Publisher's Synopsis
The current observational knowledge of the background radiation of X-rays in the universe is reviewed in this book. The most relevant features of the X-ray background, discovered 30 years ago, are covered in detail. The contributions of the most recent space missions, including Ginga, Rosat, and the Astro-1 Shuttle flight are included. The topics covered embrace the spectrum of the radiation, isotropy on all angular scales, and possible sources such as active galactic nuclei and clusters of galaxies. The material is presented as review chapters by experts. The book is, consequently, a comprehensive introduction to the astronomy of the X-ray background radiation.
