Building on a long tradition of effective pedagogy and comprehensive coverage, The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, Sixth Edition provides the most engaging and up-to-date introduction to astronomy for non-science majors.
A cosmic framework establishes a solid foundation of understanding by exploring our place in the universe and how astronomers know what they know, fleshing out these themes throughout the textbook. This approach motivates students to learn and helps them develop both a personal understanding of astronomy and a lasting appreciation of the process of science.
This textbook provides a wealth of features to help enhance student skill building, including new Visual Skills Check end-of-chapter questions that provide an opportunity for students to test their visual interpretation skills, new Cosmic Context Figures that help students synthesize key concepts and processes, and a new comprehensive visual overview of scale to help students explore the scale of time and space.
The Sixth Edition has also been fully updated to include the latest astronomical observations, research, and theoretical developments. The text is supported by the most robust package of instructor ancillaries, and Mastering Astronomy trade; the market-leading online tutorial and homework system, has been updated to include a wealth of new content to help students learn and review more efficiently outside of class.
Table of Contents
I. DEVELOPING PERSPECTIVE
1. Our Place in the Universe
2. Discovering the Universe for Yourself
3. The Science of Astronomy
SI Celestial Time Keeping and Navigation
II. KEY CONCEPTS FOR ASTRONOMY
4. Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity
5. Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos
6. Telescopes: Portals of Discovery
IV. A DEEPER LOOK AT NATURE
S2 Space and Time
S3 Space time and Gravity
S4 Building Blocks of the Universe
V STARS
14. Our Star
15. Surveying the Stars
16. Star Birth
17. Star Stuff
18. The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard
VI. GALAXIES AND BEYOND
19. Our Galaxy
20. Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology
21. Galaxy Evolution
22. Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe
23. The Beginning of Time
VII. LIFE ON EARTH AND BEYOND
24. Life in the Universe