The Origin Of Stars

The Origin Of Stars
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company | File type: PDF | 264 pages | 11,4 mb

Where do stars come from and how do they form? These are profound questions which link the nature of our Universe to the roots of mankind. Yet, until a recent revolution in understanding, the proposed answers have been raw speculation. Now, accompanying penetrating observations, a new picture has come into prominence. This book presents the latest astounding observations and scientific ideas covering star formation, star birth and early development. It encompasses all aspects, from the dramatic stories of individual objects, to the collective influence of entire stellar systems.

Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology: An Introduction

Peter Schneider, quot;Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology: An Introductionquot;
Springer | 2006 | 459 pages | File type: PDF | 18,6 mb

Starting with the description of our home galaxy the Milky Way, this cogently written textbook introduces the reader to the astronomy of galaxies, their structure, active galactic nuclei, evolution and large scale distribution. Then, from the extensive and thorough introduction to modern observational and theoretical cosmology, the text turns to the formation of structures and astronomical objects in the early universe. The basics of classical astronomy and stellar astrophysics needed for extragalactic astronomy are given in the appendix.

In particular, Peter Schneider��s Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology has the goal of imparting the fundamental knowledge of this fascinating subfield of astronomy, while leading readers to the forefront of astronomical research. But it seeks to accomplish this not only with extensive textual information and insights. In addition, the author��s evident admiration for the workings of the universe that shines through the lines and the many supporting color illustrations will deeply inspire the reader.

While this book has grown out of introductory university courses on astronomy and astrophysics, it will not only be appreciated by undergraduate students and lecturers. Through the comprehensive coverage of the field, even graduate students and researchers specializing in related fields will appreciate it as reliable reference.

Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questions

Mark Kidger, quot;Cosmological Enigmas: Pulsars, Quasars, and Other Deep-Space Questionsquot;
The Johns Hopkins University |272 pages | File type: PDF | 4,7 mb

The universe is big. Really big. And it gets bigger every day. In Cosmological Enigmas, Mark Kidger weaves together history, science, and science fiction to consider questions about the bigness of space and the strange objects that lie trembling at the edge of infinity.

What are quasars, blazars, and gamma-ray bursters? Could we ever travel to the stars? Can we really expect aliens to contact us? From the profound (what evidence do we have to support the big bang theory?) to the bizarre (can there be more than one universe and, if so, how many dimensions does it possess?) to the everyday-yet-profound (why is the sky dark at night?), Kidger explains not only what we know but how we came to know it. Reflecting on how stars shine and what may lie beyond the edge of the universe, Kidger takes us on the ultimate cosmic journey.

Astronomical Optics

Astronomical Optics
Publisher: Academic Press | File type: PDF | 352 pages | 16,5 mb

Written by a recognized expert in the field, this clearly presented, well-illustrated book provides both advanced level students and professionals with an authoritative, thorough presentation of the characteristics, including advantages and limitations, of telescopes and spectrographic instruments used by astronomers of today.

Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Science

Diagram Group, quot;Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Sciencequot;
Chelsea House Publications | 208 pages | File type: PDF | 16,9 mb

quot;Space and Astronomy: An Illustrated Guide to Sciencequot; is one of eight volumes in quot;Facts On File'squot; new quot;Science Visual Resourcesquot; set. Containing eight sections, a comprehensive glossary, a Web site guide, and an index, quot;Space and Astronomyquot; is an ideal learning tool for students and teachers of science. Full-color diagrams, graphs, charts, and maps on every page illustrate the essential elements of the subject, while parallel text pres key definitions and step-by-step explanations. The eight sections include: quot;The Universequot; - pres an overview of the physical dimensions of space and current theories concerning the origin and eventual fate of the universe. This section also defines and illustrates the main classes of objects, from black holes to binary stars, that populate the known universe; quot;The Sun's Familyquot; - examines our solar system and defines all the classes of celestial bodies that it includes. There are detailed comparisons of all nine planets, as well as information about asteroids, meteoroids, moons, and the Sun; and quot;Astronomyquot; - is concerned with the human effort to observe and understand objects beyond the Earth from the earliest times to the present day. It describes the different methods of astronomy that are used to examine the universe across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It also includes: quot;Space Travelquot; - is an overview of the practical and theoretical challenges of getting into space and traveling through it. Everything from the basics of celestial mechanics to the advantages and disadvantages of different types of propulsion systems is covered in this section; quot;Uncrewed Explorationquot; - is a history of the exploration of space by uncrewed spacecraft; and quot;Crewed Explorationquot; is a history of the human exploration of space from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong and the crews of the International Space Station. Space Shuttle and Using Space are concerned with the economic and scientific importance of space travel today. The many classes of satellite that pre the world with communications and vital data are examined here...

