Description
Book Synopsis"This is a truly astonishing book, invaluable for anyone with an interest in astronomy and surely the bargain of the year."---Physics Bulletin"Just the thing for a first year university science course."---Nature"This is a beautiful book in both concept and execution."---Sky & Telescope
Table of ContentsPart 1: Basic Principles 1. The Birth of Science 2. Classical Mechanics, Light, and Astronomical Telescopes 3. The Great Laws of Microscopic Physics 4. The Great Laws of Macroscopic Physics Part II: The Stars 5. The Sun as a Star 6. Nuclear Energy and Synthesis of the Elements 7. The End States of Stars 8. Evolution of the Stars 9. Star Clusters and the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram 10. Binary Stars Part III: Galaxies and Cosmology ll.The Material Between the Stars 12. Our Galaxy: The Milky Way System 13. Quiet and Active Galaxies 14. Clusters of Galaxies and the Expansion of the Universe 15. Gravitation and Cosmology 16. The Big Bang and the Creation of the Material World Part IV: The Solar System and Life 17. The Solar System 18. Origin of the Solar System 19. The Nature of Life on Earth 20. Life and Intelligence in the Universe Epilogue Appendices
