Astrophysics Books

Book SynopsisThe gas and dust between the stars emit across the electromagnetic spectrum and are found in a range of physical conditions from diffuse plasmas to cold, dense molecules. Through their study we see how quantum processes shape the structure of our Galaxy and fluid mechanics sets the stellar mass scale. The Interstellar Medium is a very broad subject with layers of complexity, a long history and a steady flow of new results. This comprehensive yet accessible textbook provides a self-contained one-semester course for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students. It is written in a style that students can follow by themselves and allows instructors to use class time to go deeper into the details or show applications to current research. It makes extensive use of publicly accessible data to illustrate specific points and to encourage students to learn by performing their own analyses.Trade Review'This makes a very valuable addition to the bookshelf of any student wanting to explore the rich physics of the interstellar medium. It takes as its starting point the physics that students already know (quantum physics, thermodynamics, interferometry, fluid mechanics) and leads them to an understanding of how all these fields have combined during the last half century to give us our present insight into the 'stuff between the stars'. Wide ranging and accessibly written, it provides an excellent introduction to our current understanding of the interstellar medium and will be useful also to professional astronomers working in adjacent fields.' Cathie Clarke, University of Cambridge'This is a strong contribution for all students of this field, including myself. The material is provided in a clear and logical manner with sufficient background to foster learning. I particularly applaud the inclusion of the new frontier of planet formation and I will be recommending this book to my students.' Edwin Bergin, University of Michigan'An excellent overview of the interstellar medium of galaxies suitable for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students, emphasizing the most important issues.' Christopher McKee, University of California, Berkeley'The book is well-written and produced … this book will meet the needs of postgraduates perfectly, while being also accessible - if fairly demanding - for undergraduates.' David A. Williams, The Observatory magazine'This is a particularly attractive complement to a book that should be on the shelf of any student-or indeed professional astronomer-who wants to know more about the 'stuff between the stars' … Highly recommended.' T. D. Oswalt, ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Introduction; 2. Observations; 3. Essential Background Physics; 4. Dust; 5. Atomic Regions; 6. Ionized Regions; 7 Molecular Regions; 8. Dynamics; 9. Star Formation; 10. The ISM on the Galactic Scale; 11. The ISM in Other Galaxies and Beyond; Appendix. Constants in SI and CGS Units; Nomenclature; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisThese Transactions provide a record of the organisational and administrative activities of the IAU XXIX General Assembly which took place in Honolulu, Hawai''i, USA, in August 2015. They report and record all of the essential decisions taken by the governing body of the IAU. These include the approval of the financial accounts and of the proposed budget for the next three years, the admission of new national and individual members, the evaluation of Division and Commission reports, and the approval of Resolutions. This General Assembly also completed the internal restructuring that began in 2012, with the approval of thirty-five new Commissions, together with their elected Presidents and Organising Committees. A further change to the scientific programme of the XXIX General Assembly was the substitution of the Joint Discussions meetings and Special Sessions with a single entity, designated as Focus Meetings and published in the new ''Astronomy in Focus'' series.Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Inaugural ceremony; 2. Business sessions; 3. Closing ceremony; 4. Resolutions; 5. Executive committee report; 6. Commission reports; 7. Statutes, bye-laws, and working rules; 8. New and deceased members; 9. Divisions, commissions, and working groups; 10. Divisions membership; 11. Commissions membership.

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Book SynopsisAstronomy in Focus presents the most relevant contributions from the Focus Meetings included during the XXX IAU General Assembly held in Vienna, Austria, from 2031 August 2018. Focus meetings are proposed by groups of scientists with aims to promote cross-disciplinary interactions while maintaining a well-defined focus on a particular topic. They usually address a new scientific area or an emerging field that is not well, or in some cases not at all, represented under the IAU''s existing Commission structure. The XXX IAU General Assembly included six scientific symposia, a special symposium focused on the IAU''s centenary and fifteen Focus Meetings. The latter comprised twelve scientific Focus Meetings plus two on the mission and activities of the IAU Offices of Astronomy Outreach and Astronomy for Development and the final one promoted by the Working Group on Global Coordination of Ground and Space Astrophysics.Table of ContentsFM1. A Century of Asteroid Families; FM3. Radio Galaxies: Resolving the AGN Phenomenon; FM4. Magnetic Fields along the Star-Formation Sequence; FM5. Understanding Historical Observations to Study Transient Phenomena; FM6. Galactic Angular Momentum; FM7. Radial Metallicity Gradients in Star Forming Galaxies; FM9. Solar Irradiance: Physics-Based Advances; FM10. Nano Dust in Space and Astrophysics; FM11. JWST: Launch, Commissioning, and Cycle 1 Science; FM12. Calibration and Standardization Issues in UV-VIS-IR Astronomy; FM13. Global Coordination of International Astrophysics and Heliophysics Activities from Space and Ground; FM15. Astronomy for Development.

