| Preface | ||
| Overview | ||
| 1 | "By three methods we may learn wisdom ..." (in which the Reader meets three X-ray satellites) | 3 |
| 2 | "... and know the place for the first time." (in which the Reader learns how to locate celestial sources of X rays) | 12 |
| 3 | "... every solution serves only to sharpen the problem, to show us more clearly what we are up against ..." (in which the Reader sharpens those locations) | 37 |
| 4 | "Sometimes you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right." (in which the Reader learns about brightness and luminosity) | 59 |
| 5 | Veritatem dies apertit. (Time discovers the truth.) (in which the Reader sees the importance of arrival times) | 76 |
| 6 | "... a spectrum is worth a thousand pictures." (in which the Reader encounters spectroscopy) | 92 |
| 7 | "We're all nothing but unified arrangements of atoms ..." (in which the Reader learns how spectroscopy connects to atoms) | 114 |
| 8 | "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver ..." (in which the Reader receives a summary of X-ray astronomy) | 129 |
| 9 | "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice ..." (in which the Reader learns about costs and choices) | 143 |
| 10 | "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." (in which the Reader gets a glimpse of future satellites) | 154 |
| Notes | 165 | |
| Bibliography | 191 | |
| Suggested Readings | 197 | |
| Index | 199 |
Overview
Carl Sagan once noted that there is only one generation that gets to see things for the first time. We are in the midst of such a time right now, standing on the threshold of discovery in the young and remarkable field of X-ray astronomy. In The Restless Universe, astronomer Eric Schlegel offers readers an informative survey of this cutting-edge science.
Two major space observatories launched in the last few years--NASA's Chandra and the European Newton--are now orbiting the ...