Astronomy for Dummies by
Your updated guide to exploring the night sky Do you know the difference between a red giant and a white dwarf? From asteroids to black holes, this easy-to-understand guide takes you on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring updated star maps, charts, and an insert with gorgeous full-color photographs, Astronomy For Dummies provides an easy-to-follow introduction to exploring the night sky. Plus, this new edition also comes with chapter quizzes online to help your understanding. For as long as people have been walking the earth, those people have looked up into the night sky and wondered about the nature of the cosmos. Without the benefit of science to provide answers, they relied on myth and superstition to help them make sense of what they saw. Lucky for us, we live at a time when regular folks, equipped with nothing more than their naked eyes, can look up into the night sky and gain admittance to infinite wonders. If you know what to look for, you can make out planets, stars, galaxies, and even galactic clusters comprising hundreds of millions of stars and spanning millions of light-years. Whether you're an amateur astronomer, space enthusiast, or enrolled in a first year astronomy course, Astronomy For Dummies gives you a reason to look into the heavens. Includes updated schedules of coming eclipses of the Sun and Moon and a revised planetary appendix Covers recent discoveries in space, such as water on the Moon and Pluto's demotion from "planet" status Collects new websites, lists of telescope motels, sky-watching guides, and suggestions for beginner's telescopes and suppliers Provides free online access to chapter quizzes to help you understand the content Ever wonder what's out there in the big ol' universe? This is the book for you!
The Elephant in the Universe by
A Seminary Co-op Notable Book A BBC Sky at Night Best Book "An impressively comprehensive bird's-eye view of a research topic that is both many decades established and yet still at the very cutting edge of astronomy and physics." --Katie Mack, Wall Street Journal "Schilling has craftily combined his lucid and accessible descriptions of science with the personal story of those unlocking the finer details of the missing mass mystery. The result is enthralling...A captivating scientific thriller." --BBC Sky at Night "Fascinating...A thorough and sometimes troubling account of the hunt for dark matter...You will come away with a very good understanding of how the universe works. Well, our universe, anyway." --Michael Brooks, New Scientist When you train a telescope on outer space, you can see luminous galaxies, nebulae, stars, and planets. But if you add all that together, it constitutes only 15 percent of the matter in the universe. Despite decades of research, the nature of the remaining 85 percent is unknown. We call it dark matter. Physicists have devised huge, sensitive instruments to search for dark matter, which may be unlike anything else in the cosmos--some unknown elementary particle. Yet so far dark matter has escaped every experiment. Indeed, dark matter is so elusive that some scientists are beginning to suspect there might be something wrong with our theories about gravity or with the current paradigms of cosmology. Govert Schilling interviews both believers and heretics and paints a colorful picture of the history and current status of dark matter research, with astronomers and physicists alike trying to make sense of theory and observation. Taking a holistic view of dark matter as a problem, an opportunity, and an example of science in action, The Elephant in the Universe is a vivid tale of scientists puzzling their way toward the true nature of the universe.
Our Universe by
A BBC Sky at Night Best Astronomy and Space Book of the Year "[A] luminous guide to the cosmos...Jo Dunkley swoops from Earth to the observable limits, then explores stellar life cycles, dark matter, cosmic evolution and the soup-to-nuts history of the Universe." --Nature "A grand tour of space and time, from our nearest planetary neighbors to the edge of the observable Universe...If you feel like refreshing your background knowledge...this little gem certainly won't disappoint." --Govert Schilling, BBC Sky at Night Most of us have heard of black holes and supernovas, galaxies and the Big Bang. But few understand more than the bare facts about the universe we call home. What is really out there? How did it all begin? Where are we going? Jo Dunkley begins in Earth's neighborhood, explaining the nature of the Solar System, the stars in our night sky, and the Milky Way. She traces the evolution of the universe from the Big Bang fourteen billion years ago, past the birth of the Sun and our planets, to today and beyond. She then explains cutting-edge debates about such perplexing phenomena as the accelerating expansion of the universe and the possibility that our universe is only one of many. Our Universe conveys with authority and grace the thrill of scientific discovery and a contagious enthusiasm for the endless wonders of space-time.
The Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography by
Now everyone can learn to take great pictures of the cosmos! The night sky is filled with immense beauty and mystery, and it's no wonder so many photographers want to learn how to take great photographs of all it contains: the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, and beyond. But for photographers just getting started photographing the cosmos, some books veer into "advanced" territory way too quickly, filled with difficult theory and long, expensive lists of "must-have" gear. If you're just starting your adventure in astrophotography, The Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography is the book for you! Photographer Mike Shaw teaches you everything you need to know to capture great images of the night sky--without breaking the bank or needing an advanced physics degree. In this book, you'll quickly gain an understanding of the night sky, then dive into gear and settings. Regardless of the camera you own (smartphone, DSLR, or mirrorless), you'll be able to capture shots you love. You'll learn all about the gear you absolutely need (and what you don't) as well as the accessories that will make your astrophotography life easier. Then you'll dive into camera technique: exposure settings, focusing tricks, and composition techniques to get the shot. You'll also learn about the best apps for astronomy, weather, planning, and navigation. Mike walks you through how to plan a shoot, set up for it, and capture your images. Finally, you'll learn the post-processing techniques that will have your images looking their best. You'll learn how to photograph: * The moon (full, crescent, lunar eclipse, solar eclipse) * The Milky Way (the core, the central band) * Constellations (Orion, Perseus, Scorpius, etc.) * Asterisms (Big Dipper, Summer Triangle, Orion's Belt, etc.) * Star trails * Planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars) * Aurora Borealis * Meteors * Satellites (such as the Internaional Space Station) * Nebulae * Star Clusters * Galaxies * Comets * And more! Table of Contents Chapter 1: What Is Astrophotography, Exactly? Chapter 2: Understanding the Night Sky for Astrophotographers Chapter 3: Astrophotography Equipment, Setup, and Technique Chapter 4: Landscape Astrophotography Subjects Chapter 5: Deep Sky Astrophotography Subjects Chapter 6: Choosing Where and When to Shoot Chapter 7: Synthesis: Your First Astrophotography Session Chapter 8: Making Your Astrophotography Images Look Amazing Chapter 9: Advanced Astrophotography
Astronomy by
As a student, stargazer, or lover of our galaxy, space and the infinite, there is no resource for this price that in 6 pages can show you the universe this completely yet succinctly. Expertly authored with balanced coverage, the number of detailed facts and answers to our questions about planets, our galaxy and the universe makes this the biggest bang for your buck - guaranteed. 6-page laminated guide includes: History of Astronomy Ancient Times The Astronomy of Greece Pioneers of Astronomy Space Dimensions Origin of The Solar System Details of the Terrestrial Planets Details of the Jovian Planets Comparative Data on the Jovian Planets The Dwarf Planets The Sun The Stars Atoms The Properties of Stars Starlight Galaxies Concepts of Cosmology Suggested uses: Students - content is aligned to an entry college level or advanced high school astronomy course, for use as a quick and easy reference and review for that class as well as digging deeper for students in earth science courses at the high school level Stargazers & Space Lovers - for stargazers there are plenty of details as well as those space lovers of the far, far away
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