Letters from an Astrophysicist

Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Publisher: Random House

ISBN: 0753553805

Category: Science

Page: 272

View: 7612


INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Join the galactic conversation on the biggest issues in the universe, from the 'most popular scientist in the world' ‘Don't fear change. Don't fear failure. The only thing to fear is loss of ambition. But if you've got plenty of that, then you have nothing to fear at all’ – Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson is arguably the most influential, acclaimed scientist on the planet. As director of the Hayden Planetarium, and host of Cosmos and StarTalk, he has dedicated his life to exploring and explaining the mysteries of the universe. Every year, he receives thousands of letters – from students to prisoners, scientists to priests. Some seek advice, others yearn for inspiration; some are full of despair, others burst with wonder. But they are all searching for understanding, meaning and truth. His replies are by turns wise, funny, and mind-blowing. In this, his most personal book by far, he covers everything from God to the history of science, from aliens to death. He bares his soul – his passions, his doubts, his hopes. The big theme is everywhere in these pages: what is our place in the universe? The result is an awe-inspiring read and an intimate portal into an incredible mind, which reveals the power of the universe to start conversations and inspire curiosity in all of us.

Letters from an Astrophysicist

Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Publisher: W H Allen

ISBN: 9780753553787

Category: Astrophysicists

Page: 272

View: 8174


INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Join the galactic conversation on the biggest issues in the universe, from the 'most popular scientist in the world' 'Don't fear change. Don't fear failure. The only thing to fear is loss of ambition. But if you've got plenty of that, then you have nothing to fear at all' - Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson is arguably the most influential, acclaimed scientist on the planet. As director of the Hayden Planetarium, and host of Cosmos and StarTalk, he has dedicated his life to exploring and explaining the mysteries of the universe. Every year, he receives thousands of letters - from students to prisoners, scientists to priests. Some seek advice, others yearn for inspiration; some are full of despair, others burst with wonder. But they are all searching for understanding, meaning and truth. His replies are by turns wise, funny, and mind-blowing. In this, his most personal book by far, he covers everything from God to the history of science, from aliens to death. He bares his soul - his passions, his doubts, his hopes. The big theme is everywhere in these pages- what is our place in the universe? The result is an awe-inspiring read and an intimate portal into an incredible mind, which reveals the power of the universe to start conversations and inspire curiosity in all of us.

Astrophysics from Spacelab

Author: P.L. Bernacca,Remo Ruffini

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

ISBN: 9400989792

Category: Science

Page: 668

View: 2423


A meeting on "Astrophysics. from Spacelab" was held at the Internatio nal Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, in the Autumn of 1976. Scope of the meeting was to bring to the attention of an increasing number of physi cists and astrophysicists, including scientists from developing countries, the new facil ities made available by the combination of the Shuttle and the Spacelab programmes. This book starts from that meeting and includes, together with reports presented in Trieste, duly updated, a few additional reviews on selected to pi cs. In the first part, D.J. Shapland and G. Giampalmo (liThe Shuttle and the Spacelab") present the design and the programmatic data of these advanced transportation systems and orbital laboratories. Vittorio Manno introduces the scientific programmes coordinated and led to execution by the European Space Agency ("ESA Programmes in Astronomy and Astrophys i cs "). J.D. Rosendha 1 (liThe NASA Programmes in Astronomy and Astrophysics") summarizes the activi ties in solar physics, high-energy astrophysics and astronomy planned in the United States of America by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as well as the expected use of the space shuttle and spacelab in their first year of operation

Frontiers of Astrophysics

Author: Eugene H. Avrett

Publisher: Harvard University Press

ISBN: 9780674326590

Category: Science

Page: 574

View: 1706


One of the most vigorous sciences of our time, astrophysics constantly changes under the impact of new discoveries about everything from our own sun to the most distant and exotic of extragalactic phenomena. In chapters written especially for this volume, twelve distinguished scientists actively pursuing astrophysical research offer up-to-date reviews and commentary on new developments in their fields. With a little grounding in astronomy or physics, the reader will find this book an invaluable source of basic information on the most recent work in this field. Frontiers of Astrophysics can be used as classroom reading, either as a main text or as supplementary reading in astronomy or physics courses, and it can be read with profit by anyone who wants current knowledge presented without complex mathematical arguments. Published within months after the contributions were written, this book is the most convenient and contemporary source on these topics: formation of the solar system (W.R. Ward); new developments in solar research (R. W. Noyes); early phases of stellar evolution (S.E. Storm); endpoints of stellar evolution (A.G.W. Cameron); neutron stars, black holes and supernocvae (H. Gursky); infrared astronomy (G.G. Fazio); gaseous nebulae and their interstellar environment (E.K. Chaisson); chemistry of the interstellar medium (A. Dalgarno); radio observations of galactic masers (J.M. Moran): active galaxies (K. Brecher); galaxies and cosmology (M. Davis); the mass of the universe and intergalactic matter (G.B. Field).

