Tag Archives: Astrophysics

My books (1) : Black holes

Until now I published as an author 30 books in my native language (French), including 14 science essays, 7 historical novels  and 9 poetry collections (for the interested reader, visit my French blog  here.
Although my various books have been translated in 14 languages (including Chinese, Korean, Bengali…), only 4 of my essays have been translated in English.

The first one was :

Black Holes

312 pages – Cambridge University Press, 1992 – ISBN 0 521 40029 5 (hardback) – ISBN 0 521 40906 3 (paperback) – Foreword by Joseph Silk.

black-holesBlack holes are the most fascinating discovery of modern astronomy. They have already become legendary, and form the basis of many myths and fantasies. Are they really the monsters of science fiction which devour light and stars? Are they purely hypothetical objects from the theory of relativity or are they an observable reality?
In answering these questions, the author takes us on a fabulous voyage through space and time. He explains how stars are born, light up and die. He takes us into the strange world of supernovae, X-ray stars and quasars. We travel on a journey to the very edge of the universe and to the limits on contemporary physics.
The amount of information conveyed is impressive. The intended audience is readers with some understanding of physics who are seeking a coherent, accurate nonmathematical overview of black-hole physics and all the astronomical situations that the discipline seems to explain. Also, any student embarking on a serious technical study of general relativity or astrophysics will find the book a first-rate overview of an important part of the story. (…) This is an outstanding work of scientific exposition.” — John Barrow, Nature Continue reading