Imagine a region in space where the force of gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape. A region with physical conditions so extreme that they have not yet been reproduced in any terrestrial laboratory. A region so dense that an object as tiny as a walnut would have the same mass as our entire planet.
This phenomenon—first formed in the equations of Einstein and popularized in the stories of science-fiction authors—is a black hole: one of the most exotic, mind-boggling, and profound subjects in astrophysics.

Imagine a region in space where the force of gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape. A region with physical conditions so extreme that they have not yet been reproduced in any terrestrial laboratory. A region so dense that an object as tiny as a walnut would have the same mass as our entire planet.
This phenomenon—first formed in the equations of Einstein and popularized in the stories of science-fiction authors—is a black hole: one of the most exotic, mind-boggling, and profound subjects in astrophysics.

What would it feel like if your spaceship were to venture too close to the black hole lurking at the center of the Milky Way? According to astrophysicist Tyson, director of New York City's Hayden Planetarium, size does matter when it comes to black holes, although the chances of your surviving the encounter aren't good in any case.

Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg|ISBN 978-3-540-73477-2
Book Series: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Description : The distribution of elements in the cosmos provides a powerful tool to study the Big Bang, the density of baryonic matter, nucleosynthesis and the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. Covering many exciting topics in astrophysics and cosmology, this textbook, written by a pioneer of the field, provides a lucid and wide-ranging introduction to the interdisciplinary subject of galactic chemical evolution. This updated new edition includes results from recent space missions, including WMAP and FUSE, and new material on abundances from stellar populations, nebular analysis, meteoric isotopic anomalies, and abundance analysis of X-ray gas. Simple derivations for key results are provided, together with problems and helpful solution hints, enabling the student to develop an understanding of results from numerical models and real observations. This book is suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, and also serves as an authoritative overview for researchers and professional scientists.

Well written descriptions; and well thought-out examples are given when needed. I have both volumes and they have been a great resource to me while developing Modelling Software. Multiple Author’s contributions have resulted in a little overlapping, but there was one benefit to this
- seeing adapted forms of the same formula.

I also like the book: “The Cambridge Handbook of Physics Formulas (230 pages)” which is 40 years newer. But have found myself referring this two-volume-set the most recently (totaling 741 pages) because: more fields & cross-fields are covered, great examples, smaller hand-held size, jammed packed prerequisite math formulas & data (153 pages) in first four chapters including: Pre/Post Calculus, Fourier Series, Green Function, Vectors, Tensors, etc. (good brush up - been out of college few years) Also locating a particular formula is quick because of the Large Detailed Split-page Contents at beginning of both volumes (20 pages each) and also helpful - chapter names are printed on both covers.

This book is a collection of lectures given in July 2007 at the Les Houches Summer School on “String Theory and the Real World: From particle physics to astrophysics”.
Provides a pedagogical introduction to topics in String Theory, and Cosmology
Addresses each topic from the basis to the most recent developments
Covers the lectures by internationally-renowned and leading experts.

Publisher: Philip's
Language: English
Number of Pages: 465
PDF: 27.5 MB
ISBN-10: 0540078638
ISBN-13: 978-0540078639

The universe beyond our own has been an object of scientific inquiry and a preoccupation of avid stargazers from antiquity up to the present day, and this preoccupation has evolved into a complex field in which mysteries are unlocked and discoveries are made on a constant basis. The Astronomy Encyclopedia covers the full width and breadth of the discipline and includes the latest and most important advances.

A comprehensive and authoritative A-Z guide to the Universe, with more than 3,000 fully cross-referenced articles on all aspects of astronomy and astrophysics.

It is illustrated with 500 colour photographs and explanatory diagrams, as well as star maps by renowned celestial cartographer Wil Tirion. There are special features on each of the constellations and tables listing brightest stars, nearest stars, Messier objects, Caldwell objects, and surface features of the Moon and terrestrial planets.

Written by more than 100 leading astronomers from the world's universities and observatories, it is comprehensive, authoritative and accessible.
* The best A-Z encyclopedia for enthusiastic sky watchers.
* Over 500 colour photographs, star maps and explanatory diagrams.