Astronomy 2e
Andrew Fraknoi (Author), David Morrison (Author), Sidney C. Wolff (Author), Open Textbook Library (Distributor)
Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, Astronomy 2e is written in clear non-technical language, with the occasional touch of humor and a wide range of clarifying illustrations. It has many analogies drawn from everyday life to help non-science majors appreciate, on their own terms, what our modern exploration of the universe is revealing. The book can be used for either a one-semester or two-semester introductory course. The second edition has been updated according to new exploration and discoveries. The second edition also includes a significant amount of new art and images. The first edition of Astronomy by OpenStax is available in web view here
eBook, English, 2022
OpenStax CNX, [Place of publication not identified], 2022
Textbooks
1 online resource.
9781951693503, 1951693507
1322188620
Preface
Chapter 1 Science and the Universe: A Brief Tour
1.1 The Nature of Astronomy
1.2 The Nature of Science
1.3 The Laws of Nature
1.4 Numbers in Astronomy
1.5 Consequences of Light Travel Time
1.6 A Tour of the Universe
1.7 The Universe on the Large Scale
1.8 The Universe of the Very Small
1.9 A Conclusion and a Beginning
For Further Exploration
Chapter 2 Observing the Sky: The Birth of Astronomy
2.1 The Sky Above
2.2 Ancient Astronomy
2.3 Astrology and Astronomy
2.4 The Birth of Modern Astronomy
Chapter 3. Orbits and Gravity
3.1 The Laws of Planetary Motion
3.2 Newton's Great Synthesis
3.3 Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation
3.4 Orbits in the Solar System
3.5 Motions of Satellites and Spacecraft
3.6 Gravity with More Than Two Bodies
Chapter 4. Earth, Moon, and Sky
4.1 Earth and Sky
4.2 The Seasons
4.3 Keeping Time
4.4 The Calendar
4.5 Phases and Motions of the Moon
4.6 Ocean Tides and the Moon
4.7 Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
Chapter 5. Radiation and Spectra
5.1 The Behavior of Light
5.2 The Electromagnetic Spectrum
5.3 Spectroscopy in Astronomy
5.4 The Structure of the Atom
5.5 Formation of Spectral Lines
5.6 The Doppler Effect
Chapter 6. Astronomical Instruments
6.1 Telescopes
6.2 Telescopes Today
6.3 Visible-Light Detectors and Instruments
6.4 Radio Telescopes
6.5 Observations outside Earth's Atmosphere
6.6 The Future of Large Telescopes
Chapter 7. Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System
7.1 Overview of Our Planetary System
7.2 Composition and Structure of Planets
7.3 Dating Planetary Surfaces
7.4 Origin of the Solar System
Chapter 8. Earth as a Planet
8.1 The Global Perspective
8.2 Earth's Crust
8.3 Earth's Atmosphere
8.4 Life, Chemical Evolution, and Climate Change
8.5 Cosmic Influences on the Evolution of Earth
Chapter 9. Cratered Worlds
9.1 General Properties of the Moon
9.2 The Lunar Surface
9.3 Impact Craters
9.4 The Origin of the Moon
9.5 Mercury
Chapter 10. Earthlike Planets: Venus and Marks
10.1 The Nearest Planets: An Overview
10.2 The Geology of Venus
10.3 The Massive Atmosphere of Venus
10.4 The Geology of Mars
10.5 Water and Life on Mars
10.6 Divergent Planetary Evolution
Chapter 11. The Giant Planets
11.1 Exploring the Outer Planets
11.2 The Giant Planets
11.3 Atmospheres of the Giant Planets
Chapter 12. Rings, Moons, and Pluto
12.1 Ring and Moon Systems Introduced
12.2 The Galilean Moons of Jupiter
12.3 Titan and Triton
12.4 Pluto and Charon
12.5 Planetary Rings (and Enceladus)
Chapter 13. Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System
13.1 Asteroids
13.2 Asteroids and Planetary Defense
13.3 The "Long-Haired" Comets
13.4 The Origin and Fate of Comets and Related Objects
Chapter 14. Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System
14.1 Meteors
