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In the first part, the book gives an up-to-date summary of the observational data. In the second part, it deals with the kinetic description of cosmic ray plasma. The underlying diffusion-convection transport equation, which governs the coupling between cosmic rays and the background plasma, is derived and analyzed in detail. In the third part, several applications of the solutions of the transport equation are presented and how key observations in cosmic ray physics can be accounted for is demonstrated.

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book for the field, but...
Covers cosmic ray astrophysics pretty well, but I've opted to stick with volume 1 of Longair for the grad class is cosmic rays which I'm teaching this Spring. Why? This book seems to have huge gaps in its coverage and too much of a European focus with references. Still, it's a good book, and anyone working in cosmic rays is bound to buy it in the end... ... Read more

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but that it is the most highly developed of the sciences. Indeed it
should be so, since no other science has ever received such support from
royalty, from the state and from the private individual. However this
may be, there is no doubt that in recent years astronomers have had
granted to them greater opportunities for carrying on large pieces of
work than have been entrusted to men in any other department of pure
science. One might expect that the practical results of a science like
physics would appeal to the man who has made a vast fortune through some
of its applications. The telephone, the electric transmission of power,
wireless telegraphy and the submarine cable are instances of immense
financial returns derived from the most abstruse principles of physics.
Yet there are scarcely any physical laboratories devoted to research, or
endowed with independent funds for this object, except those supported
by the government. The endowment of astronomical observatories devoted
to research, and not including that given for teaching, is estimated to
amount to half a million dollars annually. Several of the larger
observatories have an annual income of fifty thousand dollars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A specialized topic for a small (but growing) audience
Hard to even find this book. I found a used copy for sale via the Internet. This is a book for physicists - more specifically - astrophysicists. And if you have gotten to this review, you know enough about physics that you have seen Goldstein's Classical Mechanics, and have at least seen the (long) title of Chandrasekhar's book.

I bought this book because this is a more understandable book than the Chandrasekhar opus. However, it doesn't get nearly as deep as does Chandrasekhar either. I am a physicist, and I happen to be working on a problem using the Virial Theorem for which I need more info than supplied by Goldstein. I am not willing to slog through Chandrasekhar (Maybe I'm not smart enough for the Chandrasekar book). Note that the writing/typesetting of this book predates word processing, and it shows. The main pluses for me are two. 1. Collins does a good job of expanding the Goldstein derivation of the Virial Theorem to its integral form. 2. Collins's enthusiasm for the field of Astrophysics is apparent.

Make sure you read the preface. I especially like Collins's thanks to his family for supporting his effort. ... Read more

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This book outlines the fundamentals of this fascinating branch of astronomy, and explores the forefront of astronomical research. The author’s passion for the topic shines with an intensity that rivals the book’s many colourful illustrations, and will deeply inspire the reader. The cogently written text introduces the reader to the astronomy of galaxies, their structure, their active galactic nuclei, their evolution and their large scale distribution. Starting with a detailed description of our Milky Way, and a review of modern observational and theoretical cosmology, the book goes on to examine the formation of structures and astronomical objects in the early universe.

Customer Reviews (4)

Saul
I highly recommend Peter Schneider's Introduction to Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology. Schneider book is written at an under graduate level. Schneider explains what is observed, the standard theories, and the current astronomical puzzles. His explanation of the mathematical models is very clear. In a few paragraphs he explains the fundamental equations that are used to create each model and then compares the models to observations. His emphasis is on the model as a tool to understand what is observed and to do or understand quantifiable analysis. Every subject covered is first rate.

