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Copyright, ii
Preface, ix
About the Authors, xviii
How to Succeed in Your Astronomy Course, xx
Foreword: The Meaning of the Cosmic Perspective, xxii
Part I. developing perspective, 1
1. our place in the universe, 1
Learning Goals, 1
1.1. Our Modern View of the Universe, 2
Basic Astronomical Objects, Units, and Motions, 5
cosmic context: Figure 1.2. Our Cosmic Origins, 6
cosmic calculations 1.1: How Far Is a Light-Year?, 8
common misconceptions: The Meaning of a Light-Year, 8
1.2. The Scale of the Universe, 10
special topic: How Many Planets Are There in Our Solar System?, 11
common misconceptions: Confusing Very Different Things, 13
1.3. Spaceship Earth, 15
The Big Picture, 21
Summary of Key Concepts, 21
Exercises and Problems, 22
Visual Skills Check, 25
2. discovering the universe for yourself, 26
Learning Goals, 26
2.1. Patterns in the Night Sky, 27
common misconceptions: The Moon Illusion, 30
cosmic calculations 2.1: Angular Size, Physical Size, and Distance, 31
common misconceptions: What Makes the North Star Special?, 33
common misconceptions: Stars in the Daytime, 34
2.2. The Reason for Seasons, 34
common misconceptions: The Cause of Seasons, 35
special topic: How Long Is a Day?, 35
cosmic context: Figure 2.13. The Seasons, 36
common misconceptions: High Noon, 39
common misconceptions: Sun Signs, 41
2.3. The Moon, Our Constant Companion, 42
common misconceptions: Moon in the Daytime, 43
common misconceptions: The “Dark Side” of the Moon, 44
2.4. The Ancient Mystery of the Planets, 48
The Big Picture, 51
Summary of Key Concepts, 52
Exercises and Problems, 53
Visual Skills Check, 55
3. the science of astronomy, 56
Learning Goals, 56
3.1. The Ancient Roots of Science, 57
3.2. Ancient Greek Science, 61
common misconceptions: Columbus and a Flat Earth, 62
cosmic calculations 3.1: Eratosthenes Measures Earth, 64
3.3. The Copernican Revolution, 64
cosmic calculations 3.2: Kepler’s Third Law, 68
3.4. The Nature of Science, 70
cosmic context: Figure 3.22. The Copernican Revolution, 74
common misconceptions: Eggs on the Equinox, 76
special topic: Astrology, 77
The Big Picture, 78
Summary of Key Concepts, 78
Exercises and Problems, 79
Visual Skills Check, 81
cosmic context: Part I at a Glance. Our Expanding Perspective, 82
Part II. key concepts for astronomy, 84
4. making sense of the universe: understanding motion, energy, and gravity, 84
Learning Goals, 84
4.1. Describing Motion: Examples from Daily Life, 85
4.2. Newton’s Laws of Motion, 89
common misconceptions: No Gravity in Space?, 89
common misconceptions: What Makes a Rocket Launch?, 92
4.3. Conservation Laws in Astronomy, 92
4.4. The Force of Gravity, 98
cosmic calculations 4.1: Newton’s Version of Kepler’s Third Law, 100
common misconceptions: The Origin of Tides, 102
special topic: Why Does the Moon Always Show the Same Face to Earth?, 103
The Big Picture, 105
Summary of Key Concepts, 105
Exercises and Problems, 106
Visual Skills Check, 109
5. light: the cosmic messenger, 110
Learning Goals, 110
5.1. Basic Properties of Light and Matter, 111
common misconceptions: Is Radiation Dangerous?, 114
common misconceptions: Can You Hear Radio or See an X Ray?, 114
common misconceptions: The Illusion of Solidity, 116
5.2. Learning from Light, 117
cosmic calculations 5.1: Laws of Thermal Radiation, 123
cosmic calculations 5.2: The Doppler Shift, 124
5.3. Collecting Light with Telescopes, 125
cosmic context: Figure 5.16. Interpreting a Spectrum, 126
common misconceptions: Magnification and Telescopes, 128
special topic: Would You Like Your Own Telescope?, 131
common misconceptions: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, 132
