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Fully updated with data from space-based observations and a comprehensive index and bibliography, this third edition contains the most frequently used information in modern astrophysics. As well as a vast number of tables, graphs, diagrams and formulae it also contains information covering topics including atomic physics, nuclear physics, relativity, plasma physics, electromagnetism, mathematics, probability and statistics, and geophysics. This handbook will be an essential reference for graduate students, researchers and professionals working in astronomy and the space sciences. A website containing extensive supplementary information and databases can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521782425. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A great reference book
This is the third edition of Zombeck's excellent handbook - and it was long overdue.It is an invaluable resource for students and academics in the field of space science and astrophysics.The layout is clean and information is easy to find.As well as covering all the standard topics one might expect in such a book, there are some interesting extras such as permissible raditation doses.Be warned though, there are relatively few explanations in here so it is not a book for the general public - you really have to know the subject matter.

A reference for modern Space Scientists
This book is meant to be like the C.R.C.
Mathematics Tables that many of us have carried since high school.
Starting with fundamentals constants it presents values and equations
necessary for calculations in astronomical science
and ends with information on space delivery systems available at the time of printing.
Every college library connected with an astronomy program should have this reference on it's shelves. ... Read more

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The underlying astrophysical mechanisms of the objects known as asymptotic giant branch stars - the structures that occur during the dramatic period prior to a star's death - is the main theme of this text. Over the past three decades, asymptotic giant branch stars have become a topic of their own, and the contributions to this volume all focus on these entities themselves, rather than their connections to other fields of astronomy. Among the many topics covered are new methods of high- quality infrared observation and the more detailed and realistic simulations made possible by increasingly fast computers. This collection should be useful to graduate students who work in the field, teachers who want to address the subject in their courses, and to astronomers from various backgrounds who are interested in the astrophysics of AGB stars.

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Part B of Planetary Astronomy from the Renaissance to the Rise of Astrophysics continues the history of celestial mechanics and observational discovery through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It provides a synoptic view of the main developments and furnishes details about the lives, ideas, and interactions of the various astronomers involved.Twelve different authors have contributed their expertise to this book that begins with the reception of Newton's inverse-square law. In the remainder, a large place is given to the development of the mathematical theory of celestial mechanics from Clairaut and Euler to LeVerrier, Newcomb, Hill, andPoincaré. This emphasis is balanced by other chapters on observational discoveries and the rapprochement of observation and theory (for instance, the discovery of Uranus and the asteroids, use of Venus transits to refine solar parallax, introduction of the method of least squares, and the development of planetary and satellite ephemerides). Lists of "Further Reading" provide entrée to the literature of the several topics. This book will be of great interest to historians of science and astronomers. ... Read more

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Our understanding of the formation of stars and planetary systems has changed greatly since the first edition of this book was published. This new edition has been thoroughly updated, and now includes material on molecular clouds, binaries, star clusters and the stellar initial mass function (IMF), disk evolution and planet formation. This book provides a comprehensive picture of the formation of stars and planetary systems, from their beginnings in cold clouds of molecular gas to their emergence as new suns with planet-forming disks. At each stage gravity induces an inward accretion of mass, and this is a central theme for the book. The author brings together current observations, rigorous treatments of the relevant astrophysics, and 150 illustrations, to clarify the sequence of events in star and planet formation. It is a comprehensive account of the underlying physical processes of accretion for graduate students and researchers. ... Read more

