Cosmic Perspective, The, 5th Edition

PART I DEVELOPING PERSPECTIVE

 

1 Our Place in the Universe

 

1.1 Our Modern View of the Universe

 

1.2 The Scale of the Universe

 

1.3 Spaceship Earth

 

1.4 The Human Adventure of Astronomy

 

2 Discovering the Universe for Yourself

 

2.1 Patterns in the Night Sky

 

2.2 The Reason for Seasons

 

2.3 The Moon, Our Constant Companion

 

2.4 The Ancient Mystery of the Planets

 

3 The Science of Astronomy

 

3.1 The Ancient Roots of Science

 

3.2 Ancient Greek Science

 

3.3 The Copernican Revolution

 

3.4 The Nature of Science

 

3.5 Astrology

 

S1 Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation

 

S1.1 Astronomical Time Periods

 

S1.2 Celestial Coordinates and Motion in the Sky

 

S1.3 Principles of Celestial Navigation

 

PART II KEY CONCEPTS FOR ASTRONOMY

 

4 Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

 

4.1 Describing Motion: Examples from Daily Life

 

4.2 Newton’s Laws of Motion

 

4.3 Conservation Laws in Astronomy

 

4.4 The Universal Law of Gravitation

 

4.5 Orbits, Tides, and the Acceleration of Gravity

 

5 Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos

 

5.1 Light in Everyday Life

 

5.2 Properties of Light

 

5.3 Properties of Matter

 

5.4 Learning from Light

 

5.5 The Doppler Shift

 

6 Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

 

6.1 Eyes and Cameras: Everyday Light Sensors

 

6.2 Telescopes: Giant Eyes

 

6.3 Telescopes and the Atmosphere

 

6.4 Telescopes and Technology

 

PART III LEARNING FROM OTHER WORLDS

 

7 Our Solar System

 

7.1 Studying the Solar System

 

7.2 Patterns in the Solar System

 

7.3 Spacecraft Exploration of the Solar System

 

8 Formation of the Solar System

 

8.1 The Search for Origins

 

8.2 The Birth of the Solar System

 

8.3 The Formation of Planets

 

8.4 The Aftermath of Planet Formation

 

8.5 The Age of the Solar System

 

9 Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

 

9.1 Connecting Planetary Interiors and Surfaces

 

9.2 Shaping Planetary Surfaces

 

9.3 Geology of the Moon and Mercury

 

9.4 Geology of Mars

 

9.5 Geology of Venus

 

9.6 The Unique Geology of Earth

 

10 Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds

 

10.1 Atmospheric Basics

 

10.2 Weather and Climate

 

10.3 Atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury

 

10.4 The Atmospheric History of Mars

 

10.5 The Atmospheric History of Venus

 

10.6 Earth’s Unique Atmosphere

 

11 Jovian Planet Systems

 

11.1 A Different Kind of Planet

 

11.2 A Wealth of Worlds: Satellites of Ice and Rock

 

11.3 Jovian Planet Rings

 

12 Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets: Their Nature, Orbits, and Impacts

 

12.1 Asteroids and Meteorites

 

12.2 Comets

 

12.3 Pluto: Lone Dog No More

 

12.4 Cosmic Collisions: Small Bodies Versus the Planets

 

13 Other Planetary Systems: The New Science of Distant Worlds

 

13.1 Detecting  Extrasolar Planets

 

13.2 The Nature of Extrasolar Planets

 

13.3 The Formation of Other Solar Systems

 

13.4 Finding More New Worlds

 

PART IV A DEEPER LOOK AT NATURE

 

S2 Space and Time

 

S2.1 Einstein’s Revolution

 

S2.2 Relative Motion

 

S2.3 The Reality of Space and Time

 

S2.4 Toward a New Common Sense

 

S3 Spacetime and Gravity

 

S3.1 Einstein’s Second Revolution

 

S3.2 Understanding Spacetime

 

S3.3 A New View of Gravity

 

S3.4 Testing Special Relativity

 

S3.5 Hyperspace, Wormholes, and Warp Drive

 

S3.6 The Last Word

 

S4 Building Blocks of the Universe

 

S4.1 The Quantum Revolution

 

S4.2 Fundamental Particles and Forces

 

S4.3 Uncertainty and Exclusion in the Quantum Realm

 

S4.4 Key Quantum Effects in Astronomy

 

PART V STELLAR ALCHEMY

 

14 Our Star

 

14.1 A Closer Look at the Sun

 

14.2 The Cosmic Crucible

 

14.3 The Sun-Earth Connection

 

15 Surveying the Stars

 

15.1 Properties of Stars

 

15.2 Patterns Among Stars

 

15.3 Star Clusters

 

16 Star Birth

 

16.1 Stellar Nurseries

 

16.2 Stages of Star Birth

 

16.3 Masses of Newborn Stars

 

17 Star Stuff

 

17.1 Lives in the Balance

 

17.2 Life as a Low-Mass Star

 

17.3 Life as a High-Mass Star

 

17.4 The Roles of Mass and Mass Exchange

 

18 The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

 

18.1 White Dwarfs

 

18.2 Neutron Stars

 

18.3 Black Holes: Gravity’s Ultimate Victory

 

18.4 The Mystery of Gamma-Ray Bursts

 

PART VI GALAXIES AND BEYOND

 

19 Our Galaxy

 

19.1 The Milky Way Revealed

 

19.2 Galactic Recycling

 

19.3 History of the Milky Way

 

19.4 The Mysterious Galactic Center

 

20 Galaxies and the Foundation of Modern Cosmology

 

20.1 Islands of Stars

 

20.2 Measuring Galactic Distances

 

20.3 Hubble's Law

 

21 Galaxy Evolution

 

21.1 Looking Back Through Time

 

21.2 The Lives of Galaxies

 

21.3 Quasars and Other Active Galactic Nuclei

 

22 Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

 

22.1 Unseen Influences in the Cosmos

 

22.2 Evidence for Dark Matter

 

22.3 Structure Formation

 

22.4 The Fate of the Universe

 

23 The Beginning of Time

 

23.1 The Big Bang

 

23.2 Evidence for the Big Bang

 

23.3 The Big Bang and Inflation

 

23.4 Observing the Big Bang for Yourself

 

PART VI LIFE ON EARTH AND BEYOND

 

24 Life in the Universe

 

24.1 Life on Earth

 

24.2 Life in the Solar System

 

24.3 Life Around other Stars

 

24.4 The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

 

24.5 Interstellar Travel and Its Implications to Civilization