Discovering the Universe

About this book

Discovering the Universe is the best-selling text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme - the process of scientific discovery - readers will encounter spectacular sights, landmark experiments, and recent discoveries, while learning to avoid the pitfalls created by common misconceptions about astronomy. Now enhanced with a powerful technology and image projection package, this is the most exciting and effective edition yet. The accompanying CD-ROM features a special student version of the award winning planetarium software Starry Night as well as the universe modelling programme Deep Space Explorer.

Contents

PART I: UNDERSTANDING ASTRONOMY; Discovering the Night Sky; Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets; Light and Telescopes; Visible Light and Other Electromagnetic Radiation; PART II: UNDERSTANDING THE SOLAR SYSTEM; Formation of The Solar System and Other Planetary Systems; Earth and Moon; The Other Terrestrial Planets; The Outer Planets; Vagabonds of the Solar System; The Sun: Our Extraordinary, Ordinary Star; PART III: UNDERSTANDING THE STARS; The Challenge of Characterizing Stars; The Lives of Stars from Birth Through Middle Ages; The Deaths of Stars; Black Holes; PART IV: UNDERSTANDING THE UNIVERSE; The Milky Way Galaxy; Galaxies; Quasars, Active Galaxies, and Gamma-Ray Bursters; Cosmology; The Search for Extraterrestrial Life; Appendix I: Table of Data; Appendix II: Math Foundation

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