AAS-IOP Astronomy – serie

Understanding Stellar Evolution is based on a series of graduate-level courses taught at the University of Washington since 2004, and is written for physics and astronomy students and for anyone with a physics background who is interested in stars. It describes the structure and evolution of stars, with emphasis on the basic physical principles and the interplay between the different processes inside stars, such as nuclear reactions, energy transport, chemical mixing, pulsation, mass loss and rotation. Based on these principles, the evolution of low- and high-mass stars is explained from their formation to their death. In addition to homework exercises for each chapter, the text contains a large number of questions that are meant to stimulate the understanding of the physical principles. An extensive set of accompanying lecture slides is available for teachers in both Keynote® and PowerPoint® formats.

Modeling and Analysis of Eclipsing Binary Stars provides a comprehensive review of the physical and observational aspectsof eclipsing binaries, and the modeling code, PHOEBE (PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs), that is used by a large number of researchers in this field. Aimedat students, researchers and astronomers, this book is thefoundation of knowledge for eclipsing binaries and their subsequent modeling.

Astrophysical Recipes: The art ofAMUSE delves into the ways in which computational science andastrophysics are connected and how the bridge between observation and theoryare understood. This book provides a unique outline of the basic principles ofperforming simulations for astrophysical phenomena, in order to better increaseand understand these observations and theories.

Astrophysics of Red Supergiants is the first book of its kind devoted to our current knowledge of red supergiant stars, a key evolutionary phase that is critical to our larger understanding of massive stars. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental physical properties of red supergiants, their evolution, and their extragalactic and cosmological applications. It serves as a reference for researchers from a broad range of fields (including stellar astrophysics, supernovae, and high-redshift galaxies) who are interested in red supergiants as extreme stages of stellar evolution, dust producers, supernova progenitors, extragalactic metallicity indicators, members of massive binaries and mergers, or simply as compelling objects in their own right. The book is accessible to a range of experience levels, from graduate students up to senior researchers.

The advent of charge-coupled devices and the subsequent implementation of ultrawide cameras for large imaging surveys has opened a new window for time-domain astronomy. In the past, time-domain studies were focused on monitoring campaigns of selected dense stellar fields. This included the Milky Way (the galactic bulge in particular) and its satellites the Magellanic Clouds. The monitoring campaigns also extended to other nearby galaxies such as the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. However, with advances in technology, time-domain studies have been transformed by unbiased all-sky surveys, such as the All-Sky Automated Survey, Pan-STARRS, Palomar Transient Factory, and Catalina Sky surveys. With the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) on the horizon, there will be an avalanche of time-series data of the entire southern sky. In light of LSST, it is important to prepare future generations of astronomers with the knowledge and tools to digest the big data in a timely manner.

In this book, our closest neighboring spiral galaxy - the Andromeda galaxy (M31) - is used as an example to walk readers through the ideas and techniques of time-domain analysis. This includes using image subtraction to obtain high quality time-series photometry, determining periods of variables using periodograms and classifying transients and variables based on the shapes of the light curves. It also highlights some science topics to showcase how we can use the time-domain data to shed light on the nature of the transient events and their progenitors.

This book is a compendium of key scientific questions, challenges, and opportunities across different areas of exoplanetary science. The field is currently experiencing rapid growth, and the book provides a front-row view of the advancements at the cutting-edge of the field. Each chapter contains a short exposition on the most important open questions, challenges, and opportunities in a specific area from the perspective of one or more top experts in the area. It provides a starting point for researchers, experts and non-experts alike, to obtain a quick overview of the forefront of exoplanetary science and a vision for the future of the field. Topics range from observational developments and techniques, including exoplanet detection and characterisation methods and state-of-the-art and future missions, to exoplanet theory and modelling including planet formation, planetary interiors, atmospheres, habitability and the search for life.

Key Features

Gamma-ray bursts cover various areas of astronomy and interest in them reaches a wide range of fields. The science behind them is rapidly moving and this book examines the knowledge that we now have as well as the questions that are continually being raised. Predominantly aimed at PhD students and researchers in the area, Gamma-Ray Bursts addresses this fascinating topic and outlines the principles and initial applications of a fascinating astronomical phenomena.

This text provides a deep understanding of the Doppler method, including how to achieve RV measurement precision, as well as the challenges, limitations, and potential of the technique. It's an essential reference for researchers and graduate students in the field of exoplanets, and additionally stellar spectroscopists and instrumentalists.

Astronomy is a popular subject for non-science majors in the United States, often representing a last formal exposure to science. Online learning environments are increasingly important in the landscapes of higher education and lifelong learning. The number of students taking online classes is growing, and more instructors are being asked to take their teaching online. This practical guide is intended for astronomy instructors who want to develop their first online course as well as those who want to add new tools and experiences to their existing courses. It explores online course design, integrating new and social media into online learning experiences, adaptive learning systems, massive open online classes (MOOCs), and the use of virtual worlds and virtual reality to teach astronomy.

Key Features

At a time when the coronavirus is still having a severe effect on schools and universities, on-line learning is very much in evidence, and this book is a very up-to-date and comprehensive guide to how it is best approached, particularly for astronomy.The Observatory, Vol. 141 2021 June

Hubble Deep Field and the Distant Universe describes this watershed event in the history of astronomy. Aimed at an audience including amateur astronomers, science historians, researchers, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) aficionados and students interested in science, this book recounts the development of space astronomy and the progression of decisions and events that led to the distant universe exploration of Robert Williams and the Hubble Deep Field team. It gives a fascinating insight into the processes by which astronomical research projects are carried out and the unique discoveries that are made by HST, and it describes the momentous image that has enabled astronomers to piece together the evolution of the largest structures in the universe.

Creatingthe Molecules of Life discusses origins, including the Big Bang,and the origin of the elements. With a complete presentation and explanation,this book provides evidence that the molecules of life are produced in outerspace and how the SNAAP model purports to explain that origin. Extremophiles, whichexplains that evolution is robust enough to create life forms in a wide varietyof conditions, is also presented. Readable for those at the upper undergraduatelevel, mathematics associated with coupling the nuclear spins to the molecularchirality is discussed. An accompanied appendix is provided to supportmathematics.