Supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are the strongest explosions in the Universe. Observations show that, rather than being symmetrical, they are driven by strong jets of energy and …
The chemical composition of the Universe has evolved over billions of years. A host of astrophysical processes and observations must be understood in order to explain why celestial …
Observations of distant supernovae have recently provided startling evidence that the expansion of the Universe may be accelerating, rather than decelerating. If this result is …
Understanding the formation of objects at all scales in the universe, from galaxy clusters to stars and planets, is a major problem in modern astrophysics, and one of the most …
Due to the advent of a new generation of detectors, X-ray polarimetry promises to join X-ray imaging, spectroscopy and timing as one of the main observational techniques in high …
During the past decade, convincing evidence has been accumulated concerning the effect of active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity on the internal and external environment of their …
With the advent of large, ground-based telescopes and space telescopes, it is now possible to study in detail stars outside our galaxy - in neighbouring galaxies in the so-called …
Metal-rich stars accumulate their metals from previous generations of stars, and so contain the history of their galaxy. By studying these stars we can gain valuable insights into …
What is the Universe made of? How old is it? How does a supernova explode? Can we detect black holes? And where do cosmic rays originate? This volume provides a comprehensive and …
