Essential Astrophysics

Kenneth R. Lang is professor in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group at Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA. He is the author of several successful books (textbooks and popular science books) including "Astrophysical Formulae", "The Sun from Space" or "Parting the Cosmic Veil".

• List of focus elements.- List of tables.- Preface.- 1. Observing the Universe.- 2. Radiation.- 3. Gravity.- 4. Cosmic Motion.- 5. Moving Particles.- 6. Detecting Atoms in Stars.- 7. Transmutation of Elements.- 8. What Makes the Sun Shine?.- 9. The Extended Solar Atmosphere.- 10. The Sun Amongst the Stars.- 11. The Material Between the Stars.- 12. Formation of the Stars and their Planets.- 13 Stellar End States.- 14 A Larger, Expanding Universe.- 15 Origin, Evolution, and Destiny of the Observable Universe.- Appendix I Constants.- Appendix II Units.- Appendix III Fundamental Equations.- Author index.- Subject index.

From the reviews: "This work fills a unique position in the literature. It is a concrete, middle-level treatment that devotes as much attention to methods of research and observation as it does to results. Here at last is a book in English which bridges the gap between elementary introductory accounts and advanced technical monographs. ... It is also a fine book for hobbyists and others with some grounding in astronomy who want to explore these matters in greater depth than elementary texts allow." (Philosophy, Religion and Science Book Reviews, bookinspections.wordpress.com, May, 2014) "This set of lecture notes on astrophysics discusses the topics that would be taught in an introductory undergraduate class. The text is sufficiently comprehensive to be used as the principle textbook for a lecture course or for self-study. ... the references are excellent, enabling those who need more detail to find information quickly. The book will be easy to follow for anyone with a solid background in lower-level undergraduate physics. A valuable acquisition for academic library collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." (A. Spero, Choice, Vol. 51 (6), February, 2014)