Contents
Foreword
Preface

Part 1 The Journey Begins
Chapter 1
- Journey’s Start
Evening
The Moving Sky
The Terrestrial Coordinate System
The Celestial Sphere
Angles
The Horizon System
2 A.M.

Chapter 2
- Patterns in the Sky
The Daily Motion of the Sky
The Apparent Motion of the Sun
    The Seasons
    Time
The Phases of the Moon
The Motion of the Moon
The Motions of the Planets 

Chapter 3
- Ancient Astronomy
Mesopotamian Astronomy
Egyptian Astronomy
Early Greek Astronomy
    The Astronomers of Miletus
    Pythagoras and His Students
    Eudoxus
    Aristotle
Later Greek Astronomy
    Aristarchus
    Eratosthenes
    Hipparchus
    Ptolemy
Chinese and Mesoamerican Astronomy
   Chinese Astronomy
   Mesoamerican Astronomy

Chapter 4
- Renaissance Astronomy
Astronomy After Ptolemy
   Islamic Astronomy
The Rebirth of Astronomy in Europe Copernicus
   The Heliocentric Model
Tycho Brahe—The Great Observer
Kepler and Planetary Orbits
   Kepler’s First Law
   Kepler’s Second Law
   Kepler’s Third Law
Galileo and the Telescope
   The Observations
   The Dialogue

Chapter 5
- Gravity and Motion
Force and Motion Before Newton
   Galileo’s Experiments
   Descartes and Inertial Motion
Planetary Motion Before Newton
   Kepler’s Explanation
   Robert Hooke
Isaac Newton
   The Laws of Motion
   Gravity
   Newton’s Analysis
   The Apple and the Moon
   The Law of Gravitation
   Elliptical Orbits
   Force at a Distance
Orbital Energy and Speed
   Orbital Speed
   Escape Velocity
   The Four Kinds of Trajectories
Tides
   Differences in Gravity
   Solid Earth Tides
   Ocean Tides

Chapter 6
Light and Telescopes
Waves
Electromagnetic Waves
   The Spectrum
   The Doppler Effect
   Photons
Reflection and Refraction
   Reflection
   Refraction
   Dispersion
Optical Telescopes
   Refractors
   Reflectors
   Forming an Image
   Detectors
   Notable Optical Telescopes
Optical Observatories
   Modern Observatories
Space Observatories
   Optical Observations
   Infrared and Ultraviolet Observations
   X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Observations
Radio Telescopes
   Radio Interferometry

Part 2 Journey Through the Solar System
Chapter 7
- Overview of the Solar System
Solar System Inventory
   The Abundance of the Elements
Gases
   Atoms in Motion
   Density and Pressure
Radiation and Matter
   Blackbody Radiation
   Thermal Equilibrium
   Temperatures in the Solar System
Nuclear Reactions and Radioactivity
   Nuclei and Nuclear Particles
   Nuclear Reactions
   Radioactivity
Internal Heat in Planets
   Radioactive Heating
   Accretional Heating
   Flow of Heat
Planetology

Chapter 8
- The Earth
Rotation and Revolution
   Aberration
   The Foucault Pendulum
   “Centrifugal Force,”
   Coriolis Effect 
Surface
   The Age of the Earth and Its Rocks
   Minerals and Rocks
   Oceans and Continents
Interior
   Probing the Interior
   Internal Structure
   Plate Tectonics
Atmosphere
   Composition
   Thermal Structure
   Human Changes
Magnetosphere
   Van Allen Belts
   Structure of Magnetosphere
Evolution of the Earth
   Development of the Core
   Oceans
   Atmosphere

Chapter 9
- The Moon
Revolution and Rotation
   The Month
   Synchronous Rotation
   The Orbit and Size of the Moon
   Eclipses
   Eclipses as Omens
   Eclipses and Shadows
   Predicting Eclipses
Tides
   Tides and the Earth’s Rotation
   Tides and the Moon’s Orbit
The Moon’s Surface
   Observations from the Earth
   Exploration of the Moon
   Lunar Craters
   Volcanic Features  
Lunar Samples
   Chemical Composition
   Ages of Lunar Samples
   Ages and Cratering
The Moon’s Atmosphere
   Density
   Gain and Loss of Gases
The Moon’s Interior
   Mass
   The Density of the Moon
   Lunar Seismology and Internal Structure
The Origin of the Moon
   Fission, Accretion, Capture
   The Giant Impact Theory

Chapter 10
- Mercury and Venus
Mercury
   Mercury’s Orbit
   Surface
   Mercury’s Interior
Venus
   Rotation and Revolution
   Venus’s Hostile Atmosphere
   Surface
   Interior
   Evolution of Venus