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Binary systems of stars are as common as single stars. This original text provides a pedagogical and comprehensive introduction to binary stars. The author combines theory and observations at all wavelengths to develop a unified understanding of binaries of all categories.Chapters review methods for calculating orbits, the Roche model, ideas about mass exchange and loss, methods for analyzing light curves, the masses and dimensions of different binary systems, and imaging the surfaces of stars and accretion structures. This volume offers advanced undergraduate and graduate students a thorough introduction to binary stars that will aid their learning of stellar astrophysics, stellar structure and evolution, and observational astrophysics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Introduction to Close Binary Stars.
I bought this book then left it on the shelf for awhile. However, when I was teaching the mechanics portion of an introductory astrophysics course I pulled it down and found it very useful for its discussion of the spectroscopic determination of the masses and orbital parameters from observational data.It was just right for explaining to the students in the class how to calculate masses, eccentricities, and the other orbital parameters from data available in the literature.This wasn't quite possible from the other textbooks I used (including Carroll and Ostlie and the new textbook by Bradt) which covered the same material but didn't develop it as fully.I am working through the interacting binary part of the book now, but have found the book to be one of the ones I turn to when I need a decent explanation of the mathematics before hitting the technical literature.If you need to calculate it and not just get a synopsis this is your book.

Good book for serious amateur astronomers
If you are an amateur astronomer studying eclipsing binary star systems, and have some training in physics, this book by R.W. Hilditch is a goldmine of information about the interaction of binaries.His treatment is closely tied to observational data, so that you will be motivated to follow the analyses he provides of light curve shapes.The information content of spectroscopic studies and of pulsar and x-ray data are also covered.The book is about as clear as it can be considering the detail provided.Even if equations frighten you, you might find the graphical and pictorial information useful.

Not that much helpful for me
It is good for pure Astrophysics student but not that much helpful for Physics student ... Read more

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In this third corrected and revised edition students and lecturers in astronomy and planetary science as well as planet observers will find a mine of up-to-date information on the solar system and its interaction with the interplanetary medium, its various objects, comparative planetology, discussion of questions for further research and future space exploration.

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Binary systems of stars are as common as single stars. Stars evolve primarily by nuclear reactions in their interiors, but a star with a binary companion can also have its evolution influenced by the companion. Multiple star systems can exist in a stable state for millions of years, but can ultimately become unstable as one star grows in radius until it engulfs another. This volume discusses the statistics of binary stars; the evolution of single stars; and several of the most important kinds of interaction between two (and even three or more) stars. A series of mathematical appendices provides a concise but complete account of the mathematics of these processes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book on this subject
I was greatly surprised with this book. The author present a detailed view of conservative and non-conservative binary star evolution with many examples, tables and references, exploring different possible scenarios. I use this book often as a reference for my own research. It is excellent for anybody who wants to go deep in the field of binary star evolution. I guess the levelis for graduate students, although undergraduates can also find inspiration there.

The State of the Art as it Exists Today
This book is aimed at the last year undergraduate student, graudade student or researchers. The reader is expected to be familiar with the terminology of stellar astrophysics (spectral types, magnitudes and like). Within that background the author presents an excellent introduction to binary and multiple stars.

The book begins with an interesting discussion on just what is a binary star. With the whole universe rotating about itself, a binary star is simply two stars that are closer than others. But in a dense star field 'closer' has to be closer than it does in a star desert where the orbits of binary stars may be on the order of centuries.

This is not a book for the amateur, the math is heavy duty, indeed the author moved to Livermore Labs to get closer to massive computing power. He has included a series of mathematical appendicies which give a concise but full account of the mathematics of the processes involved with star behavior. ... Read more

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Interstellar dust grains catalyse chemical reactions, absorb, scatter, polarise and re-radiate starlight and constitute the building blocks for the formation of planets. Understanding this interstellar component is therefore of primary importance in many areas of astronomy & astrophysics. For example, observers need to understand how dust effects light passing through molecular clouds. Astrophysicists wish to comprehend how dust enables the collapse of clouds or how it determines the spectral behaviour of protostars, star forming regions or whole galaxies. This book gives a thorough theoretical description of the fundamental physics of interstellar dust: its composition, morphology, size distribution, dynamics, optical and thermal properties, alignment, polarisation, scattering, radiation and spectral features.

This encyclopedic book provides the basic physics towards understanding the solid matter in interstellar space. It includes all the necessary physics, including solid state physics, radiative transport, optical properties, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. It then uses all of this basic physics in the specific case of dust grains in the interstellar medium.

