Synopses & Reviews
We are still learning about the large-scale structures of the universe. Abrams and Stecker describe what we currently know of the near and far universe, but what sets this book apart from the rest is the illustrations. Stecker has a collection of some of the best and most spectacular astronomical photographs ever taken. The book is mostly illustrated with black and white photographs, but the CD-ROM supplied with the book is a veritable explosion of beautiful colour images, far more than could be squeezed into any normal book. An added benefit of this is that by using an inexpensive inkjet printer, a reader can look at pictures on screen, or print them out in color with "photo quality".
Synopsis
10 The visible Universe is a little more than 10 years old - the best estimate is 15 billion 50 years. It contains approximately 10 tonnes of matter. Studying the ways in which this material is arranged, and the processes which shape it over time, provide the basis for the oldest science in the world: astronomy. Structures in space which have resulted from aeons of cosmic evolution combine immensity and delicacy in a way which gives astronomical photographs a rare aesthetic appeal. This book uses the artful astrophotography and electronic imaging of Michael Stecker to illustrate these structures, and to illuminate the descriptions and explanations from Bernard Abrams which surround them. Selections from the Stecker Files have been chosen for more detailed description, including matters of imaging technique, as we expect there will be active astrophotographers as well as armchair astronomers in our audience - both are most welcome. This selection was extremely difficult; all the images are worthy of such consideration while speaking eloquently for themselves.
Synopsis
Much is yet to be discovered about the fascinating large-scale structures of the universe. Bernard Abrams, former Director of the Deep-Sky section of the British Astronomical Association and Michael Stecker, a celebrated California-based astronomical photographer, explain what we currently know of the near and far universe and present some of the most spectacular astronomical photographs ever taken. The accompanying CD-ROM offers a veritable explosion of hundreds of beautiful color images that illustrate local and distant structures and galaxies.
Table of Contents
Introduction.- The Solar System (nature and contents, some notable objects/facts/theories).- A Spiral Arm (dark/ emission nebulae, open clusters, OB associations).- The Milky Way (distant open clusters, globular clusters, overall structure).- The Local Group of Galaxies (studies of M31, M33, and other local galaxies).- Distant Galaxies (the Hubble classification, evolution, collisions).- Galaxy Groups and Clusters (a selection; large-scale structure of the universe).- Michael Stecker - a pen portrait + CD ROM.