Discovering the Essential Universe

by Comins, Neil F.

• ISBN13: 9780716745952
• ISBN10: 071674595X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-13
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman

Summary

Based on the most recent edition ofDiscovering the Universe(2006), this best-selling text is the most concise, least expensive option for introductory astronomy courses.

Table of Contents

Preface
Discovering the Night Sky	1	(23)
Scales of the Universe	1	(3)
Patterns of Stars	4	(3)
Earthly Cycles	7	(11)
Eclipses	18	(6)
Gravitation and the Waltz of the Planets	24	(31)
Science: Key to Comprehending the Cosmos	24	(2)
Changing Our Earth-Centered View of the Universe	26	(5)
Kepler's and Newton's Laws	31	(7)
Formation of the Solar System	38	(8)
Comparative Planetology	46	(3)
Planets Outside Our Solar System	49	(6)
Light and Telescopes	55	(40)
The Nature of Light	56	(5)
Optics and Telescopes	61	(12)
Nonoptical Astronomy	73	(7)
Blackbody Radiation	80	(3)
Identifying the Elements by Analyzing Their Unique Spectra	83	(4)
Atoms and Spectra	87	(8)
Earth and Moon	95	(22)
Earth: A Dynamic, Vital World	95	(10)
The Moon and Tides	105	(12)
The Other Planets and Moons	117	(59)
Mercury	117	(6)
Venus	123	(6)
Mars	129	(13)
Jupiter	142	(6)
Jupiter's Moons and Rings	148	(7)
Saturn	155	(7)
Uranus	162	(4)
Neptune	166	(3)
Pluto and Beyond	169	(7)
Vagabonds of the Solar System	176	(22)
Asteroids: The Minor Planets	176	(6)
Comets	182	(7)
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites	189	(9)
The Sun: Our Extraordinary Star	198	(19)
The Sun's Atmosphere	198	(5)
The Active Sun	203	(8)
The Sun's Interior	211	(6)
Characterizing Stars	217	(18)
Magnitude Scales	219	(2)
The Temperatures of Stars	221	(4)
Types of Stars	225	(3)
Stellar Masses	228	(7)
The Lives of Stars from Birth Through Middle Age	235	(23)
Protostars and Pre-Main-Sequence Stars	235	(12)
Main-Sequence and Giant Stars	247	(1)
Evolution of Stars with Masses Between 0.08 and 0.4 M	247	(1)
Early and Midlife Evolution of Stars with More Than 0.4	248	(6)
Variable Stars	254	(4)
The Deaths of Stars	258	(34)
Low-Mass Stars and Planetary Nebulae	258	(5)
Intermediate-Mass Stars, High-Mass Stars, and Supernovae	263	(8)
Neutron Stars and Pulsars	271	(6)
The Relativity Theories	277	(4)
Inside a Black Hole	281	(6)
Gamma-Ray Bursts	287	(5)
The Galaxies	292	(45)
Discovering the Milky Way	293	(2)
The Structure of Our Galaxy	295	(9)
Mysteries at the Galactic Fringes	304
Types of Galaxies	305	(7)
Clusters and Superclusters	312	(7)
Superclusters in Motion	319	(4)
Quasars	323	(4)
Active Galaxies	327	(3)
Supermassive Engines	330	(7)
Cosmology	337	(1)
The Big Bang	337	(4)
A Brief History of Spacetime, Matter, Energy, and Everything	341	(10)
The Fate of the Universe	351
Appendices	1	(22)
A The Search for Extraterrestrial Life	1	(9)
B Powers-of-Ten Notation	10	(1)
C Temperature Scales	10	(2)
D Data Table	12	(11)
D-1 The Planets: Orbital Data	12	(1)
D-2 The Planets: Physical Data	12	(1)
D-3 Satellites of the Planets	13	(4)
D-4 The Nearest Stars	17	(1)
D-5 The Visually Brightest Stars	18	(1)
D-6 The Constellations	19	(3)
D-7 Some Useful Astronomical Quantities	22	(1)
D-8 Some Useful Physical Constants	22	(1)
D-9 Common Conversions Between British and Metric Units	22	(1)
Guided Discoveries	23	(5)
E-1 The Earth-Centered Universe	23	(2)
E-2 Tides	25	(2)
E-3 The Expanding Universe	27	(1)
An Astronomer's Toolboxes	28	(1)
F-1 Astronomical Distances	28	(1)
F-2 Energy and Momentum	29	(2)
F-3 Radioactivity and the Ages of Objects	31	(1)
F-4 Thermonuclear Fusion	32	(2)
F-5 Distances to Nearby Stars	34
Glossary	1
Answers to Computational Questions	1	(1)
Index	1