Stability and Chaos in Celestial Mechanics

Alessandra Celletti, quot;Stability and Chaos in Celestial Mechanicsquot;
Springer | 2009 | 264 pages | File type: PDF | 4,3 mb
Alessandra Celletti��s proposed book presents classical celestial mechanics and its interplay with dynamical systems in a way that would be suitable for advance level undergraduate students as well as postgraduate students and researchers. First she uses paradigmatic models, such as the logistic map or the standard map, to introduce the reader to the concepts of order, chaos, invariant curves, cantori, etc. The main numerical methods to investigate a dynamical system are presented: Poincare' maps, Lyapunov exponents, frequency analysis, Fast Lyapunov Indicators, etc. Then she reviews the classical two-body problem and proceeds to explore the three-body model in order to investigate orbital resonances and Lagrange solutions. As far as rotational dynamics are concerned, she details the derivation of the rigid body motion, and continues by discussing related topics, from spin-orbit resonances to dumbbell satellite dynamics.

Perturbation theory is then explored in full detail, both in classical, resonant and degenerate cases; practical examples of the application of perturbation theory are presented in connection to the precession of the perihelion or to the precession of the equinoxes. The main ideas of KAM theory are provided, and also a dissipative version of the theorem is discussed; furthermore long-term stability and converse KAM results are presented. She then explains the implementation of computer-assisted techniques, which allow the user to obtain rigorous results in good agreement with the astronomical expectations.

A perturbative approach to find periodic orbits is presented together with an application to the computation of the libration in longitude of the Moon. The study of collisions in the solar system is approached through regularization theory...

Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and Atmosphere of the Sun

S. Hasan, R. J. Rutten Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and Atmosphere of the Sun (Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings)
Springer | 2010 | 548 pages | File type: PDF | 15 mb
These are the proceedings of the conference on Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun held December 2-5, 2008, which was planned to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of the Evershed effect at Kodaikanal in 1909. The aim of this meeting was to bring a critical focus to the comprehensive understanding of the important issues pertaining to solar magnetism, with particular emphasis on the various MHD processes that operate in the solar atmosphere. The participants reviewed the current status of magnetic field measurements and their implications with regard to recent theories and numerical models that address the fundamental scales and processes in the highly magnetized, turbulent plasma. The conference also provided a platform for in-depth discussions of new results from various space missions, as well as a comparison with ground-based observing facilities such as the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope...

Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moon

Charles J. Byrne, quot;Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moonquot;
Springer | 329 pages | File type: PDF | 66 mb

In 1967, Lunar Orbiter Mission 4 sent back to Earth a superb series of photographs of the surface of the Moon, despite severe degradation caused by scanning artifacts and the reconstruction processes involved in transmission from lunar orbit.

Using 21st century techniques, Charles Byrne ? previously System Engineer of the Apollo Program for Lunar Orbiter Photography ? has removed the artifacts and imperfections to produce the most comprehensive and beautifully detailed set of images of the lunar surface.

The book has been organized to make it easy for astronomers to use, enabling ground-based images and views to be compared with the Orbiter photographs. The photographs are striking for their consistent Sun angles (for uniform appearance). All features have been identified with their current IAU-approved names, and each photograph has been located in terms of latitude and longitude. To help practical astronomers, all the photographs are systematically related to an Earth-based view.