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Book SynopsisThe large-scale structure of the Universe is dominated by vast voids with galaxies clustered in knots, sheets, and filaments, forming a great ''cosmic web''. In this personal account of the major astronomical developments leading to this discovery, we learn from Laird A. Thompson, a key protagonist, how the first 3D maps of galaxies were created. Using non-mathematical language, he introduces the standard model of cosmology before explaining how and why ideas about cosmic voids evolved, referencing the original maps, reproduced here. His account tells of the competing teams of observers, racing to publish their results, the theorists trying to build or update their models to explain them, and the subsequent large-scale survey efforts that continue to the present day. This is a well-documented account of the birth of a major pillar of modern cosmology, and a useful case study of the trials surrounding how this scientific discovery became accepted.Trade Review'… a very readable book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know about the universe at large scales.' Ingemar Bengtsson, Contemporary Physics'Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.' S. P. Maran, ChoiceTable of ContentsForeword; Preface; List of Abbreviations; 1. Understanding the Foundations of Modern Cosmology; 2. Preview of the Discovery of Cosmic Voids; 3. Homogeneity of the Universe: Great Minds Speak Out; 4. All-Sky Surveys in the Transition Years 1950–1975; 5. The Early Redshift Surveys from Arizona Observatories; 6. Galaxy Mapping Attempt at Tartu Observatory; 7. Theoretical Models of Galaxy Formation: East versus West; 8. Priority Disputes and the Timeline of Publications; 9. Impact of Cosmic Voids: Cosmology, Gravity at the Weak Limit, and Galaxy Formation; Appendix A. KPNO Observing Proposal; Appendix B. Gregory and Thompson (1978) reprint; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume gives an essential overview of the physical and mathematical background of radiative transfer, and its applications to stellar and planetary atmospheres. With improvements in observational and computational facilities and new applications in the field, it is a go-to resource for graduate students and researchers in astrophysics.Trade Review'The bulk of this volume consists of highly specialized and rigorously presented tutorials on this theory and on how to employ it, suitable for readers who are already professional specialists or advanced graduate students in physics or astrophysics, assuming strong mathematical preparation … This will be a welcome acquisition for graduate-level and research libraries with collections in physics, astrophysics, and planetary science.' S. P. Maran, ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; 1. The physical grounds of radiative transfer Lucio Crivellari; 2. Fundamental physical aspects of radiative transfer Artemio Herrero; 3. Numerical methods in radiative transfer Olga Atanacković; 4. Stellar atmosphere codes Mats Carlsson; 5. Radiative transfer in the (expanding) atmospheres of early type stars, and related problems Joachim Puls; 6. Phenomenology and physics of late-type stars Maria Bergemann, Camilla Juul Hansen and Timothy C. Beers; 7. Modeling the atmospheres of ultracool dwarfs and extrasolar planets Mark S. Marley.

