An Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics / Edition 1 available in Hardcover
An Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics / Edition 1
- ISBN-10:
- 1439885907
- ISBN-13:
- 9781439885901
- Pub. Date:
- 04/07/2015
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
- ISBN-10:
- 1439885907
- ISBN-13:
- 9781439885901
- Pub. Date:
- 04/07/2015
- Publisher:
- Taylor & Francis
An Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics / Edition 1
Hardcover
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$115.00Overview
This undergraduate-level textbook addresses key physics concepts relevant to stellar observations, including radiation, electromagnetic spectrum, photometry, continuous and discrete spectrum, and spectral lines. It describes instruments used for astronomical observations as well as how the radiation received is characterized and interpreted. The book also examines the structure of stars, the basic equations which explain stars in equilibrium, and the fusion reactions occurring in stellar cores. Plus, it discusses the evolution of stars, the solar system, the dynamics of galaxies, and the fundamentals of modern cosmology.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781439885901 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
| Publication date: | 04/07/2015 |
| Pages: | 366 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
Pankaj Jain obtained his doctoral degree from Syracuse University, New York, USA. He subsequently carried out postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA; West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA; University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA; and University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA. Dr. Jain is currently a professor in the Physics Department at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is a theoretical physicist, whose chief interests are in high energy physics and cosmology. Presently, he is working on the models of dark energy and dark matter, cosmic microwave background radiation, observational tests of the cosmological principle, fundamental symmetries of nature, ultra-high energy cosmic rays, and strong interactions.
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Overview 1
1.2 Scales and Dimensions 2
1.3 Night Sky 5
1.4 Constellations 8
1.5 Earth, Sun, and the Solar System 11
1.5.1 Retrograde Motion of Planets 12
1.6 Sidereal Time 13
1.7 Astronomical Catalogs and Software 15
2 Observations 17
2.1 Electromagnetic Waves 18
2.2 Electromagnetic Spectrum 20
2.3 Telescopes 23
2.3.1 Refractor Telescope 24
2.3.2 Reflecting Telescope 27
2.4 Observations at Visible Frequencies 29
2.4.1 Theoretical Limit on Resolution 31
2.4.2 Seeing 32
2.5 Mounting of Telescope 33
2.5.1 Equatorial Mount 33
2.5.2 Azimuthal Mount 33
2.6 Interferometry 33
2.7 Observations at Other Wavelengths 34
3 Astrometry 37
3.1 Coordinate Systems 41
3.1.1 The Horizontal System 42
3.1.2 Equatorial Coordinate System 43
3.1.3 Ecliptic System 44
3.1.4 Galactic Coordinate System 44
3.1.5 Supergalactic Coordinate System 44
3.2 Space Velocity and Proper Motion of Stars 44
3.2.1 Doppler Effect 46
3.3 Parallax 47
3.4 Aberration 50
3.5 Coordinate Transformations 51
3.5.1 Transformation between Equatorial and Ecliptic Coordinate Systems 54
3.5.2 Precession of Equinoxes 55
3.5.3 Equatorial Mounting of a Telescope 56
4 Photometry 59
4.1 Introduction 59
4.2 Flux Density and Intensity 61
4.3 Blackbody Radiation 66
4.4 Energy Density in an Isotropic Radiation Field 70
4.5 Magnitude Scale 71
4.5.1 Apparent Magnitude 72
4.5.2 Absolute Magnitude 73
4.5.3 The Color Index 74
4.5.4 Bolometric Magnitude 74
4.6 Stellar Temperatures 75
4.6.1 Effective Temperature 75
4.6.2 Color Temperature 75
4.7 Appendix: Solid Angle 77
5 Gravitation and Kepler's Laws 81
5.1 Two-Body Problem 82
5.2 Application to Solar System 85
5.3 Virial Theorem 86
5.4 Tidal Forces and Roche Limit 88
6 Stars, Stellar Spectra, and Classification 93
6.1 Introduction 93
