This series delves into the captivating realm of the cosmos, making its wonders accessible to a broad audience. Each book offers an engaging exploration of astronomical phenomena, from distant galaxies to our own solar system. It is designed for curious minds eager for intriguing and clear explanations of celestial marvels. Discover the beauty and vastness of the universe through expertly crafted, yet approachable, narratives.
On August 24, 2006, the Solar System lost its ninth planet! Pluto, once considered an planet, is now classified as a 'dwarf planet'. This book brings together amazing findings from the cutting edge of research. Illustrated with magnificent color images, it explains the importance of the small bodies in the outer Solar System and also shows the interrelations between them and sets them in context with planets in the inner Solar System.--Back cover.
This third edition explores celestial beauty through rich prints and star atlases, tracing celestial cartography's evolution from ancient to modern times. It includes 226 images, with new chapters on pictorial maps and celestial art, offering an immersive look at star maps' history and contemporary cosmological ideas.
This book describes why Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of
the night sky since the beginnings of history. It also examines the part that
Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific
understanding of stars.
In this illustrated book, Denis Savoie presents the basics of astronomy
required to understand sundials and describes how to design and build your own
classical sundial. He describes how ancient sundials were used and presents a
history of time measurement.
Supernovae and gamma-ray bursters are highly fertile areas of research. In
this book, cosmologists Dr Alain Mazure and Dr Stephane Basa describe at a
popular level the causes of the greatest explosions in the universe.
In The Search for Extraterrestrials, Monte Ross explores in detail the key problems in starting a search, the programs that have failed and those that continue. He includes the fundamental considerations and the physics of the necessary laser, UV, IR and RF technologies, as well as coding and information theory considerations.The author explores future possibilities providing the reader with a comprehensive view of the many ways signals from aliens could be sent and explains why the search using RF leaves more than 99% of the electromagnetic spectrum unexamined. He also demonstrates the many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, considering the next likely steps in this unique enterprise. Given man’s intrinsic nature to explore, the search will continue in one form or many, until success is achieved, which may be tomorrow or a millennium away.In summary, Monte Ross proposes to get around the failure of a fruitless search at radio frequencies by developing, in a precise way, the argument for searching for transmissions in the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Specifically traces the impact of Einstein's ideas on astronomy, including the way we interpret observations of stars and galaxies. Includes comments from principals in important discoveries, illuminating the processes behind these results. Presents many applications of relativity that have not been shown in earlier popular-level books and illustrates how deeply physics permeates the way we interpret many astronomical phenomena. Highlights light-travel delays in cosmic jets, using gravitational lensing to trace cosmic mass distribution. Illustrations employ new and archival data from ground- and space-based observatories.
This book explores the history, subsequent discovery and contemporary research
into pulsar astronomy. The story of pulsars is brought right up to date with
the recent announcement of a new breed of pulsar, Rotating Radio Transients.
In Stars Above, Earth Below, Tyler Nordgren examines a range of astronomical topics and makes the connection between them and the landscapes, processes, and cultures which can be seen and experienced within specific U.S. National Parks. For each park and topic the story unfolds in three steps: what does the reader see for him - or herself? What is the scientific cause or explanation of what is seen? And finally, what is the big picture about ourselves, our world, and our Universe? The author takes us the length and breadth of the U.S., from the coast of Maine to the Yellowstone volcano, from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the heights of the Rocky Mountains, exploring the natural links between the features of the parks and those of our Universe.
In Cosmic Biology, Louis Irwin and Dirk Schulze-Makuch guide readers through the range of planetary habitats found in our Solar System and those likely to be found throughout the universe. Based on our current knowledge of chemistry, energy, and evolutionary tendencies, the authors envision a variety of possible life forms. These range from the familiar species found on Earth to increasingly exotic examples possible under the different conditions of other planets and their satellites. Discussions of the great variety of life forms that could evolve in these diverse environments have become particularly relevant in recent years with the discovery of around 300 exoplanets in orbit around other stars and the possibilities for the existence of life in these planetary systems. The book also posits a taxonomic classification of the various forms of life that might be found, including speculation on the relative abundance of different forms and the generic fate of living systems. The fate and future of life on Earth will also be considered. The closing passages address the Fermi Paradox, and conclude with philosophical reflections on the possible place of Homo sapiens in the potentially vast stream of life across the galaxies.
The aim of this book is to demonstrate to a wider audience, as well as to a more skilled audience, the many fascinating aspects of modern celestial mechanics. It sets out to do this without the use of mathematics. After giving the reader the technical tools needed for a basic understanding of the underlying physical phenomena (using only elementary mathematics), facts and figures are provided on historical events, modern discoveries and future applications. Contents are divided into major topics where the three "souls" of modern celestial mechanics (dynamical systems, Solar System and stellar systems, spaceflight dynamics) play a major role.
