Time for the Stars Astronomy in the 1990s

by Lightman, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780446670241
• ISBN10: 0446670243
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-02-01
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Summary

Now, Alan Lightman, the author of the brilliantly original bestselling novel Einstein's Dreams, presents the real-life drama of astronomy, a journey far into the stars that outpaces any fiction for adventure and excitement. Unsurpassed in its authoritativeness, TIME FOR THE STARS is based on the report of the National Academy of Science's Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, for whose science panel Alan Lightman served as chair. Here is a book that will introduce you to cosmic puzzles about people and planets stars and galaxies, and the beginnings and the ends of the universe. How do we know what's inside the sun? What are the prospects of finding other solar systems -- and extraterrestrial life -- in coming years? What was the universe like ten billion years ago? Will it keep on expanding forever?Here are the latest advances in technology that have rocketed us to dazzling new frontiers. They may catch you off guard. But they will leave you fixed in wonder.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xv
Our Solar System and the Search for Other Planets	p. 1
The Formation and Evolution of Our Solar System	p. 1
The Search for Other Planets	p. 13
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence	p. 21
The Life History of Stars	p. 23
The Sun	p. 23
The Formation of Stars	p. 29
The Life and Death of Stars	p. 32
The life History of Galaxies	p. 49
The Discovery of Galaxies	p. 49
The Evolution of Galaxies	p. 56
The Power Source of Quasars and Active Galaxies	p. 62
The Birth of Galaxies	p. 70
The Life History of the Universe	p. 77
The Big Bang Model	p. 77
The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe	p. 83
Dark Matter	p. 89
The Origin of the Universe	p. 95
The End of the Universe	p. 102
Table of Recent and Proposed Astronomical Instruments	p. 109
Illustration Credits	p. 113
Index	p. 115
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