common misconceptions: Closer to the Stars?, 133
The Big Picture, 135
Summary of Key Concepts, 135
Exercises and Problems, 136
Visual Skills Check, 139
cosmic context: Part II at a Glance. The Universality of Physics, 140
Part III. learning from other worlds, 142
6. formation of planetary systems: our solar system and beyond, 142
Learning Goals, 142
6.1. A Brief Tour of the Solar System, 143
cosmic context: Figure 6.1. The Solar System, 144
6.2. Clues to the Formation of Our Solar System, 157
6.3. The Birth of the Solar System, 160
6.4. The Formation of Planets, 164
common misconceptions: Solar Gravity and the Density of Planets, 165
6.5. Other Planetary Systems, 173
cosmic calculations 6.1: Radiometric Dating, 173
cosmic context: Figure 6.31. Detecting Extrasolar Planets, 178
The Big Picture, 183
Summary of Key Concepts, 183
Exercises and Problems, 184
Visual Skills Check, 187
7. earth and the terrestrial worlds, 188
Learning Goals, 188
7.1. Earth as a Planet, 189
cosmic calculations 7.1: The Surface Area–to–Volume Ratio, 192
common misconceptions: Earth Is Not Full of Molten Lava, 193
special topic: How Do We Know What’s Inside Earth?, 193
common misconceptions: Why Is the Sky Blue?, 198
7.2. The Moon and Mercury: Geologically Dead, 200
7.3. Mars: A Victim of Planetary Freeze-Drying, 203
7.4. Venus: A Hothouse World, 211
7.5. Earth as a Living Planet, 216
common misconceptions: The Greenhouse Effect Is Bad, 220
cosmic context: Figure 7.45. Global Warming, 222
The Big Picture, 226
Summary of Key Concepts, 227
Exercises and Problems, 228
Visual Skills Check, 231
8. jovian planet systems, 232
Learning Goals, 232
8.1. A Different Kind of Planet, 233
8.2. A Wealth of Worlds: Satellites of Ice and Rock, 241
8.3. Jovian Planet Rings, 250
The Big Picture, 253
Summary of Key Concepts, 254
Exercises and Problems, 255
Visual Skills Check, 257
9. asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets: their nature, orbits, and impacts, 258
Learning Goals, 258
9.1. Asteroids and Meteorites, 259
common misconceptions: Dodge Those Asteroids!, 261
9.2. Comets, 263
9.3. Pluto: Lone Dog No More, 268
9.4. Cosmic Collisions: Small Bodies versus the Planets, 272
The Big Picture, 277
Summary of Key Concepts, 278
Exercises and Problems, 279
Visual Skills Check, 281
cosmic context: Part III at a Glance. Learning from Other Worlds, 282
Part IV. stars, 284
10. our star, 284
Learning Goals, 284
10.1. A Closer Look at the Sun, 285
common misconceptions: The Sun Is Not on Fire, 288
10.2. Nuclear Fusion in the Sun, 289
cosmic calculations 10.1: The Ideal Gas Law, 290
10.3. The Sun–Earth Connection, 295
The Big Picture, 301
Summary of Key Concepts, 302
Exercises and Problems, 303
Visual Skills Check, 305
11. surveying the stars, 306
Learning Goals, 306
11.1. Properties of Stars, 307
cosmic calculations 11.1: The Inverse Square Law for Light, 309
common misconceptions: Photos of Stars, 310
11.2. Patterns Among Stars, 315
cosmic calculations 11.2: Radius of a Star, 317
cosmic context: Figure 11.10. Reading an H-R Diagram, 318
11.3. Star Clusters, 323
The Big Picture, 326
Summary of Key Concepts, 327
Exercises and Problems, 328
Visual Skills Check, 330
12. star stuff, 331
Learning Goals, 331
12.1. Star Birth, 332
cosmic calculations 12.1: Conditions for Star Birth, 333
12.2. Life as a Low-Mass Star, 339
special topic: How Long Is 5 Billion Years?, 344
12.3. Life as a High-Mass Star, 346
12.4. Summary of Stellar Lives, 352
cosmic context: Figure 12.22. Summary of Stellar Lives, 354
The Big Picture, 356
Summary of Key Concepts, 357
Exercises and Problems, 358
Visual Skills Check, 360
13. the bizarre stellar graveyard, 361
Learning Goals, 361
13.1. White Dwarfs, 362
