Kenneth R. Lang - Böcker

This Second Edition of Sun, Earth and Sky updates the popular text by providing comprehensive accounts of the most recent discoveries made by five modern solar spacecraft during the past decade. Their instruments have used sound waves to peer deep into the Sun’s inner regions and measure the temperature of its central nuclear reactor, and extended our gaze far from the visible Sun to record energetic outbursts that threaten Earth. Breakthrough observations with the underground Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are also included, which explain the new physics of ghostly neutrinos and solve the problematic mismatch between the predicted and observed amounts of solar neutrinos. This new edition of Sun, Earth and Sky also describes our recent understanding of how the Sun’s outer atmosphere is heated to a million degrees, and just where the Sun’s continuous winds come from. As humans we are more intimately linked with our life-sustaining Sun than with any other astronomical object, and the new edition therefore provides modern interpretations of ozone depletion and global warming that are related to both the Sun and to human activities. Written in a light and friendly style, this lavishly illustrated book introduces the Sun and its physics, and describes all aspects of the Sun’s interaction with us on Earth.

So our Timeline includes the people who have made major scientific contributions that are related to astronomy, and astrophysics.The Dictionary defines all terms and acronyms that deal with our celestial science, from important concepts to individual objects and space missions.

Parting the Cosmic Veil describes our gradual awareness of a vast, previously concealed Universe. It is a story of expanding horizons and the discovery of invisible worlds, made possible with new technology and novel telescopes that have broadened our range of perception and sharpened our vision.Spacecraft have carried men to the Moon, and traveled throughout the Solar System, obtaining close-up views that have transformed the moons and planets from moving points of light to fascinating, diverse worlds. Modern technology has also enabled the detection of giant planets around other stars, taking us one step closer to the possible detection of life outside the Earth.Astronomers have used telescopes, operating at the visible wavelengths that we see with our eye, to reveal the true extent of the Milky Way and discover billions of remote galaxies that are rushing away from us in an expanding Universe. Each of these galaxies contains billions of stars wheeling around their massive central hub.Radio waves and X-rays, which lie beyond the range of visual perception, are used to detect a violent Universe, from exploding stars to gamma ray bursts and the Big Bang itself, with the associated discoveries of pulsars, black holes and quasars. Radio astronomers have also shown that the dark spaces between the stars contain vast tracts of cold hydrogen atoms and a host of molecules.Dark invisible matter has been discovered residing outside the shining stars and galaxies, outweighing them all. And a mysterious dark energy has also been found, which fills the nooks and crannies of seemingly empty space.The Cosmos is evolving, participating in ongoing processes of creation, destruction, and re-birth. But even though we are pushing the boundaries of knowledge closer to an understanding of the origins and destinies, of either the Universe or Life, the ultimate answers to these grand questions still lie hidden behind the Cosmic Veil.

Richly illustrated with full-color images, this book is a comprehensive, up-to-date description of the planets, their moons, and recent exoplanet discoveries. This second edition of a now classic reference is brought up to date with fascinating new discoveries from 12 recent Solar System missions. Examples include water on the Moon, volcanism on Mercury's previously unseen half, vast buried glaciers on Mars, geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus, lakes of hydrocarbons on Titan, encounter with asteroid Itokawa, and sample return from comet Wild 2. The book is further enhanced by hundreds of striking new images of the planets and moons. Written at an introductory level appropriate for undergraduate and high-school students, it provides fresh insights that appeal to anyone with an interest in planetary science. A website hosted by the author contains all the images in the book with an overview of their importance. A link to this can be found at www.cambridge.org/solarsystem.

In this well-illustrated text, Kenneth R. Lang explains the life cycle of stars, from the dense molecular clouds that are stellar nurseries to the enigmatic nebulae some stars leave behind in their violent ends. Free of mathematical equations and technical jargon, Lang's lively and accessible text provides physical insights into how stars such as our Sun are born, what fuels them and keeps them bright, how they evolve and the processes by which they eventually die. The book demonstrates the sheer scope and variety of stellar phenomena in the context of the universe as a whole. Boxed focus elements enhance and amplify the discussion for readers looking for more depth. Featuring more than 150 figures, including color plates, The Life and Death of Stars is a modern and up-to-date account of stars written for a broad audience, from armchair astronomers and popular science readers to students and teachers of science.

This Second Edition of Sun, Earth and Sky updates the popular text by providing comprehensive accounts of the most recent discoveries made by five modern solar spacecraft during the past decade.

