Black Holes: The key to understanding the universe

A brilliant exploration of the most exotic objects in the universe by Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw. Lying at the centre of every galaxy are the strangest objects in the universe: black holes. Of extraordinary density and huge gravitational pull, no matter or even light can escape their grasp. As stars whirl like water in a plug hole around their edge, these mighty phenomena release energy in the form of light, before the stars reach the event horizon and disappear forever. As well as being at the centre of galaxies, black holes are also at the centre of current research in theoretical physics and astrophysics: they are the perfect laboratory where extreme physics takes place. Understanding them remains a holy grail. Black Holes by the world's greatest astrophysics communicator, Professor Brian Cox, and his long-time collaborator Professor Jeff Forshaw is a brilliant exploration of these amazing objects, explaining, among other things, how they are formed and why they continue to confirm that Einstein's theory of general relativity is such a brilliant explanation of the universe around us.