TY - BOOK ID - 77871199 TI - The edge of infinity : supermassive black holes in the universe PY - 2003 SN - 1107159059 1281112887 9786611112882 1139130412 0511337744 0511337205 0511336551 0511536364 0511338309 9780511338304 9780511337208 9780521814058 0521814057 9780511536366 0521814057 9781281112880 9781107159051 661111288X 9781139130417 9780511337741 9780511336553 PB - Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Black holes (Astronomy) KW - Frozen stars KW - Compact objects (Astronomy) KW - Gravitational collapse KW - Stars UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:77871199 AB - In the past, they were recognized as the most destructive force in nature. Now, following a cascade of astonishing discoveries, supermassive black holes have undergone a dramatic shift in paradigm. Astronomers are finding out that these objects may have been critical to the formation of structure in the early universe, spawning bursts of star formation, planets, and even life itself. They may have contributed as much as half of all the radiation produced after the Big Bang, and as many as 200 million of them may now be lurking through the vast expanses of the observable cosmos. In this elegant, non-technical account, Melia conveys for the general reader the excitement generated by the quest to expose what these giant distortions in the fabric of space and time have to say about our origin and ultimate destiny. ER -