Astronomy Today Volume 1 : The Solar System

by Chaisson, Eric; McMillan, Steve

• ISBN13: 9780321718624
• ISBN10: 0321718623
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-09
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley

Summary

WithAstronomy Today, Seventh Edition,trusted authors Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan communicate their excitement about astronomy and awaken you to the universe around you. The text emphasizes critical thinking and visualization, and it focuses on the process of scientific discovery, making "how we know what we know" an integral part of the text. The revised edition has been thoroughly updated with the latest astronomical discoveries and theories, and it has been streamlined to keep you focused on the essentials and to develop an understanding of the "big picture." Astronomy Today Volume 1: The Solar Systemfocuses primarily on planetary coverage for a 1-term course and Includes Chapters 1-16, 28 of the main text. Other Alternate Version: Astronomy Today, Volume 2: Stars and Galaxies, Seventh EditionFocuses primarily on stars and stellar evolution for a 1-term course. Includes Chapters 1-5 and 16-28.

Author Biography

Eric Chaisson received his Ph.D. from and taught at Harvard for a number of years in Astrophysics. He is now associated with Tufts and Harvard. Eric has written nine books and received a number of literary awards along the way. Steve McMillan, a former Ph.D. candidate of Eric Chaisson’s, is a professor of Physics at Drexel University.

Table of Contents

 

1. Charting the Heavens: The Foundations of Astronomy

2. The Copernican Revolution: The Birth of Modern Science

3. Radiation: Information from the Cosmos

4. Spectroscopy: The Inner Workings of Atoms

5. Telescopes: The Tools of Astronomy

6. The Solar System: An Introduction to Comparative Planetology

7. Earth: Our Home in Space

8. The Moon and Mercury: Scorched and Battered Worlds

9. Venus: Earth’s Sister Planet

10. Mars: A Near Miss for Life?

11. Jupiter: Giant of the Solar System

12. Saturn: Spectacular Rings and Mysterious Moons

13. Uranus and Neptune: The Outer Worlds of the Solar System

14. Solar System Debris: Keys to Our Origin

15. The Formation of Planetary Systems: The Solar System and Beyond

16. The Sun: Our Parent Star

28. Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?