6.2 Stellar Spectra 96
6.3 Harvard Classification of Stellar Spectra 99
6.4 Saha Equation 101
6.5 Derivation of the Saha Equation 105
6.5.1 Number of States of a Free Particle in a Box 108
6.6 HR Diagram 109
6.7 Star Clusters and Associations 112
6.8 Distance and Age Determination of Clusters Using Color-Magnitude Diagram 113
7 Radiation from Astronomical Sources 117
7.1 Continuous Spectra 118
7.1.1 Synchrotron Radiation 118
7.1.2 Bremsstrahlung 121
7.1.3 Compton Scattering 122
7.1.4 Bound-Free Transitions 123
7.2 Absorption and Emission Line Spectrum 124
7.2.1 Radial Velocity Due to Doppler Effect 128
7.2.2 Causes of Finite Width of Spectral Lines 129
7.3 Molecular Band Spectra 129
7.4 Extinction 131
7.4.1 Extinction Coefficient 135
7.4.2 Color Excess 136
8 Stellar Structure 139
8.1 Pressure Gradient 140
8.2 Mass Distribution 143
8.3 Energy Production 143
8.4 Temperature Gradient 144
8.4.1 Radiative Transport 144
8.4.2 Convective Transport 146
8.5 Boundary Conditions 148
8.6 Rosscland Mean Opacity 149
8.7 Equation of State 152
8.7.1 Ideal Gas Law 153
8.7.1.1 Derivation of the Ideal Gas Law 154
8.7.1.2 Radiation Pressure 158
8.8 Energy Production in Stars 159
8.9 Appendix: Maxwell-Boltzmami Distribution 161
9 Stellar Nuclear Reactions 165
9.1 Fundamental Interactions 166
9.2 Fundamental Particles 167
9.3 A Brief Introduction to Neutrinos 168
9.4 PP Chain 169
9.5 Nuclear Reaction Rate 170
9.5.1 Nuclear Reaction Rate: Derivation 175
9.5.2 Nuclear Cross Section 177
9.5.3 Estimating the Nuclear Reaction Rate 177
9.6 Energy Released in Nuclear Reactions 181
9.7 Standard Solar Model 186
10 Star Formation and Stellar Evolution 189
10.1 Early Stage of Star Formation 190
10.1.1 Fragmentation 192
10.2 Evolution on the Main Sequence 193
10.3 Degenerate Free Electron Gas 194
10.4 Evolution beyond the Main Sequence 196
10.5 Population I and II Stars 198
10.6 White Dwarfs 199
10.7 Neutron Star 200
10.8 Black Holes 202
10.9 Supernova 204
11 The Sun 207
11.1 Solar Atmosphere 208
11.1.1 Photosphere 208
11.1.2 Chromosphere 210
11.1.3 Corona 211
11.2 Dynamo Mechanism for Magnetic Field Enhancement 214
11.3 Sunspots and the Solar Cycle 216
11.4 Some Transient Phenomena 220
12 The Solar System 223
12.1 Orbital Properties of Planets 224
12.2 Retrograde Motion of Planets 226
12.3 Albedo and Temperature of Planets 230
12.4 Terrestrial Planets: Interior Structure 232
12.5 Jovian Planets 236
12.6 The Moon 238
12.6.1 Eclipses and Occupations 240
12.7 Why Did Pluto Lose Its Planctship? 241
12.8 Formation of the Solar System 242
13 Binary Stars 247
13.1 Kinematics of a Binary Star System 247
13.2 Classification of Binary Stars 250
13.3 Mass Determination 254
13.4 Mass Transfer in Binary Systems 257
14 The Milky Way 265
14.1 The Distance Ladder 266
14.2 Distribution of Matter in the Milky Way 270
14.3 Differential Rotation of the Milky Way 273
14.4 Mapping the Galactic Disk with Radio Waves 276
14.5 Formation of the Spiral Arms 279
15 Galaxies 283
15.1 Elliptical Galaxies 286
15.2 Spiral Galaxies 289
15.3 Evidence for Dark Matter 292
15.4 Galaxy Clusters 293
16 Cosmology 295
16.1 Euclidean Space 296
16.2 Curved Space 296
16.3 Minkowski Space-Time 298
16.4 Big Bang Cosmology 299
16.4.1 Cosmological Redshift and Hubble's Law 299
16.4.2 FRW Line Element 301
16.4.3 Matter and Radiation 303
16.4.4 Cosmological Evolution Equations 305
16.4.5 Accelerating Universe and Dark Energy 306
16.5 The Early Universe 311
16.5.1 Primordial Nucleosynthesis 315
16.5.2 Recombination 320
16.5.3 Structure Formation 321
16.5.4 Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) 322
17 Active Galaxies 325
17.1 Introduction 325
17.2 Active Galactic Nuclei: Some Basic Properties 326
17.2.1 Size of AGNs 328
17.2.2 Luminosity 329
17.2.3 Superluminal Motion 330
17.3 Classification of Active Galaxies 331
17.3.1 Seyfert Galaxies 331
17.3.2 Radio Galaxies 332
17.3.3 Quasars 334
17.3.4 Blazars 336
17.4 Unified Model of AGNs 336
Appendix: Fundamental Constants and Conversion of Units 339
References 341
Index 343