As others noted above the text is written on high quality paper and includes very clear pictures and diagrams to explain each subject. I have a copy of Carroll and Ostlie's An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics which I would also recommend, however, I found Schneider's textbook to be a better reference if you want to understand the fundamentals of each subject and how the different subjects and observations are connected.

issue with kindle version
I am only addressing the kindle version and not the substance of this book, for which I defer to the other reviewers. I have a hardback edition, which I never opened until I recently bought the digital edition for the kindle DX. I first opened the dgital version on the iphone 3G and I was pleasantly surprised to see the *color* pictures rendered beautifully on the iphone screen. I did not read very far, however,when I noticed an unfinished sentence at location 281-286 right above the legend for FIG. 1.3 in the digital version (iphone and kindle). I checked the paper edition.The text there is in two columns, and the text that is missing from the digital version appears right after FIG. 1.3 on the left column of the paper edition.
I don't know whether there are other errors in the digital version. The purpose of this review is to alert readers and Amazon to exercise better quality control on the digital versions of the books.
I gave four stars to bring attention to this issue. By the way, I prefer reading the book on the iphone because of the crispresolution and color.

Most Impressive
I have to second an earlier reviewer's take on this book - it's simply great. It is very up to date and thorough, and the writing is engaging. It's obvious Prof. Schneider loves astronomy and enjoys making it clear and accessible. Often I felt he went out of his way to include all the steps in a logical progression, whether or not he felt some were "obvious."

The book's many graphs and full color photos are a particular highlight. Never have I seen visual aids used to such impressive and educational effect. Want to see the ellipses of individual stars orbiting the 4 million solar mass black hole in the center of the galaxy? The image is right here, along with dozens of others. Note that this is a book for people who are comfortable with calculus-based math and physics. But while the important math is there, complex derivations and pages of notation are thankfully absent. It seems that Prof. Schneider included only the math that needed to be there and no more, leaving words and graphs to tell as much of the story as possible.

This book is almost like an encyclopedia: everything that is written covers essential topics succinctly yet completely. Three appendices cover fundamental astronomical concepts for those who would like a brief review. The section on recommended literature is right on the money and includes useful online references.

While I think this book would be an excellent textbook there are no student questions or problems. Had they been included the book would have been much longer than its already considerable 460 pages. For those looking for exercises I recommend "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics," 2nd edition (2006), by Carroll and Ostlie.

The last 20 years has changed our understanding of the universe tremendously. This book does a great job of explaining all these new advances to those of us who aren't professional astronomers. Highly recommended.

Fantastic book
Can a textbook in cosmology really become a coffee-table book?In my house, yes, but then this book is really beautiful.The color photos are stunning, and there are enough of them to keep the topic very exciting, as if cosmology weren't rather awesome to begin with.Also many charts/diagrams, a bunch of formulas, and lots of highly informative text.If it sounds like I'm only looking at the pictures, though, I am not.I'm a physicist wanting to reacquaint myself with cosmology, which I enjoyed back in graduate school.The actual text is appropriate to a grad school audience, and it is quite thorough -- but not suitable to the general public. ... Read more

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This book describes the development of astronomy in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range, from the first rocket-based experiments in the late 1960s through to the latest satellite missions.It provides detailed material on the tools of EUV astronomy, dealing with the instrumentation, observational techniques, and modelling tools for the interpretation of data.Prospects for future EUV missions are discussed, and a catalog of known EUV sources is included. ... Read more

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The 2005 meeting in Taormina, Italy was attended by 127 professionals who develop and use the highest quality detectors for wavelengths from x-ray to sub-mm, with emphasis on optical and infrared detectors. The meeting consisted of overview talks, technical presentations, poster sessions and roundtable discussions. These proceedings capture the technical content and the spirit of the 2005 workshop. The 87 papers cover a wide range of detector technologies including CCDs, CMOS, APDs, and sub-mm detectors. There are papers on observatory status and plans, special applications, detector testing and characterization, and electronics. A special feature of these proceedings is the inclusion of pedagogical overview papers, which were written by teams of leading experts from different institutions. These proceedings are appropriate for a range of expertise levels, from undergraduates to professionals working in the field. The information presented in this book will serve as a valuable reference for many years to come.This workshop was organized by the Scientific Workshop Factory, Inc. and the INAF- Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania. ... Read more

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The foundations are thoroughly developed together with the required mathematical background from differential geometry developed in Part III.

The author also discusses the tests of general relativity in detail, including binary pulsars, with much space is devoted to the study of compact objects, especially to neutron stars and to the basic laws of black-hole physics.

