A Black Hole Is Not a Hole - by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano (Paperback)

About the Book

Aspiring astronomers can learn what black holes are, what causes them, how scientists first discovered them, and more in this informative science book that includes space paintings, real telescopic images, funny doodles, and speech bubbles. Full color.

Book Synopsis

A black hole isn't really a hole . . . is it? Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind with this beloved and best-selling science book. Updated with an all-new chapter about the first black-hole image ever!

What are black holes, what causes them, and how the heck did scientists discover them? Acclaimed STEM writer Carolyn DeCristofano's playful text shares how astronomers find black holes, introduces our nearest black-hole neighbors, and provides an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific topic. Gorgeous space paintings supplement real telescopic images, and funny doodles and speech bubbles keep the content light and fun.

Review Quotes

Oh, my stars! As the cover proclaims, a black hole may not be an actual hole, but readers will be glad they fell into this book. The volume guides readers on a (literally) out-of-this-world tour, dealing with topics and concepts that, in the hands of a less-gifted writer, might have remained obscure and unclear. DeCristofano handles the material with wit, style and singularly admirable clarity, frequently employing easy-to-understand and, yes, down-to-earth ideas and scenarios to help make complex principles comprehensible to readers of all ages. Carroll's illustrations, diagrams and charts, along with superb telescopic photographs (many courtesy of NASA) are splendid and filled with the drama and excitement of the limitless vastness of space. The handsome design and visuals greatly enhance the text and add much to readers' grasp of the subject. Stargazers will be entranced, and even those not especially attuned to matters celestial will come away feeling smarter, awestruck and with a sense of finally understanding this fascinating, other-worldly phenomenon. An excellent resource.
Hole-y astronomy!
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Writing with rare verve (A black hole is nothing to look at. Literally.), DeCristofano condenses recent astronomical discoveries into a high energy account of what we know or guess about one of the universe's deepest and most unobservable secrets. Covering the life cycle of stars; the formation of black holes and weird optical and physical effects associated with them; more recent revelations of super-sized black holes at the centers of galaxies; and the general effects of mass on space, light, and matter, she presents a clear, well-rounded picture of the strange structure and stranger physics of black holes. After leading a wild ride over a black hole's event horizon (Right away, you would need a new nickname--something like Stretch . . . .) and explaining theories about gravity from Newton's notions to Einstein's Spacey Ideas, DeCristofano leaves readers to ponder the truth of her claim that a black hole isn't a hole--but NOT exactly NOT a hole either. Enhanced by a time line and a generous set of further resources--and illustrated with plenty of cogent diagrams, space photographs, and Carroll's dramatic images of stellar whirlpools and mammoth jets of gas around cores of impenetrable blackness--this book will snatch readers from their orbits and fling them into a lasting fascination with nature's most attractive phenomena. Literally.
--Booklist, starred review

About the Author

Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano is the author of Leonardo's ABC's, as well as the acclaimed nonfiction middle grade read, A Black Hole Is Not a Hole. Aside from writing for children, Carolyn is also science educator and principal consultant with Blue Heron STEM Education. She has developed science programs with NASA and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. When she's not writing, Carolyn enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and playing games. She lives in Plympton, Massachusetts, with her husband and two cats, Napi and Emilio.

Internationally known artist Michael W. Carroll has been painting astronomical subjects for over twenty years. He helped to found the International Association for the Astronomical Arts (IAAA) in 1984, and his art has appeared in several hundred magazines throughout the world, including Time, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and Astronomy. His paintings have aired on NOVA, COSMOS, and various TV specials, and have embellished albums and numerous books, including works by Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, David Brin, and Terence Dickenson. One of his paintings was flown aboard Russia's MIR space station in 1995. Mike is also a science journalist, with articles appearing in Popular Science, Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, Artists, and Earth magazines. He lives with his wife and kids at the foot of the Rockies in Littleton, Colorado.