Here are a few examples of how this text has stayed current:
Electronic Media Integration
Planetarium Exercises at the end of most chapters
Group Exercises at the end of all chapters
Temperature Conversion Chart (Appendix 3)
Periodic Table of the Elements (Appendix 4)
Digital Content Manager CD-ROM for Instructors
Essential Study Partner CD-ROM for students
Constellation Quiz on the Essential Study Partner CDROM and Online Learning Center
Six Interactives on the Essential Study Partner CDROM and Online Learning Center
Links to The New York Times astronomy articles via the Online Learning Center
Updated information on new, large telescopes (Chapter 6)
New Mars images from Mars Global Surveyor and their implications for water on Mars (Chapter 11)
New images of Jupiter (Chapter 12) and its satellites (Chapter 14)
New data on the Kuiper belt and NEAR-Shoemaker landing on Eros (Chapter 17)
Revised discussion of distant supernovae and the acceleration of expansion (Chapter 26)
More than 75 images have been replaced with current and up-to-date images.
I hope that all the explanations and descriptions in the book will not obscure the awe and sense of wonder that all astronomers feel when they pause in their work and think about the beauty of the universe. People have felt that awe since prehistory and our wonderment has increased as we understand more about the order and underlying structure of the universe. If this book helps its readers to value both the sheer beauty of planets, stars, and galaxies and the equally beautiful principles that organize the universe, it will be a success.
I would be grateful for any suggestions and advice for improving this book. If you have any ideas to offer, please contact me at the Department of Physics, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, 35899, or by e-mail at fixj@uah.edu.
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2004 McGraw-Hill Higher Education