This well-structured text and reference enables readers to easily navigate through the various sections as best matches their backgrounds and perspectives, whether mathematical, physical or astronomical.

Very applications oriented, the text includes very recent results, such as the supermassive black-hole in our galaxy and first double pulsar system

Customer Reviews (1)

A Masterpiece
For the graduate student of physics or mathematics who has the requisite background in modern differential geometry, Straumann's text presents themost mathematically honest and thorough introduction to general relativity currently available in book form.This book is a masterpiece and belongs in the company of the classic books by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler, Penrose and Rindler, and Hawking and Ellis.

Potential readers must understand that there has been an uneasy truce between modern differential geometry and general relativity for nearly a century.While mathematicians developed the subject of Riemannian geometry along largely coordinate-free lines, reaching ever greater levels of abstraction and geometric insight, physicists continued to develop the related subject of semi-Riemannian (also called pseudo-Riemannian) geometry along coordinate-based lines, mired in complex index computations and the awkward notation that accompanies them.This is reflected in the Introduction to an excellent 1990 text on semi-Riemannian geometry in which the authors, explaining their choice of title, offer the semi-humorous lament, "Any possible title would mislead somebody.'Tensor Analysis' suggests to a mathematician an ungeometric, manipulative debauce of indices, with tensors ill-defined as 'quantities that transform according to' unspeakable formule."

Misner, Thorne and Wheeler introduced a generation of students to the power of modern, coordinate-free methods in general relativity in the early 1970s in their classic book "Gravitation," citing the wonderful book by Bishop and Goldberg as their standard reference forsemi-Riemannian geometry.Sadly, however, the modernization of the subject that MTW initiated did not seem to entirely catch on within the physics community.A number of very recent texts on general relativity have been printed in the past decade by highly reputable publishers, all written in an entirely index-based approach that was already becoming outdated and deficient over 30 years ago.The serious student of relativity already faces considerable challenges in mastering the formidable mathematical preliminaries to the subject;the work surely need not be compounded in difficulty by total reliance on obscure, unmotivated, index-based computational gymnastics. What students need is a thoroughly modern and enlightened introduction that teaches them to move comfortably and effortlessly between index-free and index-based approaches, permitting them to read and understand both the older and modern literature, both the physics and mathematical literature.

Straumann's book offers an introduction to general relativity that is completely modern in its approach to the mathematics.The final five chapters, covering roughly 100 pages, provide concise but readable introductions to basic manifold theory, Lie differentiation, differential forms and integration on manifolds, and the theory of affine connections (this latter does not provide an introduction as thorough as is found in volume 1 of Kobayashi and Nomizu---there simply is not room to study Ehresmann's approach to connections in this overview).Any student who has been fortunate enough to study the mathematical preliminaries from a modern treatment, such as Barrett O'Neill's wonderful Semi-Riemannian Geometry with Applications to Relativity, will be able to master the mathematical material in Straumann without undue stress.

One final piece of history to fully drive home the point. Richard Bishop and Barrett O'Neill introduced the notion of warped product manifolds to Riemannian geometry in the 1960s, providing one way of decomposing amanifold into two smaller and "simpler" parts.Beem and Ehrlich observed in 1982 that many of the well-known exact solutions to Einstein's equations are natural examples of warped products.The use of warped product formulas offers significant simplification of the analysis of these exact solutions.The use of warped products became central in O'Neill's 1983 book on semi-Riemannian geometry, and in Beem, Ehrlich and Easley's 1996 book on Global Lorentzian Geometry.Other authors have been slower to recognize and employ this powerful tool, and the reader will barely find warped products mentioned at all in modern texts on general relatitivy. In stark contrast, Straumann's book contains an entire section on warped products and makes full use of the simplifying formulas throughout:another sign of the progressive nature of the book.

I recommend this book in the strongest possible terms to all serious students of general relativity.If your background in differential geometry in inadequate, then I recommend purchasing O'Neill's book along with Straumann's as a packaged set.I view the O'Neill/Straumann pair as the current successors to the tradition begun by the Bishop and Goldberg/Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler books of an earlier era.