Interstellar dust clouds catalyze simple chemical reactions, absorbs, scatters, polarizes and re-radiates starlight and forms the building blocks for planet and stellar formation. Understanding this interstellar medium is then of primary importance in many areas of astronomy & astrophysics. For example observers need to understand how it effects light passing through dust and molecular clouds, astrophysicists need to comprehend the formation and structure of dust clouds and how it collapses to form stars and planets.

Written in an accessible and descriptive manner, this will be essential supplementary reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on the interstellar medium and active researchers in need of a single source of well illustrated and detailed information. ... Read more

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The exploration of the first billion years of the history of the Universe, from the so-called dark ages to cosmic reionisation, represents one of the great challenges of contemporary astrophysics. During these phases the first structures start to grow forming the first stars, galaxies, and possibly also soon the first quasars. At the same time the dark, neutral Universe starts to be lit up and ionised by these sources, leading to its progressive reionisation anding at a redshift of about 6. Furthermore the first stars and supernovae begin to enrich their surroundings and the intergalactic medium, and to produce the first dust.
In the recent years tremendous progress has been made on the theoretical understanding and on numerical simulations of the underlying astrophysical mechanisms. Furthermore, observations of signatures of reionisation and even direct observations of galaxies at redshifts larger than 6 are now becoming feasible. The observational and theoretical aspects of this story were comprehensively and pedagocically covered by the lecturers of the 36th Saas-Fee Advanced Course. This volume contains their worked out and updated lecture notes. ... Read more

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X-ray astronomy is the prime available window on astrophysical compact objects: black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs. In the last ten years new observational opportunities have led to an explosion of knowledge in this field. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the astrophysics of compact objects that emit X-rays. Sixteen chapters written by the foremost experts in the field cover the observations and the astrophysical interpretation of these objects. Topics covered include binary systems, gamma ray burst sources, soft gamma ray repeaters, anomalous X-ray pulsars, super-soft sources, and enigmatic fast X-ray transients. ... Read more

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Special and General Relativity are concisely developed together with essential aspects of nuclear and particle physics. Problem sets are provided for many chapters, making the book ideal for a course on the physics of white dwarf and neutron star interiors. Norman K. Glendenning is Senior Scientist Emeritus at the Nuclear Science Division, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Stelllar Spectral Classification
This book has been needed in the field for a long time because of the advances made in the last 20 years.The authors have been clear, concise and very readable. ... Read more

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Delineating the huge strides taken in cosmology in the past ten years, this much-anticipated second edition of Malcolm Longair's highly appreciated textbook has been extensively and thoroughly updated. It tells the story of modern astrophysical cosmology from the perspective of one of its most important and fundamental problems – how did the galaxies come about? Longair uses this approach to introduce the whole of what may be called "classical cosmology". What’s more, he describes how the study of the origin of galaxies and larger-scale structures in the Universe has provided us with direct information about the physics of the very early Universe.

Customer Reviews (2)

Review
The book is very detailed and covers a wide range in galaxy formation. It explains astrophysical processes very clearly and can be recommended for students.

Best single volume text for galaxy formation and the formation of structure
This is an oustanding text on the physics of the formation of structure in the Universe.It is written at the level of a beginning graduate student in physics or astronomy, and will provide sufficient background for the student to begin serious research in this area.The text is well written and the topics well chosen.It was written in 1998, so it is already a bit dated (it obviously contains nothing about the most recent advances in dark energy), but all the basics are here.This explains what we know and what we don't know about how and why clusters and galaxies form, dark matter, and the Big Bang. ... Read more

