Astrophysical Formulae: Space, Time, Matter and Cosmology

by Lang, Kenneth R.

• ISBN13: 9783540646648
• ISBN10: 3540646647
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-07-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

This volume is a reference source of fundamental formulae in physics and astrophysics. In contrast to most of the usual compendia it carefully explains the physical assumptions entering the formulae. All the important results of physical theories are covered: electrodynamics, hydrodynamics, general relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, and so on. Over 2100 formulae are included, and the original papers for the formulae are cited together with papers on modern applications in a bibliography of over 1900 entries. For this new edition, a chapter on space, time, matter and cosmology has been included and the other chapters have been carefully revised.

Table of Contents

Space, Time, Matter, and Cosmology	1	(319)
Position	1	(23)
Location on the Earth's Surface	1	(6)
The Celestial Sphere and Astronomical Coordinates	7	(6)
Transformation of Astronomical Coordinates	13	(2)
Precession, Nutation, Aberration, and Refraction	15	(9)
Distance and Luminosity	24	(45)
Distance of the Sun, Moon, and Planets	24	(2)
Distance to the Nearby Stars-Trigonometric Parallax	26	(2)
Distance to the Nearby Stars-Stellar Motions	28	(1)
Apparent and Absolute Luminosity	29	(8)
Absolute Luminosity of Variable Stars	37	(5)
Kinematic Distance and Galactic Structure	42	(5)
Luminosity, Distance, Luminosity Function, and Mass Density of Galaxies	47	(11)
The Hubble Constant and the Expanding Universe	58	(8)
Extragalactic Distances and Cosmological Models	66	(3)
Time	69	(45)
International Atomic Time (TAI)	69	(1)
Dynamical Time	69	(1)
Julian Date, Tropical Year, Synodic Month, and Calendars	70	(3)
Sidereal Time (ST), or Star Time	73	(1)
Universal Time (UT), or Sun Time, Time Zones and the Equation of Time	74	(4)
Variation in the Earth's Rotation	78	(2)
Relations Between Sidereal Time and Universal Time	80	(2)
Age of the Earth, Moon, and Meteorites	82	(3)
Age of the Sun, Stars, and Star Clusters	85	(17)
Nucleochronology and the Age of Our Galaxy	102	(5)
Approximate Expansion Age of the Universe	107	(2)
Expansion Age from Cosmological Models	109	(5)
Mass	114	(31)
Inertial Mass, Gravitational Mass and the Newtonian Gravitational Constant	114	(2)
Mass of the Sun, Earth, Moon, and Planets	116	(2)
Mass and Mass Loss of Stars	118	(5)
Mass of Galaxies-Light Emitting Regions	123	(2)
Mass of Galaxies-Beyond the Luminous Boundaries	125	(11)
Dark Matter	136	(9)
Relativity and Its Consequences	145	(40)
Formulae of General Relativity	145	(4)
Tests of the Special and General Theories of Relativity	149	(20)
Gravitational Radiation	169	(9)
Gravitational Lenses	178	(7)
Compact Objects and Accretion Power	185	(43)
White Dwarf Stars, Neutron Stars, Pulsars, X-ray Binaries, and Accretion	185	(12)
Black Holes-Theory and Observation	197	(17)
Radio Galaxies, Quasars, Superluminal Motions, Active Galactic Nuclei, Supermassive Black Holes, and Galactic Micro-Quasars	214	(14)
Big Bang Cosmology	228	(91)
The Homogeneous and Isotropic Universes	228	(6)
The Inflation Scenario	234	(6)
Classical Tests of Cosmological Models	240	(9)
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Baryon Density of the Universe	249	(20)
The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation	269	(8)
The Shape, Structure, Contnet, and Formation of the Universe	277	(1)
Distribution of Galaxies in Space and Time	277	(12)
Large-Scale Peculiar Motions of the Galaxies	289	(8)
Ripples in the Background Radiation	297	(5)
Formation of Structure in the Universe	302	(8)
Using Invisible Matter to Force Formation	310	(9)
References Volume II	319	(76)
Author Index Volume II	395	(14)
Subject Index Volume II	409