"The Virtue of Heresy - Confessions of a Dissident Astronomer" is a narrative account of the 30-year struggle by the author to put the "physical" back into "physics". With sporadic assistance from a fictional alter-ego character named Haquar, the author traces the history of astronomy and physics to the point of their confluence with meta-mathematics. From there on, the fundamental hypotheses of cosmology, and indeed of physical science generally, became increasingly detached from observed reality and more like psychedelic mind games than works of empirical science. Hilton Ratcliffe guilelessly confronts these issues head-on, spicing the tale with humour and fascinating anecdotes of his association with some of the finest scientific minds of our era. His passion for true science and child-like awe at the wonders of the Universe are infused in every line. A classic.

In recent years, the study of neutron stars and black holes has become increasingly important, and rigorous mathematical analysis needs to be applied in order to understand their basic physics. This book treats the classical problem of gravitational physics within Einstein's theory of general relativity. It presents basic principles and equations needed to describe rotating fluid bodies, as well as black holes in equilibrium. It then goes on to deal with a number of analytically tractable limiting cases, placing particular emphasis on the rigidly rotating disc of dust. The book concludes by considering the general case using powerful numerical methods that are applied to various models, including the classical example of equilibrium figures of constant density. Researchers in general relativity, mathematical physics, and astrophysics will find this a valuable reference book on the topic. A related website containing codes for calculating various figures of equilibrium is available at www.cambridge.org/9780521863834.

There is a crisis in modern science that few theorists are willing to confront. In The Virtue of Heresy: Confessions of a Dissident Astronomer, renowned physicist and astronomer Hilton Ratcliffe, founding member of the Alternative Cosmology Group and co-discoverer of the CNO nuclear fusion cycle on the Sun’s surface, delivers to science aficionados his straightforward and highly compelling explanation of, and challenge to, many widely-held scientific beliefs that fall apart under scrutiny.

Ratcliffe not only points out the fallacy of commonly held beliefs often promoted by the global scientific community, but, through a close (and sometimes humorous) examination of theoretical physics, presents a convincing argument for alternative theory. The heresy of which he writes—that is, our unwillingness to accept at face value all that is spooned to us by ‘the experts’—is presented not as a liability, but as a virtue essential to the progress of scientific thought.