special topic: Relativity and the Cosmic Speed Limit, 364
13.2. Neutron Stars, 367
special topic: General Relativity and Curvature of Spacetime, 371
13.3. Black Holes: Gravity’s Ultimate Victory, 371
cosmic calculations 13.1: The Schwarzschild Radius, 373
common misconceptions: Black Holes Don’t Suck, 375
13.4. The Origin of Gamma-Ray Bursts, 377
The Big Picture, 379
Summary of Key Concepts, 380
Exercises and Problems, 381
Visual Skills Check, 383
cosmic context: Part IV at a Glance. Balancing Pressure and Gravity, 384
Part V. galaxies and beyond, 386
14. our galaxy, 386
Learning Goals, 386
14.1. The Milky Way Revealed, 387
special topic: How Did We Learn the Structure of the Milky Way?, 388
special topic: How Do We Determine Stellar Orbits?, 390
cosmic calculations 14.1: The Orbital Velocity Law, 391
14.2. Galactic Recycling, 391
common misconceptions: The Sound of Space, 395
common misconceptions: What Is a Nebula?, 400
14.3. The History of the Milky Way, 401
14.4. The Mysterious Galactic Center, 404
The Big Picture, 405
Summary of Key Concepts, 406
Exercises and Problems, 407
Visual Skills Check, 409
15. galaxies and the foundation of modern cosmology, 410
Learning Goals, 410
15.1. Islands of Stars, 411
15.2. Distances of Galaxies, 416
cosmic calculations 15.1: Standard Candles, 417
cosmic calculations 15.2: Hubble’s Law, 421
common misconceptions: Beyond the Horizon, 425
15.3. Galaxy Evolution, 426
15.4. Quasars and Other Active Galactic Nuclei, 431
The Big Picture, 437
Summary of Key Concepts, 438
Exercises and Problems, 439
Visual Skills Check, 442
16. dark matter, dark energy, and the fate of the universe, 443
Learning Goals, 443
16.1. Unseen Influences in the Cosmos, 444
16.2. Evidence for Dark Matter, 446
cosmic calculations 16.1: Mass-to-Light Ratio, 448
special topic: Pioneers of Science, 449
16.3. Structure Formation, 455
16.4. The Universe’s Fate, 458
special topic: What Did Einstein Consider His Greatest Blunder?, 461
The Big Picture, 463
cosmic context: Figure 16.17. Dark Matter and Dark Energy, 464
Summary of Key Concepts, 466
Exercises and Problems, 467
Visual Skills Check, 469
17. the beginning of time, 470
Learning Goals, 470
17.1. The Big Bang, 471
cosmic context: Figure 17.5. The Early Universe, 478
17.2. Evidence for the Big Bang, 480
cosmic calculations 17.1: Temperature of Background Radiation, 483
special topic: The Steady State Universe, 483
17.3. The Big Bang and Inflation, 485
17.4. Observing the Big Bang for Yourself, 490
special topic: How Will the Universe End?, 492
The Big Picture, 493
Summary of Key Concepts, 494
Exercises and Problems, 495
Visual Skills Check, 497
cosmic context: Part V at a Glance. Galaxy Evolution, 498
Part VI. life on earth and beyond, 500
18. life in the universe, 500
Learning Goals, 500
18.1. Life on Earth, 501
special topic: What Is Life?, 507
18.2. Life in the Solar System, 510
18.3. Life Around Other Stars, 513
18.4. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, 519
special topic: Are Aliens Already Here?, 523
18.5. Interstellar Travel and Its Implications to Civilization, 524
The Big Picture, 529
Summary of Key Concepts, 529
Exercises and Problems, 530
Visual Skills Check, 533
cosmic context: Part VI at a Glance. A Universe of Life?, 534
Appendixes, A-1
A. useful numbers, A-2
B. useful formulas, A-3
C. a few mathematical skills, A-4
D. the periodic table of elements, A-13
E. planetary data, A-14
F. stellar data, A-20
G. galaxy data, A-22
H. selected astronomical Web sites, A-25
I. the 88 constellations, A-28
J. star charts, A-31
K. solutions to visual skills checks, A-36
glossary, G-1
credits and acknowledgments, C-1
index, I-1

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