Books in the Astronomy and Planetary Sciences series

This book provides a comprehensive overview of stellar structure, evolution and basic stellar properties.

Until the Apollo-Soyuz flight of 1972, the Russian Space Program was shrouded in such complete secrecy that only rumors of failures (or catastrophes) reached the West.

Written by leading exponents in the field, this collection of timely reviews presents observational methods and the latest results of astronomical research as well as their theoretical foundations and interrelations, providing information and scientifically rigorous coverage.

A thorough introduction to solar physics based on recent spacecraft observations. The author introduces the solar corona and sets it in the context of basic plasma physics before moving on to discuss plasma instabilities and plasma heating processes.

Today they can be done using self-designed spectrographs and highly efficient CCD cameras, without the need for large financial investments.This book explains the basic principles of spectroscopy, including the fundamental optical constraints and all mathematical aspects needed to understand the working principles in detail.

This book takes a new approach on teaching the subject by following the chain of measurement through atmosphere, imaging, detection, spectroscopy, timing and hypothesis testing. It covers all wavelengths: radio, infrared, optical, UV, X-ray, gamma-ray.

Even a suitable skeptic of certain pronouncements about the age and structure of the Universe should be pleased with the large steps that have been taken in furthering our understanding of the Universe since the early 1990's. In short, the Universe of our expectations rarely matches the Universe as it is discovered.

The new edition of this comprehensive reference on astronomy observation methods and techniques includes recent developments in astronomical detectors and instrumentation, from the invention of the CCD in 1970 to the current era of huge telescopes.

This book begins by reviewing quasars, microquasars, and gamma-ray bursts and shows why black holes are responsible for them. It describes simple, isolated black holes, adding rotation, accretion, radiation and magnetic fields, to show how these objects work.

Examines each of these parameters in crucial depth and makes the argument that life forms we would recognize may be more common in our solar system than many assume. Considers exotic forms of life that would not have to rely on carbon as the basic chemical element, solar energy as the main energy source, or water as the primary solvent and the question of detecting bio- and geosignatures of such life forms, ranging from earth environments to deep space.Seeks an operational definition of life and investigate the realm of possibilities that nature offers to realize this very special state of matter. Avoids scientific jargon wherever possible to make this intrinsically interdisciplinary subject understandable to a broad range of readers.

Solar sail orbital dynamics and solar radiation pressure form the foundations of the book, but the engineering design of solar sails is also considered, along with potential mission applications.

This book offers a uniform collection of probe and CCD terrestrial images for each lunar dome, and presents information on morphological measurements and rheologic properties including a novel classification system and a new map of the distribution of domes.