Essential Astrophysics

Author: Kenneth R. Lang

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

ISBN: 3642359639

Category: Science

Page: 635

View: 8917


Essential Astrophysics is a book to learn or teach from, as well as a fundamental reference volume for anyone interested in astronomy and astrophysics. It presents astrophysics from basic principles without requiring any previous study of astronomy or astrophysics. It serves as a comprehensive introductory text, which takes the student through the field of astrophysics in lecture-sized chapters of basic physical principles applied to the cosmos. This one-semester overview will be enjoyed by undergraduate students with an interest in the physical sciences, such as astronomy, chemistry, engineering or physics, as well as by any curious student interested in learning about our celestial science. The mathematics required for understanding the text is on the level of simple algebra, for that is all that is needed to describe the fundamental principles. The text is of sufficient breadth and depth to prepare the interested student for more advanced specialised courses in the future. Astronomical examples are provided throughout the text, to reinforce the basic concepts and physics, and to demonstrate the use of the relevant formulae. In this way, the student learns to apply the fundamental equations and principles to cosmic objects and situations. Astronomical and physical constants and units as well as the most fundamental equations can be found in the appendix. Essential Astrophysics goes beyond the typical textbook by including references to the seminal papers in the field, with further reference to recent applications, results, or specialised literature.

The Big Bang and Other Explosions in Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics

Author: David N Schramm

Publisher: World Scientific

ISBN: 9814501379

Category: Science

Page: 732

View: 2838


This volume of important papers by one the world's leading astrophysicists provides a sweeping survey of the incisive and exciting applications of nuclear and particle physics to a wide range of problems in astrophysics and cosmology. The prime focus of the book is on Big Bang cosmology and the role of primordial nucleosynthesis in establishing the modern consensus on the Big Bang. This leads into the connection of cosmology to particle physics and the constraints put on various elementary particles by astrophysical arguments. Big Bang Nucleosynthesis has also led to the argument for nonbaryonic dark matter and is thus related to the major problem in physical cosmology today, namely, structure formation. The nuclear-particle interface with astrophysics also extends to the other topics of major interest such as the age of the universe, cosmic rays, supernovae, and solar neutrinos, each of which will be discussed in some detail. Each section contains historical papers, current papers, and frequently a popular article on the subject which provides an overview of the topic. This volume is testimony to the success of the integration of nuclear and particle physics with astrophysics and cosmology, and to the ingenuity of the work in this area which has earned the author numerous prestigious awards. The book, which is accessible to beginning graduate students, should be of particular interest to researchers and students in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and gravitation, and also in high energy and nuclear physics. Contents:Part A: Basic Big Bang CosmologyPart B: Primordial Nucleosynthesis:Standard ModelDeuterium and Baryon DensityHeliumLithiumCosmological Neutrino CountingAstrophysical Constraints on Particle PropertiesPart C: Other Cosmological Topics:The Very Early UniverseThe Quark-Hadron TransitionDark Matter and Cosmic Structure FormationStructure Formation ContinuedNucleochronologyPart D: Non-Cosmological Topics:Cosmic RaysGalactic EvolutionColliding Neutron Stars and Other ExoticaSolar Neutrinos Readership: Researchers and graduate students in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology and gravitation, high energy physics and nuclear physics. keywords:

Astrophysics Is Easy!

Author: Michael Inglis

Publisher: Springer

ISBN: 3319116444

Category: Science

Page: 312

View: 5975


Astrophysics is often –with some justification – regarded as incomprehensible without the use of higher mathematics. Consequently, many amateur astronomers miss out on some of the most fascinating aspects of the subject. Astrophysics Is Easy! cuts through the difficult mathematics and explains the basics of astrophysics in accessible terms. Using nothing more than plain arithmetic and simple examples, the workings of the universe are outlined in a straightforward yet detailed and easy-to-grasp manner. The original edition of the book was written over eight years ago, and in that time, advances in observational astronomy have led to new and significant changes to the theories of astrophysics. The new theories will be reflected in both the new and expanded chapters. A unique aspect of this book is that, for each topic under discussion, an observing list is included so that observers can actually see for themselves the concepts presented –stars of the spectral sequence, nebulae, galaxies, even black holes. The observing list has been revised and brought up-to-date in the Second Edition.

Space Studies Board Annual Report 2017

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Space Studies Board

Publisher: National Academies Press

ISBN: 030947762X

Category: Science

Page: 128

View: 9165


The original charter of the Space Science Board was established in June 1958, three months before the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) opened its doors. The Space Science Board and its successor, the Space Studies Board (SSB), have provided expert external and independent scientific and programmatic advice to NASA on a continuous basis from NASA's inception until the present. The SSB has also provided such advice to other executive branch agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Defense, as well as to Congress. Space Studies Board Annual Report 2017 covers a message from the chair of the SSB, David N. Spergel. This report also explains the origins of the Space Science Board, how the Space Studies Board functions today, the SSB's collaboration with other National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine units, assures the quality of the SSB reports, acknowledges the audience and sponsors, and expresses the necessity to enhance the outreach and improve dissemination of SSB reports. This report will be relevant to a full range of government audiences in civilian space research - including NASA, NSF, NOAA, USGS, and the Department of Energy, as well members of the SSB, policy makers, and researchers.

A Brief History of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Author: Lang Kenneth R

Publisher: World Scientific

ISBN: 9813233850

Category: Science

Page: 340

View: 2497


This book traces out the unfolding history of important discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics, and anchors our present understanding of the Universe within the findings and personalities of accomplished astronomers. They have used telescopes and instruments to extend our vision to places that cannot be seen with the unaided eye, discovered a host of unanticipated objects, found out how various parts of the night sky are related, and discovered that the Universe is larger, more complex, and older than has been previously thought. This comprehensive historical approach to the present state of astronomy is a unique aspect of the book.