Dr. Straumann already updated this book in 2004 to a far more extensive second edition.We can only hope that as developments in our understanding of the large-scale structure of the universe progress through observational astronomy, Dr. Straumann will continue to update his book to include recent experimental and theoretical results.




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Describing interstellar matter in our galaxy in all of its various forms, this book also considers the physical and chemical processes that are occurring within this matter. The first seven chapters present the various components making up the interstellar matter and detail the ways that we are able to study them. The following seven chapters are devoted to the physical, chemical and dynamical processes that control the behaviour of interstellar matter. These include the instabilities and cloud collapse processes that lead to the formation of stars. The last chapter summarizes the transformations that can occur between the different phases of the interstellar medium. Emphasizing methods over results, The Interstellar Medium is written for graduate students, for young astronomers, and also for any researchers who have developed an interest in the interstellar medium.

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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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This book is one of the first to provide a general overview of order and chaos in dynamical astronomy. The progress of the theory of chaos has a profound impact on galactic dynamics. It has even invaded celestial mechanics, since chaos was found in the solar system which in the past was considered as a prototype of order. The book provides a unifying approach to these topics from an author who has spent more than 50 years of research in the field. The first part treats order and chaos in general. The other two parts deal with order and chaos in galaxies and with other applications in dynamical astronomy, ranging from celestial mechanics to general relativity and cosmology. ... Read more

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These proceedings are from the fifth workshop of a series that concentrated on optical CCDs for the first four installments. At this workshop, for the first time, our "bandpass" was broadened to include infrared detectors. Every leading manufacturer, all major astronomical observatories and the experts in the field gathered on the Big Island of Hawaii for a week long workshop dedicated to scientific detectors for astronomy. This book captures the spirit of a unique event that was both an intensive exchange of technical information and a very friendly gathering of a cooperative community. The state-of-the-art papers include the latest technologies from detector manufacturers, observatory plans, instrumentation applications, electronics, extremely large focal planes, testing techniques and space missions. ... Read more

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The long-awaited second edition of this well-received textbook gives a thorough introduction to observational astronomy. Starting with the basics of positional astronomy and systems of time, it continues with charts and catalogs covering both historically important publications and modern electronic databases. The book builds on a fundamental discussion of the basics of light and the effects of the atmosphere on astronomical observations. Chapters include discussions of optical telescopes, detectors, photometry, variable stars, astrometry, spectroscopy, and solar observations. This edition contains new discussions of measurements with CCDs and appendices give basic statistical methods, useful astronomical software and websites, and sources of accurate time-calibration signals. Observational Astronomy is the perfect textbook for upper level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses on astronomy. Examples based on real astronomical data are placed throughout the text. Each of the well-illustrated chapters is supported by a set of graduated problems and suggestions for further reading. ... Read more

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This is the first scholarly collection of articles focused on the cultural astronomy of the African continent. It weaves together astronomy, anthropology, and Africa and it includes African myths and legends about the sky, alignments to celestial bodies found at archaeological sites and at places of worship, rock art with celestial imagery, and scientific thinking revealed in local astronomy traditions including ethnomathematics and the creation of calendars.

Customer Reviews (1)

Where is the beef? (Less than halfstar)
I was so excited to see this book published and yet so disappointed when I read it. Very little actual content about African cultural astronomy and a great deal too much about how to teach African cultural astronomy. This subject deserves SOOO much better. ... Read more

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A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Astronomical Spectroscopy Broadly Treated
I'm providing chapter and appendix headings below. I'll let them do most of the talking about balance. The book treats a broad number of topics in fair depth. There are numerous figures, diagrams, and b/w photographs of spectra and equipment. There are 11 pages of the index. Overall the book is at a comfortable undergraduate college level, but there are times when more depth to explanations would be useful. The bibliography is quite good. The book was published in 1995, so may be somewhat incomplete in its references. Perhaps a good filler for latest methodology is the internet. Somehow I don't think it's changed a lot. A book by Tennyson on this subject was published in 2005, but I see a review says it's 200 pages. Kitchin's book checks in at a total or 272 pages. The paperback version is nicely laid out, and comfortable on the eye. My copy is about 6-7 years old, and the paper shows no deterioration.

