The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium (with AceAstronomy™, Virtual Astronomy Labs Printed Access Card)

Jay Pasachoff and Alex Filippenko combine extensive research experience, teaching experience, and textbook-writing experience to offer a book that is unparalleled in its ability to present the latest science in a way that students can understand. This brief, beautifully illustrated text - one of the briefest available for the course - offers concise coverage of a wide range of astronomical topics. The authors have struck a balance between the fundamental concepts and the exciting topics at the forefront of astronomy, conveying the spirit of contemporary astronomy within a big picture context. The authors emphasize the central theme of origins in this text, first by singling out specifics in the headings of each chapter and then by dealing with a variety of relevant material in the text itself. An early discussion of the scientific method stresses an importance on the verification of observations, and sets the stage for the text's consistent focus on astronomy as a science. Content: A grand tour of the heavens -- Light, matter, and energy: powering the universe -- Light and telescopes: extending our senses -- Observing the stars and planets: clockwork of the universe -- Gravitation and motion: the early history of astronomy -- The terrestrial planets: Earth, Moon, and their relatives -- The Jovian planets: windswept giants -- Pluto, comets, and space debris -- Our solar system and others -- Our star: the Sun -- Stars: distant suns -- How the stars shine: cosmic furnaces -- The death of stars: recycling -- Black holes: the end of space and time -- The Milky Way: our home in the universe -- A universe of galaxies -- Quasars and active galaxies -- Cosmology: the birth and life of the cosmos -- In the beginning -- Life in the universe. Emphasises the central theme of origins in this text by singling out specifics in the headings of each chapter, and deals with a variety of relevant material in the text itself. An early discussion of the scientific method stresses an importance on the verification of observations, and sets the stage to focus on astronomy as a science Jay M. Pasachoff, Alex Filippenko. Includes Bibliographical References (p. A7-a9) And Index.