey-level astronomy class, and I would also happily recommend it both to amateurs interested in following current topics in astrophysics and to my physicist colleagues.' Sky & Telescope ' ! the explanations in the book are exceptionally clear and accurate ! Many of the topics discussed by Wheeler, such as gamma ray bursts, and the connections between quantum gravity and cosmology, are at the forefront of research ! Wheeler communicates the excitement of astrophysics, while highlighting what is understood but also bringing his readers to the brink of the unknown.' American Journal of Physics