Frontmatter Introduction
Contents Overview
Contents
Preface
About the Authors
Part I
Chapter Introduction
Scales of the Universe
Patterns of Stars
Earthly Cycles
Eclipses
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Science: Key to Comprehending the Cosmos
Changing our Earth-Centered View of the Universe
Kepler’s and Newton’s Laws
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
The Nature of Light
Optics and Telescopes
Nonoptical Astronomy
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Blackbody Radiation
Identifying the Elements by Analyzing their Unique Spectra
Atoms and Spectra
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Part II
Chapter Introduction
The Solar System Contains Heavy Elements, Formed From an Earlier Generation of Stars
Comparative Planetology
Exoplanets—Planets Outside Our Solar System
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Earth: A Dynamic, Vital World
The Moon and Tides
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Comparative Planetology of the Inner Planets
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Jupiter
Jupiter’s Moons and Rings
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Comparative Planetology of the Outer Planets
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Dwarf Planets
Small Solar System Bodies
Asteroids
Comets
Meteoroids, Meteors, and Meteorites
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
The Sun’s Atmosphere
The Active Sun
The Sun’s Interior
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Part III
Chapter Introduction
Magnitude Scales
The Temperatures of Stars
Types of Stars
Stellar Masses
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Protostars and Pre–Main-Sequence Stars
Main-Sequence and Giant Stars
Evolution of Stars with Masses Between 0.08 M⊙ and 0.4 M⊙
Early and Middle Evolution of Stars with more than 0.4 M⊙
Variable Stars
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Low-Mass (0.4 M⊙–8 M⊙) Stars and Planetary Nebulae
High-Mass (Greater than 8 M⊙) Stars and Type II Supernovae
Neutron Stars and Pulsars
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
The Relativity Theories
Inside a Black Hole
Evidence for Black Holes
Gamma-Ray Bursts
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Part IV
Chapter Introduction
Defining the Milky Way
The Structure of Our Galaxy and Our Place In It
Mysteries at The Galactic Fringes
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Types of Galaxies
Clusters and Superclusters
Superclusters in Motion
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Quasars
Other Active Galaxies
Supermassive Engines
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
The Big Bang
A Brief History of Spacetime, Matter, Energy, and Everything
The Fate of the Universe
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Chapter Introduction
Astrobiology connects the cosmos and the origins of life
The existence of life depends on chemical and physical properties of matter
Evidence is mounting that life might exist elsewhere in our solar system
Searches for advanced civilizations try to detect their radio signals
The Drake equation: How many civilizations are likely to exist in the Milky Way?
Humans have been sending signals into space for more than a century
Frontiers yet to be discovered
Summary of Key Ideas
Key Terms for Review
Appendix A: Powers-of-Ten Notation
Appendix B: Guidelines for Solving Math Problems and Reading Graphs
Appendix C: Key Formulas
Appendix D: Temperature Scales
Appendix E: Data Tables
Appendix F: Periodic Table of The Elements
Appendix G: Largest Optical Telescopes in The World
Appendix H: Buying A Telescope
ANSWERS TO COMPUTATIONAL, GOT IT?, AND SELECT MARGIN QUESTIONS
Starcharts
Index Introduction