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Learn how a world-class inventor-scientist is currently tackling the greatest scientific mysteries of the universe -- and succeeding. With his new book, Drexler provides a viable baseline to jump-start debate on a standard model for postmodern cosmology. It is the first book to not only address these seven unsolved cosmicmysteries, shown in this book's subtitle, but also offer plausible explanations for each of them. The correlation of these seven cosmic phenomena by Drexler offers a revolutionary advance in cosmological research and potentially broad acceptance and use of the related concepts.This book was written for open-minded cosmologists, astronomers, astrophysicists, physicists, engineers, students, enthusiasts and those at NASA, NSF, DOE and ESO who want to understand postmodern cosmology. The author's five years of cosmology research, and his successes, convinced him that his postmodern cosmology model is correctly based upon the relationships and linkages of these seven cosmic phenomena. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Innovative Ideas from a Seasoned Academic
The author, Dr. Drexler, is a highly regarded scientist-inventor in Silicon Valley. He holds 76 US patents and is famous for the invention of the digital optical disk data storage system. After writing his first cosmology book he was named to a full Research Professorship at New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is considered to be the discoverer of relativistic-proton dark matter.

Pure rubbish
Don't get this book.It's pure rubbish written by a layman with little science background.

Dark matter is far from cold
This third book in a series by Drexler shows how his thesis, that dark matter is composed of charged ultra high energy relativistic protons, is capable of solving up to 25 previously unresolved mysteries of the Cosmos. Older cold dark matter concepts, now generally discredited, relied on too few observations and have required additional hypotheses to account for each new experimental finding. In significant contrast: each new data set gathered subsequent to Drexler's first publication of his thesis has appeared to reinforce his concepts without the need for adaptation. Most recently the publication by astronomers at the University of Chicago titled "Reopening the window on charged dark matter" which occurred 6 months after Drexler's third book first became available, lends considerable additional support to the thesis that dark matter is composed of charged particles. While this book is sure to prove controversial amongst conservative astrophysicists, I would encourage the reader to keep an open mind. Remember there was a time when conventional wisdom had it that the sun revolved around a flat earth!

Coherent and compelling
Discovering challenges to conventional wisdom is always interesting and especially so when the challenge is as compelling and well-reasoned as in this book. Jerome Drexler presents a plausible theory as to the composition of the dark matter that represents a high percentage of the mass of the universe but whose makeup mystifies cosmologists. Drexler posits that this dark matter consists of relativistic protons, which he believes are capable of forming galaxies, dark matter, the cosmic web, and newborn stars. Throughout the book, he repeatedly demonstrates how conventional cosmology is frequently at odds with actual astronomical observations and even with the laws of physics. Drexler's Postmodern Cosmology model presents a coherent theory that solves a number of cosmological "mysteries,"including the nature of the Big Bang.

Good Book on Dark Matter
This book is one of the most current Dark Matter books available. Its a very nice read and liked the author's approach and its a unique approach. This book is clear logical deductive problem solving in its purest sense. He pieces together current cosmological evidence like a detective story and draws some unique conclusions. I would recommend this book! ... Read more

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The field of astrophysics is in the midst of a technologically driven renaissance, as fundamental discoveries are being made with astonishing frequency. In the last decade, new detectors in space, on earth, and deep underground have, when coupled with the computational power of modern computers, revolutionized our knowledge and understanding of the astronomical world. This is a great time for a student of any age to become acquainted with the remarkable universe in which we live. This volume is a collection of essays, originally presented orally to a diverse group of students and professionals, which reveal the most fertile areas for future study of astronomy and astrophysics. The emphasis of this work is on the clear description of the current state of our knowledge as a preparation for the future unraveling of the mysteries of the universe that appear today as most fundamental and most amenable to solution.

A stellar group of astronomers and astrophysicists describes the directions and styles of work that they think are most likely to lead to progress. Bibliographical notes at the end of each presentation provide guidance for the reader who wishes to go more deeply into a given subject. Unsolved Problems in Astrophysics is a uniquely stimulating introduction to some of the most important topics in modern astrophysics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book on a wealth of topics
This book provides a great amount of information on a wide variety of hot topics in contemporary astronomy, such as cosmology, AGNs, GRBs, and dark matter.My only complaint is that the material does tend to slant towardsextragalactic astronomy.However, otherwise the material is extremelyuseful for someone looking for fresh material to work on.The referencesalso provided within are great.The reading level is also easy, and isprobably similar to Scientific American or Sky & Telescope.

