About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherNorton & Company, Incorporated, w. w.

ISBN-100393924432

ISBN-139780393924435

eBay Product ID (ePID)53727892

Product Key Features

Number of Pages762 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Name21st Century Astronomy

SubjectAstronomy

Publication Year2006

TypeTextbook

AuthorDavid Burstein, Ronald Greeley, George Blumenthal, Jeff Hester

Subject AreaScience

FormatPerfect

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight57.2 Oz

Item Length10.9 in

Item Width9.1 in

Additional Product Features

Edition Number2

Intended AudienceCollege Audience

LCCN2006-047240

Dewey Edition21

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal520

Table Of ContentPart I: Introduction To Astronomy Chapter 1: Why Learn Astronomy? A "Bending Your Brain into Shape" section introduces origins asa theme and emphasizes how important it is for students to read thetext actively, share ideas, and focus on relationships andconnections. Chapter 2: Patterns in of the Sky -- Motions of the Earth Earth\''s motions and the consequences of its axial tilt, themotion and phases of the moon, the Coriolis effect and eclipses areall discussed in this chapter. Chapter 3: Gravity and Orbits -- A Celestial Ballet This chapter covers Kepler and Newton and how they formulatedthe laws that govern the motions of the planets. Chapter 4: Light This chapter introduces students to all forms of radiation, andto how the finite speed of light leads us to Einstein\''s specialtheory of relativity. NEW Chapter 5: The Tools of the Astronomer Here the authors explain how astronomers use telescopes andother instruments, with coverage of optical and radio telescopes,detectors and instrumentation, neutrino and gravity wave detectors,airborne and orbiting observatories, planetary spacecraft,high-energy colliders, and high-speed computers. Part II: The Solar System Chapter 6: A Brief History of the Solar System This chapter discusses the formation of the Solar System beforediscussing the planets themselves, helping students understand theplanets in the context of how they formed. Chapter 7: The Terrestrial Planets and Earth\''s Moon A comparative analysis of the solid rocky worlds yields lessonsabout what shapes a planet\''s fate -- and covers impacts,tectonism, volcanism, and gradation. Chapter 8: Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Planets This chapter includes a new section on how convection can createsevere weather. Chapter 9: Worlds of Gas -- The Giant Planets This chapter discusses the gas giants and the ice giants of theouter Solar System. Chapter 10: Gravity Is More Than Kepler\''s Laws This chapter on gravity -- including coverage of tidalinteractions, orbital resonances, chaos, and more -- appears laterin the book in order to give students a break from the extensivephysics coverage in Part I and to lay the groundwork for the moredifficult concepts in Part II. Chapter 11: Planetary Moons And Rings, and Pluto Most of Chapters 11 and 12 is devoted to the smaller bodies ofthe Solar System, including coverage of 2003 UB313. Chapter 12: Asteroids, Meteorites, Comets, and Other Debris This chapter covers the wide variety of interplanetarydebris. Part III: Stars And Stellar Evolution Chapter 13: Taking the Measure of Stars This chapter discusses distance, brightness, and the compositionof stars in general before leading students through the specificsof our nearest star, the Sun. Chapter 14: A Run-of-the-Mill G Dwarf: Our Sun This chapter looks at the structure and activity of our localstar, the sun. Chapter 15: Star Formation And The Interstellar Medium The various components of the interstellar medium are discussedhere, along with the process through which it gives birth tostars. Chapter 16: Stars In The Slow Lane This chapter covers the evolution of low-mass stars. Chapter 17: Live Fast, Die Young The evolution of massive stars, the chemical composition of theuniverse, and general relativity are discussed here. Part IV: Galaxies, The Universe, And Cosmology Chapter 18: Galaxies In this chapter, the authors provide a clear explanation ofgalaxies in general before going into detail about our own galaxy,the Milky Way. Chapter 19: The Milky Way -- A Normal Spiral Galaxy We learn how we can measure the size of the Milky Way, map itsstructure, and study its development. Chapter 20: Our Expanding Universe This chapter focuses on the evolution, shape, and future of theuniverse. Chapter 21: The Origin of Structure This chapter explores the science behind the origin andstructure of the universe, how life has evolved on this planet, andthe possibility of life elsewhere. Epilogue: We Are Stardust in Human Form

