Publisher's Synopsis
What if you could actually travel to the very edge of a black hole′s "event horizon"? What would it look like? How close could you get before you were "sucked in"? If you were, could you ever get back out? You are about to find out.
Take off on a mind–boggling journey to the ultimate frontier of fact–based scientific speculation. Acclaimed author Clifford Pickover′s inventive premise finds you the captain of a spaceship who, along with your first mate, probes the mysteries of the most interesting and elusive objects in the universe. Each chapter poses new questions, calling for further exploration. You′ll conduct a series of fascinating experiments, revealing new insights and information about these great cosmic enigmas. What does the universe look like from the inside of a black hole? Are they really portals to parallel universes and gateways to time travel? From boomerang photons and Fullerene space tunnels, to gravitational blueshift and time dilation, Pickover′s speculative journey through the awesome beauty and mystery of black holes provides rich, stimulating food for thought.
With numerous illustrations including eight pages of dazzling, computer–generated images plus special codes that allow you to create black holes on your own computer, this is an original, fun–filled, and thoroughly unique introduction to the physics of black holes.
Acclaim for BLACK HOLES A Traveler′s Guide
"A fascinating tour of the physics and mathematics of black holes, presented in Clifford Pickover′s inimitable offbeat and always readable style." Ian Stewart author of Does God Play Dice?
"Many books have been written about black holes, but none surpass this one in arousing emotions of awe and wonder towards the mysterious structure of the universe." Martin Gardner
"Pickover provides a wonderfully illustrated explanation of some of the strangest objects in the universe . . . there are marvelous discoveries waiting here for both the novice and the expert." Marc Hairston Hanson Center for Space Sciences