Chapter 11
- Mars
The Exploration of Mars
   The Surface of Mars
   The Polar Regions
   The Exploration of Mars’s Surface
   The Viking Landers
   Pathfinder
   The Atmosphere of Mars
   The Interior and Evolution of Mars
   Water on Mars
   Life on Mars
The Evolution of the Terrestrial Planets

Chapter 12
- Jupiter and Saturn
Jupiter and Saturn
   Basic Properties
   Atmospheres
   Interiors
   The Internal Energy of Jupiter and Saturn
   Magnetospheres
   Rings

Chapter 13
- The Outer Planets
Discoveries
   Uranus
   Neptune
   Pluto
Uranus and Neptune
   Basic Properties
   Atmospheres
   Internal Structure
   Magnetic Fields and Magnetospheres
   Rings
Pluto
   Basic Properties
   Charon
   Surface and Atmosphere
   The History of Pluto
   The View from Pluto
Planets Beyond Pluto?
   Searches
   Gravitational Detection

Chapter 14 
- Satellites
Kinds of Satellites
   Regular Satellites
   Collision Fragments
   Captured Asteroids
   Other Satellites
General Properties of Satellites
   Density and Composition
   Internal Activity
The Satellites of Mars
The Galilean Satellites
   Io
   Europa
   Ganymede
   Callisto
The Icy Moons of Saturn
   Rhea and Mimas
   Dione and Tethys
   Iapetus
   Enceladus
Titan
   Origin of Titan’s Atmosphere
   Atmospheric Structure
   At the Surface of Titan
Satellites of Uranus
   Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, and Ariel
   Miranda
Satellites of Neptune
   Triton

Chapter 15
- Solar System Debris
Meteors
   The Meteor Phenomenon
   Sizes of Meteoroids
   Meteor Showers
   Micrometeorites
Meteorites
   How Often Do They Fall?
   Kinds of Meteorites
   Ages of Meteorites
   Parent Bodies of Meteorites
Asteroids
   Discovery of Asteroids
   Orbits of Asteroids
   Classes of Asteroids
   Asteroids and Meteorites
Comets
   Anatomy of a Comet
   Comet Orbits
   What Happens to Comets?
Where Did Comets Form?
Collisions with Earth
   How Often Do Collisions Occur?
   Record of Impacts
   Consequences of the Impact
   Has This Ever Happened?

Part 3 Journey to the Stars
Chapter 16
- Basic Properties of Stars
Star Names
The Distances of Stars
   Pretelescopic Estimates
   Later Estimates
   Parallax
The Motions of the Stars
   Proper Motions
   The Motion of the Sun
The Brightnesses of Stars
   Stellar Magnitudes
   Absolute Magnitude
   Luminosity Functions
Stellar Spectra
   Atoms and Spectral Lines
   Spectral Classification
   The Role of Temperature
   Luminosity Class
   Chemical Abundances
   The Doppler Effect and Stellar Spectra
H-R Diagrams
Stellar Masses
   Masses of Binary Stars
   The Range of Stellar Masses
   The Mass-Luminosity Relation

Chapter 17
- The Sun
The Internal Structure of the Sun
The Sun’s Energy
   Some Wrong Answers
   Nuclear Reactions
   Flow of Energy to the Surface
The Outer Layers of the Sun
   The Photosphere
   The Chromosphere
   The Corona
   The Solar Wind
The Sunspot Cycle
   A Model of the Sunspot Cycle
Solar Mysteries

Chapter 18
- The Formation of Stars and Planets
Some Important Clues
   Clues from Stars
   Clues from the Solar System
Star Formation
   Giant Molecular Clouds
   Cores and Star Information
Protostars
   The Evolution of a Protostar
   Rotation and Disks
Young Stars
   H-R Diagrams for Young Stars
   Winds and Disks
Planetary Systems
   The Solar Nebula

Chapter 19
- The Evolution of Stars
Why Do Stars Evolve?
   Energy Generation
   Opacity
   Equation of State
   The Vogt-Russell Theorem
   Models of Stars
Evolutionary Tracks and Star Clusters
   Changing Appearance in the H-R Diagram
   H-R Diagrams of Star Clusters
Main Sequence Stars
   The Variety of Main Sequence Stars
   Main Sequence Lifetime
   Evolution on the Main Sequence
After the Main Sequence
   Red Giant Stars
   Core Helium Burning
   The Asymptotic Giant Branch
   Very Massive Stars
   The Formation of Heavy Elements inStars