It's unfortunate that Amazon did provide the usual index, TOC, and sample pages.

Chapters
Part 1 -- Atomic Processes, 113 pages
1.Intro to Spectroscopy
2.The Physics of Atoms and Molecules
3.Atomic Energy Levels
4.Transitions
5.Spectra of Molecules
6.Radiation in the Presence of Fields
7.Spectroscopy of Solid Materials
Part 2 -- Astro Spectroscopy Techniques, ~63 pages
8.Optical Spectroscopes
9.Specialized ... Techniques for Astronomy
10. Examples of Optical Spectroscopes
Part 3 -- Spectroscopy of Astro Sources, ~66 pages
11. Spectral Classification
12. Radial Velocities
13. Spectrophotometry
14. Stars
15. Planets and Other Minor Bodies in the Solar System
16. Nebulae and the Interstellar Medium
17. Extra Galactic Objects

Appendicies, ~20 pages
A. Conversion Formulae
B. Terms for Equivalent Electrons
C. Bibliography
D. Constants

Disappointing
This book is targeted at astronomers, but spends fully the first half of the book rehashing undergrad physics (in a very dull way). Next it goes into the design of spectrographs but restricts itself to such limited designs that its not very helpful.
I bought the book in order to learn about doing spectroscopy, unfortunately that section is so short and lacking in detail that its useless. The book is only of any use to someone contemplating building a spectrograph, but such a person would already be well versed beyond the book's scope. ... Read more

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There are several textbooks available on solar astronomy which deal with advanced astrophysical aspects of solar physics, and books which provide very elementary knowledge about the Sun. This book will help to bridge the gap. It aims to stimulate interest in solar astronomy, presenting at one place the basic methods and techniques used in the field, together with the latest findings and the excitement in solar physics. As solar astronomy is becoming very popular among amateur astronomers and laymen, the book provides the practical knowledge to build simple solar telescopes and other equipment for making solar observations. Amateur astronomers have made important contributions to solar astronomy, and this book will help to guide them in their endeavours. The book can also serve as a text for undergraduate and graduate students starting out on solar physics. Using it, graduate students can easily embark on specific topics of research in solar astronomy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not very enlightening
Very involved concepts discussed by experts. This is a textbook for advanced students. I just wanted more information on the Sun while using my small H-alpha telescope. Too deep for me!

Ideal for the Advanced Amateur
The Sun, our closest star, has been studied for centuries. Stonehenge, built around 5,000 years ago is basically a solar observatory.

This book is mainly addressed to those who are starting to study the Sun either as amateurs or professionals. Although this book is by professionals and is used as a text for upper level undergraduate and graduate level classes, it stresses the work being done by amateurs with very small telescopes.

This book is positioned between the very elementary level books and the advanced astrophysical texts. It is obviously written as a labor of love. The two authors have almost a century of experience between them. They have spent their working careers studying the sun. They talk about everything from the early myths to the latest scientific findings. Equipment from building your own to the new SOLAR-B satellite planned for launch in September of 2006. (Actually the book says August 2005, but it's been delayed.)

This book is an excellent introduction to the interested reader. ... Read more

Book Description
Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically over the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's.

Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity.

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.
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This book, written by two leading astrophysicists, reviewsthe historical observations of supernova explosions in our Galaxy over the past two thousand years and discusses modernobservations of the remnants of these explosions at radioand other wavelengths. ... Read more

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This book is filling a gap in the astronomy-related literature by providing a set of chapters not only of direct interest to astronomy communication, but also well beyond it. The experts contributing to this book have done their best to write in a way understandable to readers not necessarily hyperspecialized in astronomy nor in communication techniques while providing specific detailed information, as well as plenty of pointers and bibliographic elements.
This book will be very useful for researchers, teachers, editors, publishers, librarians, computer scientists, sociologists of science, research planners and strategists, project managers, public-relations officers, plus those in charge of astronomy-related organizations, as well as for students aiming at a career in astronomy or related space science. ... Read more