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Book SynopsisDas Universum für alle beantwortet Ihnen zahlreiche Fragen zu Sonne und Mond, zu Sternen und Galaxien und lädt Sie ein zu einer Reise durchs Weltall! Sie werden erfahren, warum die Sterne funkeln, wieso es den 29. Februar so selten gibt, was es mit Einstein-Ringen auf sich hat und wie die Astronomen das Weltall vermessen. In jedem der 70 Kapitel wird in leicht verständlicher Sprache eine astronomische Fragestellung erläutert. Reich bebildert und unterhaltsam erklärt bieten Ihnen erstklassige Experten kurze und kurzweilige Geschichten aus dem Universum: Von der Sternschnuppe bis zum Urknall, von der Sternengeburt bis zur Supernova-Explosion, vom Saturn bis zu Schwarzen Löchern. Diese Buch beruht auf der preisgekrönten Vortragsreihe „Uni(versum) für alle! – Halbe Heidelberger Sternstunden“, bei der von April bis Juli 2011 Heidelberger Astronominnen und Astronomen der interessierten Öffentlichkeit in 70 Kurzvorträgen faszinierende Themen der Astronomie näher gebracht haben. Am Ende jedes Kapitels werden Sie zu den Videos dieser Vorträge geleitet, die Sie über YouTube anschauen können. Tauchen Sie also ein in die Welt der Galaxien und Schwarzen Löcher, genießen Sie die großartigen astronomischen Fotografien und erfreuen Sie sich an den anregenden Texten. Viel Spaß beim Blättern, Lesen und Staunen!Table of ContentsVorwort.- 1 Gibt es eine zweite Erde?.-2 Wie alt ist der älteste Stern?.- 3 Woher wissen wir, dass es einen Urknall gab?.- 4 Warum beobachten wir die kältesten Objekte im Universum mit Infrarot-Teleskopen?.- 5 Die turbulente Geburt der Sterne.- 6 Wie scharf können Teleskope sehen?.- 7 Welches sind die größten Objekte im Universum?.- 8 Wie ist der Mond entstanden?.- 9 Wann hört die Sonne auf zu scheinen?.- 10 Die häufigsten Missverständnisse über Schwarze Löcher.- 11 Wussten Sie, dass die meisten Atome in Ihrem Körper fast 14 Milliarden Jahre alt sind?.- 12 Weißt Du, wieviel Sternlein stehen?.- 13 Auf der Suche nach den kleinsten Galaxien.- 14 Ist das Universum unendlich?.- 15 Welche Farbe haben die Sterne?.- 16 Was sind Sternschnuppen?.- 17 Von 3 cm zu 40 m Durchmesser: Teleskope von Galilei bis 2020.- 18 Gibt es Schwarze Löcher wirklich?.- 19 Wie groß ist das Universum?.- 20 Warum ist es nachts dunkel?.- 21 Wie alt ist die Welt?.- 22 Wieso ist Pluto kein Planet mehr?.- 23 Gibt es Leben auf dem Mars?.- 24 Die ersten Sterne im Universum.- 25 Warum brauchen die Astronomen ein 40 m-Teleskop?.- 26 Wie erhalten Sterne und Planeten ihre Namen?.- 27 Kosmische Illusionen: Von Doppel-Quasaren und Einstein-Ringen.- 28 Wie Heidelberga an den Himmel kam.- 29 Wo kommt die Teilchenstrahlung aus dem Weltall her?.- 30 Astronomische Zeitskalen: Von Millisekunden zu Gigajahren!.- 31 Was ist eine Sonnenfinsternis – und wann ist die nächste zu sehen?.- 32 Unfassbare Entfernungen: Wie wir das Weltall vermessen!.- 33 Die Geburt der Sonne.- 34 Wieso haben Kometen einen Schweif?.- 35 Überraschendes und Kurioses aus der Planetenwelt.- 36 Astronomie mit unsichtbarem Licht: Radio- und Röntgenteleskope.- 37 Floss einst Wasser auf dem Mars?.- 38 Ist der Weltraum zwischen den Sternen leer?.- 39 Woher kommen die chemischen Elemente?.- 40 Sind wir wirklich aus Sternenstaub gemacht?.- 41 Wenn der Weltraum zittert: Astronomie mit Gravitationswellen.- 42 Was ist eigentlich „die Milchstraße“?.- 43 Woher wissen wir, wie weit entfernt ein Stern ist?.- 44 Was sind eigentlich Neutronensterne?.- 45 Arbeiten Astronomen nur nachts?.- 46 Warum funkeln die Sterne?.- 47 Ebbe und Flut: Was haben die Gezeiten mit dem Mond zu tun?.- 48 Wird das Universum ewig leben?.- 49 Was machen Astronomen eigentlich die ganze Nacht?.- 50 Der Lebensweg der Sterne.- 51 Das Universum expandiert – aber was heißt das?. 52 Kann uns der Himmel auf den Kopf fallen? Meteoriten und herabstürzende Satelliten.- 53 Astronomen als Detektive – was ist die Natur der geheimnisvollen Quasare?.- 54 Welche Teleskope nutzen Heidelberger Astronomen?.- 55 Wie Heidelberger Astronomen das „Large Binocular Telescope“ nutzen.- 56 Warum gibt es den 29. Februar so selten? Über Schalt-Jahre und Schalt-Tage.- 57 Sind die Fixsterne eigentlich fix?.- 58 Welche Farbe hat die Sonne?.- 59 Warum gibt es Schalt-Sekunden?.- 60 Wie entsteht ein Stern?.- 61 Wann und wie ist unser Mond entstanden?.- 62 Das todsichere Ende der Erde – wieviel Zeit bleibt uns noch?.- 63 Wie kann man bewohnbare Planeten finden?.- 64 Kometen – Wanderer im Sonnensystem.- 65 Wie findet man Planeten um andere Sterne?.- 66 Klare Nächte, heiße Drähte – wie Astronomen heutzutage das Universum erforschen.- 67 Gibt es Leben anderswo im Weltall?.- 68 Drohen Gefahren aus dem Weltall?.- 69 Was wissen wir über die ersten Galaxien im Universum?.- 70 Das Funkeln der Nacht: Was fasziniert uns so am Sternenhimmel?.