Chapter 20
- White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes
White Dwarf Stars
   White Dwarfs and Electron Degeneracy
   Evolution of White Dwarf Stars
   What Is the Origin of White Dwarf Stars?
Neutron Stars
   Supernovae
   Gamma Ray Bursts
   Supernova Remnants
   Properties of Neutron Stars
   Pulsars
Black Holes
   Spacetime
   The Formation of a Black Hole
   Detecting Black Holes
Chapter 21
- Binary Star Systems
The Kinds of Binary Stars
   Detecting Binary Stars
   Multiple Star Systems
The Formation of Binary Systems
   Wide Binaries
   Close Binaries
Evolution of Close Binaries
   Evidence for Interaction: The Algol
   Paradox
   Equipotentials
Binaries with Compact Objects
   Accretion Disks
   Binaries with White Dwarfs
   Binaries with Neutron Stars or
   Black Holes

Part 4 Journey to the Cosmic Frontier
Chapter 22
- The Milky Way
Interstellar Matter
   Interstellar Gas
   Interstellar Dust
The Shape and Size of the Galaxy
   Star Counting
   The Modern View of the Galaxy
The Rotation of the Milky Way
   The Orbit of the Sun
   The Rotation Curve of the Galaxy
The Spiral Structure of theGalaxy
   Observations of Spiral Structure
   Why Is There Spiral Structure?
The Center of the Galaxy
   Crowded Stars
The History of the Galaxy
   Stellar Populations
   Galactic Evolution

Chapter 23
- Galaxies
The Discovery of Galaxies
   Island Universes
   Hubble Proves Nebulae Are Galaxies
The Kinds of Galaxies
   Elliptical Galaxies
   Spiral Galaxies
   Irregular Galaxies
   Why Are There Different Kinds of
   Galaxies?
   The Rotation of Galaxies
The Cosmic Distance Scale
   Primary Distance Indicators
   Secondary Distance Indicators
   Tertiary Distance Indicators
   Hubble’s Law

Chapter 24
- Quasars and Other Active Galaxies
Quasars
   The Meaning of Quasar Redshifts
   Properties of Quasars
The Active Galaxy Zoo
   Seyfert Galaxies
   Radio Galaxies
   Blazars
   IRAS Galaxies
Massive Black Holes and Active Galaxies
   Massive Black Holes
   Accretion Disks
   The Host Galaxy
Evolution of Quasars
   Evidence for Evolution
   Where Are the Dead Quasars?
Quasars as Probes of the Universe
   Absorption Lines
   Gravitational Lenses

Chapter 25
- Galaxy Clusters and the Structure of the Universe
Clusters of Galaxies
   Classifying Clusters
   Galaxies in Clusters
   Other Matter in Clusters
Superclusters and Voids
   The Local Supercluster
   Other Superclusters
   Voids
   Why Are There Voids and Sheets?
   The Great Attractor

Chapter 26
- Cosmology
Hubble’s Law Revisited
   The Expansion Age of the Universe
Cosmological Models
   Curvature of Space
   Testing Curvature
   Three-Dimensional Universes
   Distant Supernovae
The Big Bang
   When Did the Big Bang Occur?
   What Happened?
   The Cosmic Background Radiation
Inflation
   Problems with the Standard Big Bang
   How Inflation Solves the Problems
   Why Inflation?
The Fate of the Universe
   The Choices
   Contraction and Beyond
   Continued Expansion
   Which Will It Be?

Part 5 The Journey in Search of Life
Chapter 27
- Life in the Universe
Life
   What Is Life?
   Life on Earth
   Other Possibilities
The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth
Life Elsewhere in the Solar System
Life in Other Planetary Systems
   Finding Other Planetary Systems
   Habitable Planets
   Intelligent Life
Interstellar Communication
   Travel
   Radio Communication

Appendixes
1 Mathematical and Physical Constants
2 Astronomical Constants
3 Conversion Factors
4 Periodic Table of the Elements
5 Orbital Properties of the Planets
6 Physical Properties of the Planets
7 Properties of the Major Satellites of the Planets
8 Orbital Properties of Selected Asteroids
9 Orbital Properties of Selected Comets
10 Properties of Selected Meteor Showers
11 The Constellations
12 Stars Nearer Than Four Parsecs
13 The Brightest Stars
14 Known and Suspected Members of the Local Group of Galaxies
15 The Brightest Galaxies Beyond the Local Group
16 Properties of Selected Clusters of Galaxies
17 Logarithmic Graphs
18 Answers to Odd-Numbered Questions

Glossary
References
Credits
Index