Galactic Astronomy (Princeton Series in Astrophysics)

Galactic Astronomy (Princeton Series in Astrophysics) (Paperback)
~ James Binney (Author), Michael Merrifield (Author)

This is the definitive treatment of the phenomenology of galaxies--a clear and comprehensive volume that takes full account of the extraordinary recent advances in the field. The book supersedes the classic text Galactic Astronomy that James Binney wrote with Dimitri Mihalas, and complements Galactic Dynamics by Binney and Scott Tremaine. It will be invaluable to researchers and is accessible to any student who has a background in undergraduate physics.

The book draws on observations both of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and of external galaxies. The two sources are complementary, since the former tends to be highly detailed but difficult to interpret, while the latter is typically poorer in quality but conceptually simpler to understand. Binney and Merrifield introduce all astronomical concepts necessary to understand the properties of galaxies, including coordinate systems, magnitudes and colors, the phenomenology of stars, the theory of stellar and chemical evolution, and the measurement of astronomical distances. The book's core covers the phenomenology of external galaxies, star clusters in the Milky Way, the interstellar media of external galaxies, gas in the Milky Way, the structure and kinematics of the stellar components of the Milky Way, and the kinematics of external galaxies.

Throughout, the book emphasizes the observational basis for current understanding of galactic astronomy, with references to the original literature. Offering both new information and a comprehensive view of its subject, it will be an indispensable source for professionals, as well as for graduate students and advanced undergraduates.

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Horizons of Cosmology (Templeton Science and Religion Series)

Horizons of Cosmology (Templeton Science and Religion Series) (Paperback)
~ Joseph Silk (Author)

“If you want to plunge into the complex and intriguing issues that engage modern cosmologists, rather than skim the surface of easy description, take this journey with Joseph Silk, who will lead you on a tour through dark matter, dark energy, black holes, galaxy formation, and the inflating and accelerating universe. Professor Silk, who knows these topics intimately from his long research career, does not hesitate to take his readers to the heart of the matter, allowing full comprehension to those who travel with him.” —Donald Goldsmith, coauthor of the script and companion volume for the PBS television programFour Hundred Years of the Telescope Horizons of Cosmology: Exploring Worlds Seen and Unseenis the fourth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, highly esteemed astrophysicist Joseph Silk explores the vast mysteries and speculations of the field of cosmology. Joseph Silkis a professor at Oxford University. He has written six popular books on cosmology, includingThe Big Bang,A Short History of the Universe, andThe Infinite Cosmos. His research specialties include dark matter, the formation of the galaxies and the big bang theory. He previously taught at the University of California at Berkeley. He has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and honorary degrees from the University of Rome and the école Normale Supérieure de Lyon. He is an honorary member of the French Physical Society and is a fellow of the Royal Society, the Institute of Physics, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Physical Society.

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Other Worlds: The Solar System And Beyond

Other Worlds: The Solar System And Beyond (Hardcover)
~ James Trefil (Author), David Levy (Foreword)

Recently there's been a run of coffee-table books combining elegant astronomical photographs with brief, friendly exegeses of the science behind them (e.g., Ken Croswell's Magnificent Universe, Forecasts, Sept. 6). But for adults and young people who enjoy brilliant, striking imagesAhere, of lunar craters, of Neptune's Great Dark Spot, of distant galaxies, of mysterious, color-coded gas cloudsAthe more space photos the better, and this collection furnishes plenty of splendid ones. Trefil (The Moment of Creation), a professor of physics at George Mason University, does a fine job of making available to readers what astronomers know about Saturn, supernovas and so on, while finding room for colorful tidbits: Uranus's slim rings, for example, "reflect light about as poorly as charcoal," and circle that giant planet in just eight hours. Astronomy students use a cute mnemonic ("O Be a Fine Guy, Kiss Me") for the seven-letter codes that denote a star's brightness, from O (quite hot) to M (cool, for a star). Each planet (Earth included) gets its own photos and its own prose; other topics include the sun, the moon, "The Birth of the Solar System," quasars, black holes and SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). The photographs themselves, many of them color-enhanced, are stunning. Stars in the Sagittarius cluster gleam like gems from a decadent tiara; a planetary nebula called the Egg looks more like a purple-winged tropical bird, while the Antennae galaxies in collision lend themselves to a magnificent two-page spread of lavender and taupe, white, gold and amethyst. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration)

In Search of Dark Matter (Springer Praxis Books / Space Exploration) [Paperback]
Ken Freeman (Author), Geoff McNamara (Author)

The dark matter problem is one of the most fundamental and profoundly difficult problems in the history of science. Not knowing what makes up most of the mass in the Universe goes to the heart of our understanding of the Universe and our place in it. In Search of Dark Matter is the story of the emergence of the dark matter problem, from the initial 'discovery' of dark matter by Jan Oort to contemporary explanations for the nature of dark matter and its role in the origin and evolution of the Universe.

Written for the intelligent non-scientist and scientist alike, it spans a variety of scientific disciplines, from observational astronomy to particle physics. Concepts that the reader will encounter along the way are at the cutting edge of scientific research. However the themes are explained in such a way that no prior understanding of science beyond a high school education is necessary.

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Space Odyssey: Voyaging Through the Cosmos

Space Odyssey: Voyaging Through the Cosmos (Hardcover)
~ William Harwood (Author)

Space Odyssey has two foci: cosmology and the space program. It sums up current knowledge: what's out there, where it came from, and where it's going. It traces the origin and development of the universe as we know it today, and explores how the space program hopes to solve remaining mysteries of the cosmos, in the coming decade and throughout the next century.

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