Fundamental Astronomy

H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, K.J. Donner3540001794, 978-3-540-00179-9

FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY gives a well-balanced and comprehensive introduction to the topics of classical and modern astronomy. While emphasizing both the astronomical concepts and the underlying physical principles, the text provides a sound basis for more profound studies in the astronomical sciences. The fourth edition of this successful calculus-based textbook and reference includes a wealth of new information and several chapters are restructured for clarity and improved organization. The chapters on radiation mechanisms and temperatures have been combined, and some of the material from the appendices has been redistributed to appropriate places throughout the text. In addition, the chapters on the solar system and cosmology are rewritten to reflect new understanding and tables in the appendix on the theory of relativity have been updated. Long considered a standard text for physical science majors, FUNDAMENTAL ASTRONOMY is also an excellent reference and entrée for dedicated amateur astronomers.SOME PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS EDITIONS: AMERICAN SCIENTIST “…A welcome addition to the introductory textbooks available for astronomy courses. SKY & TELESCOPE “…Gives a solid foundation to the basic ideas of astronomy in a clear and accessible fashion… Fundamental ideas are developed clearly and applied to real problems, and solutions are worked out; that is the book’s strength. THE PHYSICS TEACHER “…It is unique among available texts and has so much to offer…No one involved in astronomy teaching will want to be without a copy. NATURE “…The book has a large number of authors… This wide range of expertise gives the book an authority that would be almost impossible for a single-author text… There are a series of helpful appendices… In the text itself, there are other aids to the reader: worked examples… starred sections in small print take the inquisitive reader beyond the general level of the book.”