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Book SynopsisPrologue.- 1. Observation of Stars?.- 2. Stellar spectra and atmospheres.-3. Stellar Structure.- 4. Nuclear fusion and nucleosynthesis.- 5. Stellar evolution.- 6. Stellar remnants.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2021 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy In Decoding the Stars, Ileana Chinnici offers an account of the life of the Jesuit scientist Angelo Secchi (1818-1878). In addition to providing an invaluable account of Secchi’s life and work—something that has been sorely lacking in the English-language scholarship—this biography will be especially stimulating for those interested in the evolution of astrophysics as a discipline from the nineteenth century onward. Despite his eclecticism, reminiscent of the natural philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Secchi was in many ways a very modern scientist: open to innovation and cooperation, and a promoter of popularization and citizen science. Secchi also appears fully inserted in the cultural context of his time: he participated in philosophical and scientific debates, spread new theories and ideas, but also suffered the consequences of political events that marked those years and impacted on his life and activities.Trade Review“Excellent biography […] Historians of science, whatever their national origin, should become familiar with the achievements of Father Secchi.” Naomi Pasachoff, Williams College. In: Metascience, Vol. 29, No. 1 (March 2020), pp. 77–80 (2020). “[This] will undoubtedly be the standard work on this remarkable Jesuit astronomer.” Wayne Orchiston, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, and Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland. In: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23, No. 1 (April 2020), pp. 227–228. “This excellent book not only presents Secchi’s scientific contributions and his personality but also situates him in the fascinating mix of science, politics and society of the Italian late nineteenth century.” Augustín Udías, Universidad Complutense, Madrid. In: Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2021), pp. 111–112. “Chinnici’s excellent biography gives us a thorough and strongly felt portrait of Secchi’s personality and work, especially, through his letters and writings. This is an important work for the history of astronomy and astrophysics in Italy; more generally, it aids the historical exploration of Jesuit contributions to science and the wider relationship between science and religion.” Agustín Udías, S.J., Universidad Complutense, Madrid. In: Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, Vol. 88, fasc. 176 (2019-II), pp. 611–613.Table of ContentsForeword  Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J. Foreword  Nichi D’Amico Preface  Ileana Chinnici Acknowledgments List of Illustrations Introduction: A Century in Ferment 1 Secchi’s Early Life and Education: From Childhood to the Priesthood 2 The Experience of Exile: A Tragic Opportunity 3 Establishing the New Collegio Romano Observatory: An Observatory for “Physical Astronomy” 4 Advisor to the Papal States: Science in the Service of the Public 5 A Rising International Career: Travels, Achievements, and Recognition 6 Contributions to Astrophysics 7 A Crucial Political Change: New Risks and Missed Opportunities 8 A Society for a New Astronomy: Building a Network for Spectroscopic Research 9 A Controversial Personality: Secchi and the Scientific Debates of His Time 10 Secchi’s Final Years: Illness and Uncertainty Conclusion: Secchi’s Scientific Legacy Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the first comprehensive historical account of the evolution of scientific traditions in astronomy, astrophysics, and the space sciences within the Max Planck Society. Structured with in-depth archival research, interviews with protagonists, unpublished photographs, and an extensive bibliography, it follows a unique history: from the post-war relaunch of physical sciences in West Germany, to the spectacular developments and successes of cosmic sciences in the second half of the 20th century, up to the emergence of multi-messenger astronomy. It reveals how the Society acquired national and international acclaim in becoming one of the world’s most productive research organizations in these fields.Table of ContentsContents Foreword by Reinhard Genzel Foreword by Jürgen Renn Acknowledgments Oral History Interviews List of Illustrations and Figures Acronyms and Abbreviations Introduction 1 Nuclear Age (1945–1957): Reconstruction under Regional Fragmentation  1 Postwar Scientific Traditions in Göttingen  2 Postwar Research Traditions in Southwest Germany  3 The Orphan Scenario: Regener, Kiepenheuer, and Dieminger  4 Regional Alliances and Rivalries 2 Space Age (1957–1980s): A