Thoroughly updated and re-conceived, Astronomy, Ninth Edition, equips the introductory astronomy student with the essential tools for understanding the cosmos. Michael Zeilik has revised the pedagogy of his successful textbook based on recent research in astronomy education. Significantly shorter than the previous edition, the ninth edition is organized into four concept clusters: Cosmic Distances, Heavenly Motions, Celestial Light and Spectra, and Scientific Models. Material has been streamlined throughout to make the descriptions, concepts, and explanations clearer. Each chapter ends with a concise summary of the concepts in each cluster. Each chapter contains at least one Celestial Navigator, a concept map that provides a visual guide of major concepts in the chapter and explicity shows their connections. Throughout, illustrations have been updated to be clearer and more understandable to the novice student. Michael Zeilik, Professor of Physics and Astronomy and former Presidential Lecturer at the University of New Mexico, specializes in innovative, introductory courses for the novice, non-science major student. In 1998, he was appointed a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Science Education. Zeilik’s work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Exxon Educational Foundation, and the Slipher Fund of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1997, the 8th edition of Astronomy: The Evolving Universe won a Texty Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association. In 2002 he was awarded the Astronomy Education Prize by the American Astronomical Society.

Reviews & endorsements

“A slick introductory textbook that vaguely resembles a really thick Discover magazine. Zeilik…presents each topic in a patient, engaging manner, and even includes some material from his research on astronomy in the historic and prehistoric Pueblo world.” Book News

Author

Michael Zeilik, University of New Mexico

Table of Contents

Part I. Changing Conceptions of the Cosmos:
1. From chaos to cosmos
2. The birth of cosmological models
3. The new cosmic order
4. The clockwork universe
5. The birth of astrophysics
6. Telescopes and our insight to the cosmos
7. Einstein’s vision
Part II. The Planets: Past and Present:
8. The earth: an evolving planet
9. Moon and Mercury, Mars and Venus: terrestrial planets
10. The Jovian planets: primitive worlds
11. The origin and evolution of the solar system
Part III. The Universe of Stars:
12. Our sun: local star
13. The stars as suns
14. Starbirth and interstellar matter
15. Star lives
16. Star death
Part IV. Galaxies and Cosmic Evolution:
17. The evolution of the galaxy
18. The universe of galaxies
19. Cosmic violence
20. Cosmic history
Appendix A. Units
Appendix B. Planetary data
Appendix C. Physical constants and astronomical data
Appendix D. Nearby stars in the Hipparcus catalogue
Appendix E. Periodic table of the elements
Expanded glossary
Index.