  If a point mass moves through a uniform gas cloud, at what rate does it
accrete material? This is the question studied by Bondi, Hoyle and Lyttleton.
This paper draws together the work performed in this area since the problem was
first studied. Time has shown that, despite the simplifications made, Bondi,
Hoyle and Lyttleton made quite accurate predictions for the accretion rate.
Bondi--Hoyle--Lyttleton accretion has found application in many fields of
astronomy, and these are also discussed.