the information contained therein is accurate and readable!
As far as I have been able to see with cross-referencing and my own checks and double-checks, the information in this publication is accurate.The layman ought be able to understand it with minimal effort.Very readable. ... Read more

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This is the first book to look in detail at amateur astronomy in Victorian Britain. It deals with the technical issues that were active in Victorian astronomy, and reviews the problems of finance, patronage and the dissemination of scientific ideas. It also examines the relationship between the amateur and professional in Britain. It contains a wealth of previously unpublished biographical and anecdotal material, and an extended bibliography with notes incorporating much new scholarship. In The Victorian Amateur Astronomer, Allan Chapman shows that while on the continent astronomical research was lavishly supported by the state, in Britain such research was paid for out of the pockets of highly educated, wealthy gentlemen — the so-called ‘Grand Amateurs. It was these powerful individuals who commissioned the telescopes, built the observatories, ran the learned societies, and often stole discoveries from their state-employed colleagues abroad. In addition to the ‘Grand Amateurs, Victorian Britain also contained many self-taught amateurs. Although they belonged to no learned societies, these people provide a barometer of the popularity of astronomy in that age. In the late 19th century, the comfortable middle classes — clergymen, lawyers, physicians and retired military officers — took to astronomy as a serious hobby. They formed societies which focused on observation, lectures and discussions, and it was through this medium that women first came to play a significant role in British astronomy. Readership: Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying the history of science or humanities, professional historians of science, engineering and technology, particularly those with an interest in astronomy, the development of astronomical ideas, scientific instrument makers, and amateur astronomers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

How Space Exploration began at the Amateur Level!
This book lays out in some detail the contributions of early amateur astonomers. This book is an excellent source for information on a very interesting subject that almost every can enjoy because of its shear excitment. It is like the gold rush in America where everyone made an attempt at fame. This book digs deep aiming at the bottom of the iceberg where often most research looks only at the tip of the iceberg. You come to understand exactly the situation faced by "earlier eyes". It is a wonderful book on a subject that draws you closer by its clear presentation and well defined thought. It is a true testament to a modern genius and rennassiance man...

Enjoy!! ... Read more

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Provides a thorough overview of the subject, covering general concepts, methods of investigation, important results and their significance, relevant literature, and some suggestions for promising avenues of future research. Softcover. ... Read more

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Modern astrophysics has evolved early phases of discovery and classification to a physics-oriented quest for answers to fundamental problems from cosmology to the origin and diversity of life-sustainable systems in the Universe. Future progress in modern astrophysics requires access to the electromagnetic spectrum in the broadest energy range. This book describes the fundamental problems in modern astrophysics that cannot progress without easy and wide-spread access to modern UV instrumentation.

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The contents of this book in its English edition summarizes the basic re-search work accomplished by the author on the field of Fluid Dynamics, Magnetohydrodynaics (MHD), Classical Thermodynamics, and Astrophy-sics. Besides, it contains a section attached to each chapter with the title of Selected Topics. In these sections fine theoretical points are cleared up and a large number of illustrative problems are solved. This way the idea is to have readers who use this book as a text book as well as a research monography addressed to all those who study Theoretical Physics and who are interested in the analytical treatment of perfect and real fluids, as much as in the dynamic state of fluids electrically charged which flow in regions where there is a magnetic field, and also fluids at rest proper of Classical Thermodynamics. With this material we wish to facilitate the access to fundamental aspects of Fluid Dynamics, MHD, and Thermodynamics, and the application of these disciplines to Astrophysics. It is assumed that the reader is aqcuainted with Maxwell´s equations of Classical Electrodyna-mics, those of Hydrodynamics balance equations, and the fundamental postulates of Thermodynamics. A reasonable handling of the calculus of variations and the tensorial notation is required, as well as knowledge of the principles and methodology of Lagrange´s Analytical Mechanics. In general terms and from the view point of the required mathematics, the book is self-contained in the sense in which everything that is needed is clearly stated within the text.