Unique Opportunity for Expansion  1 ‘Sputnik Shocks’  2 Reorientation of the Max Planck Society in the Early Space Age: Complementarity and Uncoordinated Competition 3 Astronomical Revolution in the MPG (1960s–1980s): Completing the Wavelength Spectrum  1 Ground-Based Astronomy  2 High-Energy Space-Based Astronomy  3 Reconfiguration of the Astrophysical Sciences and Institutes 4 Internationalization (1970s Onwards): Infrastructural Disappointments and the New International Division of Labor  1 From National Infrastructures to International Collaborations  2 Historical Change and Resilience in Times of Hardship at the End of the Century  3 Into the 21st Century: A New Role for the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics 5 Global Leadership in Emerging Fields: Toward Astro-Particle Physics, Relativistic Astrophysics, and Multi-Messenger Astronomy  1 Three Case Studies  2 The Solar Neutrino Puzzle: Heidelberg between Cosmochemistry and Astroparticle Physics  3 The Quest for Gravitational Waves  4 From Cosmic Rays to Ground-Based Gamma Ray Astronomy Appendix: The History of Cosmic Research in the Max Planck Society through Its Finances  1 A Complementary Analysis  2 Financial Periodization of the Cosmic Sciences in the Max Planck Society  3 Shifting Balances of ‘Nuclear,’ ‘Cosmic,’ and ‘Earth-System’ Research  4 Financial Lock-Ins and the Complementarity of Theoretical and Experimental Research  5 Astronomical Institutes, Their Infrastructures, and the End of an Era for the MPG Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe book provides the most recent advances of Celestial Mechanics, as provided by high-level scientists working in this field. It covers theoretical investigations as well as applications to concrete problems. Outstanding review papers are included in the book and they introduce the reader to leading subjects, like the variational approaches to find periodic orbits and the space debris polluting the circumterrestrial space.Table of ContentsPeriodic Orbits and Variational Methods.- On the variational approach to the periodic n-body problem.- On families of periodic solutions of the restricted three-body problem.- Hip-hop solutions of the 2N-body problem.- Double choreographical solutions for n-body type problems.- From the circular to the spatial elliptic restricted three-body problem.- Stability of axial orbits in galactic potentials.- Perturbation Theory and Regularization.- KAM tori for N-body problems: a brief history.- Analysis of the chaotic behaviour of orbits diffusing along the Arnold web.- The scattering map in the planar restricted three body problem.- On final evolutions in the restricted planar parabolic three-body problem.- Quaternions and the perturbed Kepler problem.- Dynamics of Solar and Extrasolar Systems.- The 3:2 spin-orbit resonant motion of Mercury.- Symmetric and asymmetric librations in extrasolar planetary systems: a global view.- The influence of mutual perturbations on the eccentricity excitation by jet acceleration in extrasolar planetary systems.- Symmetric and asymmetric 3:1 resonant periodic orbits with an application to the 55Cnc extra-solar system.- Estimations of orbital parameters of exoplanets from transit photometry by using dynamical constraints.- Critical inclination in the main problem of a massive satellite.- Long-term effects of the Galactic tide on cometary dynamics.- Dependence on the observational time intervals and domain of convergence of orbital determination methods.- Space Dynamics and Applications.- Collision risk against space debris in Earth orbits.- On target for Venus — set oriented computation of energy efficient low thrust trajectories.- Weak stability boundary trajectories for the deployment of lunar spacecraft constellations.- Aero-gravity assist maneuvers: controlled dynamics modeling and optimization.- Analytical theory of a lunar artificial satellite with third body perturbations.- Precise measurement of the solar gravitational red shift.

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Book Synopsis1. Deriving the paradox: original derivation of Hawking radiation.- 2. Alternative Derivations of Hawking Radiation.- 3. Is the information loss problem a paradox?.- 4. Alternative theory for the quantum black holeand the temperature of its quantum radiation.- 5. Paradox No More: How Stimulated Emission of Radiation Preserves Information Absorbed by Black Holes.

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Book Synopsis1. General-Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Equations: the bare essential.- 2. Solving the Einstein Equations Numerically.- 3. Equations of State for Neutron Star Simulations.- 4. GR-Athena++: magnetohydrodynamical evolution with dynamical space-time.- 5. KHARMA: Flexible, Portable Performance for GRMHD.

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