14.2 Meteorites: Stones from Heaven
14.3 Formation of the Solar System
14.4 Comparison with Other Planetary Systems
14.5 Planetary Evolution
Chapter 15. The Sun: A Garden-Variety Star
15.1 The Structure and Composition of the Sun
15.2 The Solar Cycle
15.3 Solar Activity above the Photosphere
15.4 Space Weather
Chapter 16. The Sun: A Nuclear Powerhouse
16.1 Sources of Sunshine: Thermal and Gravitational Energy
16.2 Mass, Energy, and the Theory of Relativity
16.3 The Solar Interior: Theory
16.4 The Solar Interior: Observations
Chapter 17 Analyzing Starlight
17.1 The Brightness of Stars
17.2 Colors of Stars
17.3 The Spectra of Stars (and Brown Dwarfs)
17.4 Using Spectra to Measure Stellar Radius, Composition, and Motion
Chapter 18 The Stars: A Celestial Census
18.1 A Stellar Census
18.2 Measuring Stellar Masses
18.3 Diameters of Stars
18.4 The H-R Diagram
Chapter 19 Celestial Distances
19.1 Fundamental Units of Distance
19.2 Surveying the Stars
19.3 Variable Stars: One Key to Cosmic Distances
19.4 The H-R Diagram and Cosmic Distances
Chapter 20 Between the Stars: Gas and Dust in Space
20.1 The Interstellar Medium
20.2 Interstellar Gas
20.3 Cosmic Dust
20.4 Cosmic Rays
20.5 The Life Cycle of Cosmic Material
20.6 Interstellar Matter around the Sun
Chapter 21 The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System
21.1 Star Formation
21.2 The H-R Diagram and the Study of Stellar Evolution
21.3 Evidence That Planets Form around Other Stars
21.4 Planets beyond the Solar System: Search and Discovery
21.5 Exoplanets Everywhere: What We Are Learning
21.6 New Perspectives on Planet Formation
Chapter 22 Stars from Adolescence to Old Age
22.1 Evolution from the Main Sequence to Red Giants
22.2 Star Clusters
22.3 Checking Out the Theory
22.4 Further Evolution of Stars
22.5 The Evolution of More Massive Stars
Chapter 23 The Death of Stars
23.1 The Death of Low-Mass Stars
23.2 Evolution of Massive Stars: An Explosive Finish
23.3 Supernova Observations
23.4 Pulsars and the Discovery of Neutron Stars
23.5 The Evolution of Binary Star Systems
23.6 The Mystery of the Gamma-Ray Bursts
Chapter 24 Black Holes and Curved Spacetime
24.1 Introducing General Relativity
24.2 Spacetime and Gravity
24.3 Tests of General Relativity
24.4 Time in General Relativity
24.5 Black Holes
24.6 Evidence for Black Holes
24.7 Gravitational Wave Astronomy
Chapter 25 The Milky Way Galaxy
25.1 The Architecture of the Galaxy
25.2 Spiral Structure
25.3 The Mass of the Galaxy
25.4 The Center of the Galaxy
25.5 Stellar Populations in the Galaxy
25.6 The Formation of the Galaxy
Chapter 26 Galaxies
26.1 The Discovery of Galaxies
26.2 Types of Galaxies
26.3 Properties of Galaxies
26.4 The Extragalactic Distance Scale
26.5 The Expanding Universe
Chapter 27 Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes
27.1 Quasars
27.2 Supermassive Black Holes: What Quasars Really Are
27.3 Quasars as Probes of Evolution in the Universe
Chapter 28 The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies
28.1 Observations of Distant Galaxies
28.2 Galaxy Mergers and Active Galactic Nuclei
28.3 The Distribution of Galaxies in Space
28.4 The Challenge of Dark Matter
28.5 The Formation and Evolution of Galaxies and Structure in the Universe
Chapter 29 The Big Bang
29.1 The Age of the Universe
29.2 A Model of the Universe
29.3 The Beginning of the Universe
29.4 The Cosmic Microwave Background
29.5 What Is the Universe Really Made Of?
29.6 The Inflationary Universe
29.7 The Anthropic Principle
Chapter 30 Life in the Universe
30.1 The Cosmic Context for Life
30.2 Astrobiology
30.3 Searching for Life beyond Earth
30.4 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Appendices
In English
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