Includes bibliographical references (page 219) and index.

1. Our universe (Microcosm, macrocosm, and forces of Nature ; The role of gravity ; Dynamical evolution in the universe ; Black holes, singularities, and quantum gravity ; Our trajectory) -- 2. The fabric of spacetime (The force of gravity ; Spacetime continuum ; Einstein's Theory of Relativity ; Physical implications ; Local and global aspects ; Spacetime foam) -- 3. Black holes (Life of a star ; Collapse of massive stars ; A black hole is born ; Gravitational collapse ; The debate on horizon and singularity ; Black hole physics) -- 4. Singularities (The existence ; Can we avoid singularities? ; Causality violations ; Energy conditions and trapped surfaces ; Fundamental challenges) -- 5. Cosmic censorship (What is a naked singularity? ; Censoring the cosmos ; Inhomogeneous dust collapse ; The genericity aspects)

6. Naked singularities (Collapsing a massive star ; Gravitational collapse studies ; Non-spherical collapse ; Numerical simulations ; Event-like and object-like singularities ; Collapse scenarios ; Why a naked singularity forms ; Observational aspects and quantum gravity) -- 7. Cosmic conundrums (Can we reformulate the censorship? ; Are naked singularities stable and generic? ; Structure of naked singularities ; Questions on collapse and singularities) -- 8. Is our universe predictable? (Predictability defined ; Is relativity a predictable theory ? ; Singularities and predictability ; Rabbits popping out of a hat? ; Restoring the predictability) -- 9. A lab for quantum gravity (The quest for quantum gravity ; Need for observational data ; Singularity resolution in quantum gravity ; Naked singularity and quantum gravity ; Quantum stars?) -- 10. The frontiers (Observational frontiers ; Testing censorship using astronomical observations ; Super-Kerr geometries ; Observable signatures of naked singularities ; Distinguishing black holes and naked singularities ; Shockwaves near a singularity? ; Black hole paradoxes ; Infall into a black hole versus naked singularity ; Emerging perspective)

"This book journeys into one of the most fascinating intellectual adventures of recent decades - understanding and exploring the final fate of massive collapsing stars in the universe. The issue is of great interest in fundamental physics and cosmology today, from both the perspective of gravitation theory and of modern astrophysical observations. This is a revolution in the making and may be intimately connected to our search for a unified understanding of the basic forces of nature. According to the general theory of relativity, a massive star that collapses catastrophically under its own gravity when it runs out of its internal nuclear fuel must give rise to a space-time singularity. Such singularities are regions in the universe where all physical quantities take their extreme values and become arbitrarily large. The singularities may be covered within a black hole, or visible to faraway observers in the universe. Thus, the final fate of a collapsing massive star is either a black hole or a visible naked singularity. We discuss here recent results and developments on the gravitational collapse of massive stars and possible observational implications when naked singularities happen in the universe."--Back cover.