Content Updates and Additions As stated, one of the goals of this text is to keep students up to date on current astronomical events and discoveries. In doing so, many new topics have been added to the fourth edition, and several topics from previous editions have been updated. Some of these include:New Topics
Speckle interferometry (Chapter 6)
The Spitzer Space Telescope results (Chapter 6)
The Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rover results (Chapter 11)
Early results from the Cassini mission to Saturn. (Chapters 12 and 14)
The Stardust encounter with Comet Borrelly (Chapter 15)
The icy body Sedna (Chapter 15)
New descriptions of solar oscillations and images of the Sun’s far side (Chapter 17)
The possible relationship between binarity and shapes of planetary nebulae (Chapter 19)
A discussion on the determination of the mass of the black hole in the center of the Milky Way (Chapter 22)
An updated description of Canis Major Galaxy, Milky Way's nearest companion (Chapter 25)
The Sloan Great Wall (Chapter 25)
The WMAP results (Chapter 26)
The SETI Telescope Array (Chapter 27)
Updated and Revised Topics
The mechanism that produces aurorae (Chapter 8)
Information on future eclipses (Chapter 9)
The possibility of ice at the lunar poles (Chapter 9)
Water on Mars (Chapter 11)
Adams's role in the discovery of Neptune (Chapter 13)
Near collisions with small asteroids (Chapter 15)
Absolute magnitude and luminosity (Chapter 16)
Solar neutrinos and neutrino oscillations (Chapter 17)
Gamma ray busts and their relationship to supernovae (Chapter 20)
Planets orbiting other stars (Chapter 21)
New Interactives A total of 23 Interactives are now available on the Digital Content Manager CD-ROM and online through the Online Learning Center. These include 17 new Interactives and the 6 originals from the third edition. All Interactives are now programmed in Flash for a stronger visual appeal.Starry Night Planetarium Software Now available free with the purchase of a new textbook. This software allows users to manipulate and take control of the sky. They become active observers and gain a far better understanding of how the sky works.New Planetarium Activities New activities to be integrated with the Starry Night Planetarium software are now available at the end of most chapters.New and Updated Images Including images from Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, Spirit, Opportunity, Cassini, Stardust, Mars Global Surveyor, and SOHO.Classroom Performance System and Questions The Classroom Performance System (CPS) brings interactivity into the classroom. CPS is a student response system using wireless connectivity. It gives instructors the ability to ask questions and receive immediate feedback from the entire class. CPS allows instructors to create their own questions or use the McGraw/Hill-provided astronomy questions.
To obtain an instructor login for this Online Learning Center, ask your local sales representative.
If you're an instructor thinking about adopting this textbook, request a free copy for review.
2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education