Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics PDF
Preview Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics
Jupiter's family portrait Jupiter's Red Spot (left) and its four large Galilean satellites (lo, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto from top to bottom). All images obtained in 1996 by Galileo spacecraft, except that of Callisto obtained by Voyager in 1979. (NASA/JPL) .... Michael Zeilik University of New Mexico Stephen A. Gregory University of New Mexico BROOKS/COLE THOMSON LEARNING Australia • Canada • Mexico • Singapore • Spain United Kingdom • United States fourth edition BROOKS/COLE THOMSON LEARNING Astronomy Editor: John Vondeling Acquisitions Editor: Jennifer Bortel Editorial Coordinator: Ed Dodd Product Manager: Nick Agnew Production Manager: Alicia Jackson Project Editor: Linda Boyle Text Designer: Chazz Bjanes Art Director: Chazz Bjanes COPYRIGHT© 1998 Thomson Learning,Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic,or mechanical,including but not limited to photocopying, recording,taping,Web distribution,information networks,or information storage and retrieval systemswithout the written permission of the publisher. Cover Designer: Chazz Bjanes Cover Printer: Phoenix Color Compositor: TechBooks Printer: R. R. Donnelley,Willard Cover Image: C. Robert O'Dell,Shui Kwan Wong (Rice University) and NASA Title page credit: Hui Yang (University of Illinois) and NASA Asia Thomson Learning 60 Albert Street,#15-01 Albert Complex Singapore 189969 Australia Nelson Thomson Learning 102 Dodds Street South Melbourne,Victoria 3205 Australia Printed in the United States of America 8 9 06 05 Canada Nelson Thomson Learning 1120 Birchmount Road Toronto,Ontario MlK 5G4 Canada For more information about our products,contact us at: Thomson Leaming Academic Resource Center 1-800-423-0563 Europe/Middle East/Africa Thomson Learning Berkshire House 168-173 High Holborn London WCl V7 AA United Kingdom For permission to use material from this text, contact us by: Phone: 1-800-730-2214 Fax: 1-800-730-2215 Web: http://www.thomsonrights.com Latin America Thomson Learning Seneca,53 Colonia Polanco 11560 Mexico D.F. Mexico Library of Congress Catalog Number: 97-69268 Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics,fourth edition ISBN: 0--03-006228-4 Spain Paraninfo Thomson Learning Calle/Magallanes,25 28015 Madrid, Spain PREFACE hree fantastic comets have trekked the sky T since the last edition of this book. Comet HaleBopp-the best and the brightest!-still glorifies the evening skies of New Mexico as we write this preface. Once again, astronomy surprises and delights professionals as well as the general public. If we were not enchanted by the cosmos, we would not have become career astronomers! We have written this book to·convey the content and outlook of modern astronomy and astrophysics to the serious science student. By this, we mean an undergraduate with no formal background in astronomy who is willing to combine basic mathematical skills (trigonometry, algebra, and calculus) with a solid knowledge of physics. (We assume that this physics background includes electromagnetism as well as mechanics at the level that uses calculus.) Our ideal student is eager to use these intellectual tools to broaden his or her understanding of the contents and structure of the Universe. This slant requires the frequent and consistent use of physical concepts that pertain to astronomical entities and situations. In this edition, we have tried to integrate physical intuition and reasoning as they apply to astrophysics. To make bold· this emphasis on the physics of astrophysics, we have introduced a new feature: the Physics Prelude. Here we tour the key physical concepts before we get to the main body of the book. Our goal in the Prelude has been to make the unifying physics as clear and concise as possible. Since we intend the Prelude to be very concise, it contains references to the main text for a more complete discussion of terms, applications, and illustrations. The regular text entwines these ideas as we travel the Universe known to contemporary astronomy and astrophysics. We intend the Prelude to serve as a preorganizer of physical concepts before you take the cosmic voyage. The main text follows a traditional Earth-out approach, which has the advantage of starting out with the familiar and moving to the fantastic. These realms differentiate the four parts of the book: Part One, The Solar System; Part Two, The Stars; Part Three, The Milky Way Galaxy; and Part Four, The Universe. Within the context of Part One, we reintroduce and apply many basic physical concepts, especially those of mechanics. We also examine the planets as places that have evolved since the origin of the solar system. In Part Two, we proceed to the essential concepts about light and its remote sensing by astronomers. We then examine the light of a special star, the Sun, which serves as a model for other stars. In Part Three, we explore the local conglomerate of stars-the Milky Way Galaxy-whose structure and evolution rest so heavily on the stars that make it up. The Galaxy also serves as a model for our understanding of other galaxies. Then in Part Four we turn to the distant Universe, the grandest scale possible, to examine its contents and evolution. Along with bringing the material up-to-date, we have enhanced the book's usefulness as a learning tool. Each chapter now includes a Concept Application in which we give a specific example of a physical or astronomical idea. You will find a list of Key Equations and Concepts at the end of most chapters. And we have added new problems and clarified some of the older ones in the Problems sections. In Part One, we continue to emphasize the concept of comparative planetology as a technique to probe the evolution of the planets. Material on the origin of the Solar System has been integrated with information on the many small bodies that give crucial clues as to how the Solar System formed. Part Two updates telescopes and detectors; of course, the Hubble Space Telescope plays a major V
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