This volume of Astrophysical Data deals with Planets and Stars; We then discuss everyday stars, beginning with the Sun, and continuing with basic stellar data, the brightest stars and nearby stars. Special categories of stars, such as the Wolf-Rayet stars, magnetic stars, flare stars, and RS CVn binary stars, are included.

Parting the Cosmic Veil describes our gradual awareness of a vast, previously concealed Universe. It is a story of expanding horizons and the discovery of invisible worlds, made possible with new technology and novel telescopes that have broadened our range of perception and sharpened our vision.Spacecraft have carried men to the Moon, and traveled throughout the Solar System, obtaining close-up views that have transformed the moons and planets from moving points of light to fascinating, diverse worlds. Modern technology has also enabled the detection of giant planets around other stars, taking us one step closer to the possible detection of life outside the Earth.Astronomers have used telescopes, operating at the visible wavelengths that we see with our eye, to reveal the true extent of the Milky Way and discover billions of remote galaxies that are rushing away from us in an expanding Universe. Each of these galaxies contains billions of stars wheeling around their massive central hub.Radio waves and X-rays, which lie beyond the range of visual perception, are used to detect a violent Universe, from exploding stars to gamma ray bursts and the Big Bang itself, with the associated discoveries of pulsars, black holes and quasars. Radio astronomers have also shown that the dark spaces between the stars contain vast tracts of cold hydrogen atoms and a host of molecules.Dark invisible matter has been discovered residing outside the shining stars and galaxies, outweighing them all. And a mysterious dark energy has also been found, which fills the nooks and crannies of seemingly empty space.The Cosmos is evolving, participating in ongoing processes of creation, destruction, and re-birth. But even though we are pushing the boundaries of knowledge closer to an understanding of the origins and destinies, of either the Universe or Life, the ultimate answers to these grand questions still lie hidden behind the Cosmic Veil.

Kenneth Lang's classic work Astrophysical Formulae. (Vol. I and II) is now available as soft cover edition in a set.This volume is a reference source of fundamental formulae in physics and astrophysics. In contrast to most of the usual compendia it carefully explains the physical assumptions entering the formulae. All the important results of physical theories are covered: electrodynamics, hydrodynamics, general relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, and so on. Over 2100 formulae are included, and the original papers for the formulae are cited together with papers on modern applications in a bibliography of over 1900 entries. For the third edition (first published in 1999), a chapter on space, time, matter and cosmology had been included and the other chapters carefully revised.

The First Edition of The Sun from Space, completed in 1999, focused on the early accomplishments of three solar spacecraft, SOHO, Ulysses, and Yohkoh, primarily during a minimum in the Sun’s 11-year cycle of magnetic activity.

This book presents astrophysics from basic principles without requiring any previous study of astronomy or astrophysics. This one-semester overview provides 15 lecture-sized chapters and 50 set-aside focus elements.

"...besticht durch exzellentes Bildmaterial und Stilsicherheit in der Formulierung...Ein ideales Buch fur interessierte Laien und angehende Astronomen." (Westdeutsche Zeitung)

This volume is a reference source of fundamental formulae in physics and astrophysics. In contrast to most of the usual compendia it carefully explains the physical assumptions entering the formulae. All the important results of physical theories are covered: electrodynamics, hydrodynamics, general relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, and so on. Over 2100 formulae are included, and the original papers for the formulae are cited together with papers on modern applications in a bibliography of over 1900 entries. For this new edition, a chapter on space, time, matter and cosmology has been included and the other chapters have been carefully revised.

The First Edition of The Sun from Space, completed in 1999, focused on the early accomplishments of three solar spacecraft, SOHO, Ulysses, and Yohkoh, primarily during a minimum in the Sun’s 11-year cycle of magnetic activity.

"Our developing appreciation of the Universe is a triumph of the intelligence, ingenuity and sheer hard work of the many scientists involved in this story. This book gives a clear picture of how this fascinating story has evolved over the last 500 years albeit which many scientifically literature readers will enjoy."Contemporary PhysicsThis book traces out the unfolding history of important discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics, and anchors our present understanding of the Universe within the findings and personalities of accomplished astronomers. They have used telescopes and instruments to extend our vision to places that cannot be seen with the unaided eye, discovered a host of unanticipated objects, found out how various parts of the night sky are related, and discovered that the Universe is larger, more complex, and older than has been previously thought. This comprehensive historical approach to the present state of astronomy is a unique aspect of the book.