The Rainbow Sky: An Exploration of Colors in the Solar System and Beyond

Tony Buick, quot;The Rainbow Sky: An Exploration of Colors in the Solar System and Beyondquot;
Springer | 2009 | 359 pages | File type: PDF | 32,3 mb
There are many more astronomical and meteorological phenomena involving color than most people are aware of, let alone have observed. Visual double stars with contrasting color are obvious targets for amateur astronomers, but there are many more - everything from colors on the Moon, through colors on the planets and in deep-sky objects, to man-made colors in the night sky. A great deal of these colored phenomena can be seen with the unaided eye, and can be visible in - and imaged with - a modest telescope, but all require preparation, anticipation and planning. The result will be some breathtaking sights, along with some amazing images.

Just browsing through this book will captivate the reader. Some events are familiar but present severe challenges to photograph. Some can be captured only by using previously unfamiliar techniques. And it is almost certain that some will never have been seen before by readers.

All the colored objects and phenomena are accessible by using the right techniques, for which Tony Buick provides easy-to-follow instructions...

Mars: From Myth and Mystery to Recent Discoveries

Mars: From Myth and Mystery to Recent Discoveries By Markus Hotakainen
Publisher: Springer | 256 Pages |File type: PDF | 13 mb

This book tells the story of Mars since the dawn of mankind's curiosity for celestial wonders and the ancient beliefs through the revolution in our concepts of the cosmos around us in the 1600's to the present day knowledge and beyond, all the way to the futuristic visions of science fiction and terraformed Mars with conditions suitable to Earth life. It also tells the story of Martian life: pluralistic view of the 1700's with all the bodies of the Solar System being thought to be inhabited, certainty on the existence of Martian civilization in the end of the 1800's and the beginning of the 1900's based on the observations of canals, the sudden death of Mars in the 1960's due to the images sent back by the first space probes, and the resurrection in the 1990's and 2000's due to the controversial findings in Martian meteorite ALH84001 and ever-increasing evidence for the watery and possibly more temperate past of Mars. All this is told in a very readable form with no math nor terminology only the experts in the field are familiar with. The up-to-date text is supported by both informative imagery and a simple, but inspiring layout with some special features like a flip movie of the rotation of Mars and a very illustrative comparison of the distances of the Martian satellites versus the distance of our Moon from their respective parent planets.

How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera

How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with Your Digital Camera
Publisher: Springer | edition 2006 | File type: PDF | 270 pages | 26,1 mb

Since the advent of astronomical CCD imaging it has been possible for amateurs to produce images of a quality that was attainable only by universities and professional observatories just a decade ago. However, astronomical CCD cameras are still very expensive, and technology has now progressed so that digital cameras �C the kind you use on holiday �C are more than capable of photographing the brighter astronomical objects, notably the Moon and major planets.
Tony Buick has worked for two years on the techniques involved, and has written this illustrated step-by-step manual for anyone who has a telescope (of any size) and a digital camera. The color images he has produced �C there are over 300 of them in the book �C are of breathtaking quality.
His book is more than a manual of techniques (including details of how to make a low-cost DIY camera mount) and examples; it also provides a concise photographic atlas of the whole of the nearside of the Moon �C with every image made using a standard digital camera �C and describes the various lunar features, including the sites of manned and robotic landings.

Astrophysical Concepts

Astrophysical Concepts
Publisher: Springer | edition 2000 | File type: PDF | 651 pages | 19,7 mb

This is a popular book among professional astrophysicists, produced with that meticulous detail and completeness of the house of Springer �� This is indeed a theoretician��s book [and] Harwit has made a prodigious effort in organizing all this information in a logical sequence �� A masterly mathematical exposition of a galaxy of astrophysical processes.

The Principles of Astronomical Telescope Design

Jingquan Cheng, quot;The Principles of Astronomical Telescope Designquot;
Springer | 2009 | 634 pages | File type: PDF | 10,3 mb

This book presents a complete summary of the author's twenty five years of experience in telescope design. It provides a general introduction to every aspect of telescope design. It also discusses the theory behind telescope design in depth, which makes it a good reference book for professionals. It covers Radio, Infrared, Optical, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray wavelengths. Originally published in Chinese.