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A modular and highly visual approach to introductory astronomy
Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance takes students on a spectacular journey across the vast cosmos. The Universe at a Glance introduces the structure and nature of the universe while emphasizing both the latest scientific findings and the process of scientific discovery. This new book by trusted authors Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan reimagines their classic texts in a modularly organized, visual approach to learning. Here, the essential ideas, concepts, and discoveries of contemporary astronomy are presented in 15 chapters, each chapter composed of richly illustrated, two-page spreads designed to visually engage and instruct students.
Complete with spectacular graphics and concise, compelling chapters, The Universe at a Glance packs an immense amount of awe-inspiring insights into a brief modular volume. Uniting engaging prose, fascinating details, and easy-to-follow Learning Outcomes, this accessible account of astronomy is flexible and fun, an ideal complement to a dynamic introductory course. The text is integrated with MasteringAstronomy to create an unrivalled learning suite for students and instructors.
Personalize Learning with MasteringAstronomy®
MasteringAstronomy from Pearson is the leading online homework, tutorial, and assessment system, designed to improve results by engaging students before, during, and after class with powerful content. Instructors ensure students arrive ready to learn by assigning educationally effective content before class, and encourage critical thinking and retention with in-class resources such as Learning Catalytics. Students can further master concepts after class through traditional and adaptive homework assignments that provide hints and answer-specific feedback. The Mastering gradebook records scores for all automatically graded assignments in one place, while diagnostic tools give instructors access to rich data to assess student understanding and misconceptions.
Mastering brings learning full circle by continuously adapting to each student and making learning more personal than ever–before, during, and after class.
0321792998 / 9780321792990 Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance Plus MasteringAstronomy with eText -- Access Card Package, 1/e. Package consists of:
- 0321799763 / 9780321799760 Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance, 1/e
- 0321977432 / 9780321977434 MasteringAstronomy with Pearson eText -- ValuePack Access Card -- for Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance, 1/e
Synopsis
ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.
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Used or rental books
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Access codes
Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.
0321792998 / 9780321792990 Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance Plus MasteringAstronomy with eText -- Access Card Package
Package consists of:
0321799763 / 9780321799760 Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance
0321977432 / 9780321977434 MasteringAstronomy with Pearson eText -- ValuePack Access Card -- for Astronomy: The Universe at a Glance
About the Author
Eric Chaisson holds a doctorate in astrophysics from Harvard University, where he spent 10 years on the faculty of Arts and Sciences. For more than two decades thereafter, he served on the senior science staff at the Space Telescope Science Institute and held various professorships at Johns Hopkins and Tufts universities. He is now back at Harvard, where he teaches and conducts research at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Eric has written 12 books on astronomy and has published nearly 200 scientific papers in professional journals.
Steve McMillan holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics from Cambridge University and a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University, where he continued his research in theoretical astrophysics, star clusters, and high-performance computing. Steve is currently Distinguished Professor of Physics at Drexel University and a frequent visiting researcher at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study and Leiden University. He has published more than 100 articles and scientific papers in professional journals.
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Preface
1. The Night Sky
1.1 The Big Picture
1.2 The “Obvious” View
1.3 Earth’s Orbital Motion
1.4 The Motion of the Moon
1.5 Eclipses
1.6 The Scientific Method
2. Light and Telescopes
2.1 Radiation
2.2 The Electromagnetic Spectrum
2.3 The Radiation Laws
2.4 Spectroscopy
2.5 Atoms and Molecules
2.6 Optical Telescopes
2.7 Radio Telescopes
2.8 Space-Based Astronomy
3. The Solar System
3.1 Planetary Motion
3.2 Heliocentric Solar System
3.3 The Birth of Modern Astronomy
3.4 The Laws of Planetary Motion
3.5 Newton’s Laws
3.6 Measuring Our Planetary System
3.7 Solar System Overview
4. Earth And Its Moon
4.1 Bulk Properties of Earth and the Moon
4.2 The Moon and Tides
4.3 Inside Earth and the Moon
4.4 Earth’s Atmosphere
4.5 Surface Activity on Earth
4.6 The Surface of the Moon
4.7 Magnetospheres
5. The Eight Planets
5.1 Surfaces of the Terrestrial Planets
5.2 Water on the Terrestrial Worlds
5.3 Terrestrial Atmospheres
5.4 Jovian Atmospheres
5.5 Water in the Outer Solar System
5.6 Planetary Interiors
5.7 Jovian Magnetic Fields
6. Small Bodies In The Solar System
6.1 The Galilean Moons of Jupiter
6.2 Io: A Moon of Volcanoes
6.3 Moons of the Outer Jovian Planets
6.4 The Medium-Size Jovian Moons
6.5 Saturn’s Rings
6.6 Formation of Planetary Rings
6.7 Interplanetary Debris
6.8 Beyond Neptune
7. Formation of Planetary Systems
7.1 Formation of Planetary Systems
7.2 Planetesimals and Protoplanets
7.3 Formation of the Jovian Planets
7.4 Searching for Extrasolar Planets
7.5 Exoplanet Properties
7.6 Is Our Solar System Unusual?
8. The Sun
8.1 Properties of the Sun
8.2 The Solar Interior
8.3 Energy Transport in the Sun
8.4 The Solar Atmosphere
8.5 Sunspots
8.6 The Active Sun
8.7 Solar Energy
8.8 Solar Neutrinos
9. Measuring The Stars
9.1 The Solar Neighborhood
9.2 Stellar Luminosities
9.3 Stellar Temperatures
9.4 Stellar Sizes
9.5 The Hertzsprung—Russell Diagram
9.6 Extending the Cosmic Distance Scale
9.7 Stellar Masses
10. Star Formation and Evolution
10.1 Interstellar Matter
10.2 Theory of Star Formation
10.3 Observations of Star Formation
10.4 Evolution of a Sun-like Star
10.5 Red Giants, White Dwarfs
10.6 Stars More Massive than the Sun
10.7 Star Clusters
11. Stellar Explosions
11.1 Novae
11.2 Supernovae
11.3 Supernova Remnants
11.4 Formation of the Heaviest Elements
11.5 Neutron Stars and Pulsars
11.6 Gamma-Ray Bursts
11.7 The Cycle of Stellar Evolution
12. Black Holes
12.1 Gravitational Collapse
12.2 Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
12.3 A New View of Gravity
12.4 Curved Spacetime
12.5 Space Travel Near Black Holes 212
12.6 Observational Evidence for Black Holes
13. The Milky Way Galaxy
13.1 Our Parent Galaxy
13.2 The Size and Shape of the Milky Way
13.3 Surveying the Milky Way
13.4 Formation of the Milky Way
13.5 Galactic Spiral Arms
13.6 The Mass of the Galaxy
13.7 The Galactic Center
14. Galaxies
14.1 Observations of Normal Galaxies
14.2 Maps of Galaxies in Space
14.3 Galaxy Collisions
14.4 Hubble’s Law
14.5 Active Galaxies
14.6 Supermassive Black Holes
14.7 Dark Matter
14.8 Galaxy Origin and Evolution
15. Cosmology and The Universe
15.1 The Universe on the Largest Scales
15.2 The Expanding Universe
15.3 The Fate of the Cosmos
15.4 Cosmic Microwave Background
15.5 The Early Universe
15.6 Cosmic Inflation
15.7 Formation of Large-Scale Structure
Appendices
Appendix 1. Scientific Notation
Appendix 2. Astronomical Measurement
Appendix 3. Tables
Glossary
Answers to End-of-Chapter Questions
Answers to True/False and Multiple Choice Questions
Photo Credits/Text Permissions
Index