Overview

"The mystery of how the galaxies formed is a complex and intriguing subject, involving several different theories and an understanding of many different phenomena. Françoise Combes outlines the context in which the Big Bang and the expansion of the universe occurred and the first `inhomogeneities’ from which arose the early structures of the universe. The author describes how, contrary to our everyday experience, space and time appear to be intimately connected. In astronomy, a telescope is a time machine. We can look today at distant galaxies and, although we describe them in the present tense, we are really seeing them in their youthful stages, now long over. Having outlined the evolution and structure of galaxies, black holes are introduced. What do we know about their origins and growth at the centers of galaxies? The author describes how scientists can observe and draw conclusions about black holes. Scenarios of both ""top down"" and ""bottom up"" galaxy formation are discussed, together with the relationship between red and blue galaxies and dwarf, elliptical, and spheroidal galaxies. The problem of dark matter is then addressed, including its relationship to visible matter and to the structure of the universe on the grand scale, focusing on the success of the Cold Dark Matter model. The author concludes by reviewing problems that remain to be solved and the techniques that might begin to be used to solve these."

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9781441908674

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Reviews

From the reviews: “How do galaxies form and what determines their structure and distribution in the Universe? This book considers these and other difficult questions along with recent observational evidence, the importance of black holes and dark matter. It’s clearly written with the serious student in mind. … the book succeeds in providing a detailed report on our present state of knowledge in this area.” (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, August, 2010) “The formation of galaxies, or more generally cosmic structure, has become a major theme of modern astronomy. … This book will be enormously useful to anyone wanting to know about this field and facing these types of problems. It provides a concise and very readable introduction to the observational facts … . The book is well illustrated and the author and her translator have produced a lucid text. Ideal for students, and an excellent reference for everyone else.” (Andrew King, The Observatory, Vol. 130, October, 2010)

From the reviews: How do galaxies form and what determines their structure and distribution in the Universe? This book considers these and other difficult questions along with recent observational evidence, the importance of black holes and dark matter. It's clearly written with the serious student in mind. ! the book succeeds in providing a detailed report on our present state of knowledge in this area. (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, August, 2010) The formation of galaxies, or more generally cosmic structure, has become a major theme of modern astronomy. ! This book will be enormously useful to anyone wanting to know about this field and facing these types of problems. It provides a concise and very readable introduction to the observational facts ! . The book is well illustrated and the author and her translator have produced a lucid text. Ideal for students, and an excellent reference for everyone else. (Andrew King, The Observatory, Vol. 130, October, 2010)

From the reviews: How do galaxies form and what determines their structure and distribution in the Universe? This book considers these and other difficult questions along with recent observational evidence, the importance of black holes and dark matter. It's clearly written with the serious student in mind. ! the book succeeds in providing a detailed report on our present state of knowledge in this area. (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, August, 2010) The formation of galaxies, or more generally cosmic structure, has become a major theme of modern astronomy. ! This book will be enormously useful to anyone wanting to know about this field and facing these types of problems. It provides a concise and very readable introduction to the observational facts ! . The book is well illustrated and the author and her translator have produced a lucid text. Ideal for students, and an excellent reference for everyone else. (Andrew King, The Observatory, Vol. 130, October, 2010)

From the reviews: How do galaxies form and what determines their structure and distribution in the Universe? This book considers these and other difficult questions along with recent observational evidence, the importance of black holes and dark matter. It's clearly written with the serious student in mind. ... the book succeeds in providing a detailed report on our present state of knowledge in this area. (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, August, 2010) The formation of galaxies, or more generally cosmic structure, has become a major theme of modern astronomy. ... This book will be enormously useful to anyone wanting to know about this field and facing these types of problems. It provides a concise and very readable introduction to the observational facts ... . The book is well illustrated and the author and her translator have produced a lucid text. Ideal for students, and an excellent reference for everyone else. (Andrew King, The Observatory, Vol. 130, October, 2010)

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