Product Description
Here, one of the world's leading astrophysicists provides the first comprehensive and logically structured overview of the many ideas and discoveries pertaining to the supermassive black hole at the galactic center known as Sagittarius A*. By far the closest galactic nucleus in the universe, Sagittarius A* alone can provide us with a realistic expectation of learning about the physics of strong gravitational fields, and the impact of such fields on the behavior of matter and radiation under severe physical conditions. Its proximity may even provide the opportunity to directly test one of general relativity's most enigmatic predictions--the existence of closed pockets of space-time hidden behind an event horizon.The plethora of research on Sagittarius A* since its discovery in 1974 has long seemed an interwoven pattern of loose threads. No one has successfully synthesized this growing body of work into a manageable, coherent book both for professional researchers and for students taking courses focusing on black holes and galactic nuclei--until now. With Fulvio Melia's The Galactic Supermassive Black Hole, readers finally have at their disposal a one-volume crucible of essential ideas, logically streamlined but with thorough references for those wishing to explore the various topics in greater depth.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 2 reviews)

more of the same by spin_glass (Canberra Australian Capital Territory)

2 Stars
February 25, 2008
I read the previous two books by this author and I must admit to enjoying the first in the series of the subject of our own galactic monster. I had some months prior to reading the book seen the author present a lecture on the topic. To my dismay I found the second of his books a rehash of the first and a waste of money, I would therefore advise caution for those considering purchase of this book. Hawking set a poor precedent in rehashing previous material we, the book buying public don't need this to continue. Caveat Emptor.

Far more than a review by Patty144 (Washington, DC, USA)

5 Stars
April 26, 2007
Melia is well known in the Galactic center community, not only for having worked in this field for almost two decades, but also for having written an excellent, highly cited review article for Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysics. This book takes takes off from that review, but is far, far more than that. Though this field of research is now relatively mature (having started in the early 1970s), no one has yet attempted to write a scientifically meaningful book about it before. Melia's book is therefore the first. Fortunately, it is also exceptionally good. Given how well this black hole is being studied now, there will no doubt be other books to follow, but it will be difficult to maintain this level of excellence. Melia weaves together the history of Sagittarius A* with observations (including breath-taking images), and theory. The book even includes a self-contained chapter on general relativity---at least the parts that are relevant to this object. For someone like me, a young graduate student just getting my feet wet in this field, I couldn't have thought of anything better to start with. I highly recommend it.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

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