SynopsisThe Second Edition of 21st Century Astronomy reaffirms itsstatus as the most current and authoritative text for introductorycourses. Written by a team of specialists who are also experiencedteachers, this accessible text fosters scientific literacy byrelating core concepts in modern astronomy to the real-worldprocess of science. Retaining the lively prose and narrative styleof the previous edition, the text now offers improved pedagogy, anexpanded art program, and dynamic new multimedia tools for studentsand instructors. The text is also now available in a comprehensiveone-volume edition, a flexible ebook format, or two separatevolumes, one focusing on the solar system and the other focusing onstars and galaxies. Highlights The most up-to-date and authoritative introductory text. With six experienced teachers on the author team, each specializingin a different area of astronomy, 21st Century Astronomy continuesto provide the most current and authoritative coverage in thefield. Among other recent discoveries, the Second Edition includescoverage of 2003 UB313 and the many recently documented extrasolarbodies. Fosters scientific literacy by emphasizing the scientificprocess. 21st Century Astronomy enables students to grasp the core conceptsof modern astronomy by emphasizing the scientific process throughwhich astronomers make observations and interpret their findings.Integrated throughout, this emphasis shows students how scientificprinciples are developed through the trial-and-error process ofdiscovery and research. Expanded art program and pedagogy reinforce core concepts. 21st Century Astronomy\'s acclaimed four-color art program has beenexpanded for the Second Edition, with over 150 new photographs andfigures. The Second Edition also offers improved pedagogicalfeatures: Annotated figures offer visual cues to help students focus onthe essential principles being conveyed. Key Concepts boxes at the beginning of each chapter call attentionto important topics, while new end-of-chapter Summaries reinforcethese topics. Key Idea statements, throughout each chapter, draw students\'attention to important concepts as they read. Seeing the Forest Through the Trees sections conclude each chapterby linking the chapter\'s key concepts to the larger themes. Review Questions at the end of each chapter have been expanded, andKey Term lists have been added. Inviting narrative style emphasizes the dynamic "story" of scienceand modern astronomy. Avoiding the dry, encyclopedic style of other texts, 21st CenturyAstronomy engages students by focusing on the dynamic narratives ofscientific discovery. Each chapter presents theories and conceptsby telling their "story": explaining how and when they weredeveloped, how they are related to fundamental scientificprinciples, and how they are connected to other astronomicaltheories and concepts covered in the text. New multimedia tools for instructors and students. The Second Edition features an exceptional multimedia program,including the SmartWork homework management system to help studentsreview and hone their math skills, an extensive student website(StudySpace) for reviewing important concepts, a brand-new set ofinteractive animations, and the Starry Night Enthusiast 5.0 CD-ROMand Workbook. Instructors will have access to full-color lecturepresentations, test banks, course cartridges for WebCT andBlackBoard, and more., Written by a team of specialists who are also experienced teachers, this accessible text fosters scientific literacy by relating core concepts in modern astronomy to the real-world process of science. Retaining the lively prose and narrative style of the previous edition, the text now offers improved pedagogy, an expanded art program, and dynamic new multimedia tools for students and instructors. The text is also now available in a comprehensive one-volume edition, a flexible ebook format, or two separate volumes, one focusing on the solar system and the other focusing on stars and galaxies., This extraordinarily readable, cohesive text presents twenty-first century astronomy as a dynamic story of theory building and theory testing, as a fascinating process of observation and discovery. The authors' primary goal is to build students' scientific literacy by emphasizing how science works and why it is relevant, rather than by cataloging a large mass of individual details. With a clear focus on core concepts and carefully crafted pedagogical aids, "21st Century Astronomy" chronicles scientists at work on the most important questions about the Universe, highlighting the excitement of making new discoveries and the puzzlement created by new lines of inquiry. ""One of the most exciting things about astronomy is that sometimes you get up in the morning and discover that we know fundamental things about the Universe that we didn't know the day before. The recent release of the results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite observatory are one of those historical moments.""-- Jeff Hester, The Second Edition of 21st Century Astronomy reaffirms its status as the most current and authoritative text for introductory courses.

LC Classification NumberQB45.2.A14 2006