Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance / Edition 1

by Eric Chaisson

Overview

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A modular and highly visual approach to introductory astronomy

Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance takes students on a spectacular journey across the vast cosmos. The Universe at a Glance introduces the structure and nature of the universe while emphasizing both the latest scientific findings and the process of scientific discovery. This new book by trusted authors Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan reimagines their classic texts in a modularly organized, visual approach to learning. Here, the essential ideas, concepts, and discoveries of contemporary astronomy are presented in 15 chapters, each chapter composed of richly illustrated, two-page spreads designed to visually engage and instruct students.

Complete with spectacular graphics and concise, compelling chapters, The Universe at a Glance packs an immense amount of awe-inspiring insights into a brief modular volume. Uniting engaging prose, fascinating details, and easy-to-follow Learning Outcomes, this accessible account of astronomy is flexible and fun, an ideal complement to a dynamic introductory course. The text is integrated with MasteringAstronomy to create an unrivalled learning suite for students and instructors.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900321799769
Publisher:	Pearson
Publication date:	01/07/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Eric Chaisson holds a doctorate in astrophysics from Harvard University, where he spent 10 years on the faculty of Arts and Sciences. For more than two decades thereafter, he served on the senior science staff at the Space Telescope Science Institute and held various professorships at Johns Hopkins and Tufts universities. He is now back at Harvard, where he teaches and conducts research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Eric has written 12 books on astronomy and has published nearly 200 scientific papers in professional journals.

Steve McMillan holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge University and a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University, where he continued his research in theoretical astrophysics, star clusters, and high-performance computing. Steve is currently Distinguished Professor of Physics at Drexel University and a frequent visiting researcher at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study and Leiden University. He has published more than 100 articles and scientific papers in professional journals.

Table of Contents

About the Authors

Preface

1. The Night Sky 

1.1 The Big Picture

1.2 The “Obvious” View

1.3 Earth’s Orbital Motion

1.4 The Motion of the Moon

1.5 Eclipses

1.6 The Scientific Method

2. Light and Telescopes 

2.1 Radiation

2.2 The Electromagnetic Spectrum

2.3 The Radiation Laws

2.4 Spectroscopy

2.5 Atoms and Molecules

2.6 Optical Telescopes

2.7 Radio Telescopes

2.8 Space-Based Astronomy

3. The Solar System

3.1 Planetary Motion

3.2 Heliocentric Solar System

3.3 The Birth of Modern Astronomy

3.4 The Laws of Planetary Motion

3.5 Newton’s Laws

3.6 Measuring Our Planetary System

3.7 Solar System Overview

4. Earth And Its Moon 

4.1 Bulk Properties of Earth and the Moon

4.2 The Moon and Tides

4.3 Inside Earth and the Moon

4.4 Earth’s Atmosphere

4.5 Surface Activity on Earth

4.6 The Surface of the Moon

4.7 Magnetospheres

5. The Eight Planets 

5.1 Surfaces of the Terrestrial Planets

5.2 Water on the Terrestrial Worlds

5.3 Terrestrial Atmospheres

5.4 Jovian Atmospheres

5.5 Water in the Outer Solar System

5.6 Planetary Interiors

5.7 Jovian Magnetic Fields

6. Small Bodies In The Solar System

6.1 The Galilean Moons of Jupiter

6.2 Io: A Moon of Volcanoes

6.3 Moons of the Outer Jovian Planets

6.4 The Medium-Size Jovian Moons

6.5 Saturn’s Rings

6.6 Formation of Planetary Rings

6.7 Interplanetary Debris

6.8 Beyond Neptune

7. Formation of Planetary Systems

7.1 Formation of Planetary Systems

7.2 Planetesimals and Protoplanets

7.3 Formation of the Jovian Planets

7.4 Searching for Extrasolar Planets

7.5 Exoplanet Properties

7.6 Is Our Solar System Unusual?

8. The Sun 

8.1 Properties of the Sun

8.2 The Solar Interior

8.3 Energy Transport in the Sun

8.4 The Solar Atmosphere

8.5 Sunspots

8.6 The Active Sun

8.7 Solar Energy

8.8 Solar Neutrinos

9. Measuring The Stars

9.1 The Solar Neighborhood

9.2 Stellar Luminosities

9.3 Stellar Temperatures

9.4 Stellar Sizes

9.5 The Hertzsprung—Russell Diagram

9.6 Extending the Cosmic Distance Scale

9.7 Stellar Masses

10. Star Formation and Evolution 

10.1 Interstellar Matter

10.2 Theory of Star Formation

10.3 Observations of Star Formation

10.4 Evolution of a Sun-like Star

10.5 Red Giants, White Dwarfs

10.6 Stars More Massive than the Sun

10.7 Star Clusters

11. Stellar Explosions

11.1 Novae

11.2 Supernovae

11.3 Supernova Remnants

11.4 Formation of the Heaviest Elements

11.5 Neutron Stars and Pulsars

11.6 Gamma-Ray Bursts

11.7 The Cycle of Stellar Evolution

12. Black Holes 

12.1 Gravitational Collapse

12.2 Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

12.3 A New View of Gravity

12.4 Curved Spacetime

12.5 Space Travel Near Black Holes 212

12.6 Observational Evidence for Black Holes

13. The Milky Way Galaxy

13.1 Our Parent Galaxy

13.2 The Size and Shape of the Milky Way

13.3 Surveying the Milky Way

13.4 Formation of the Milky Way

13.5 Galactic Spiral Arms

13.6 The Mass of the Galaxy

13.7 The Galactic Center

14. Galaxies 

14.1 Observations of Normal Galaxies

14.2 Maps of Galaxies in Space

14.3 Galaxy Collisions

14.4 Hubble’s Law

14.5 Active Galaxies

14.6 Supermassive Black Holes

14.7 Dark Matter

14.8 Galaxy Origin and Evolution

15. Cosmology and The Universe 

15.1 The Universe on the Largest Scales

15.2 The Expanding Universe

15.3 The Fate of the Cosmos

15.4 Cosmic Microwave Background

15.5 The Early Universe

15.6 Cosmic Inflation

15.7 Formation of Large-Scale Structure

Appendices

Appendix 1. Scientific Notation

Appendix 2. Astronomical Measurement

Appendix 3. Tables

Glossary

Answers to End-of-Chapter Questions

Answers to True/False and Multiple Choice Questions

Photo Credits/Text Permissions

Index