Explorations: Introduction to Astronomy

Tom Arny is an Emeritus professor in the Astronomy Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was associated there with the Five College Astronomy Program(comprising faculty from U-Mass, Amhurst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, and Smith Colleges). Dr. Arny received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona. In addition to his interest in astronomy, he has a long-standing fascination with the natural world: weather (especially atmospheric optics such as rainbows), birds, wildflowers, and butterflies. Visit Dr. Arny's website at: http://www.astro.umass.edu/~arny/astro100.html Steve Schneider became interested in astronomy at the amateur level when he was a child. He studied astronomy as an undergraduate at Harvard and obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell. His dissertation work received the Trumpler Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and he was named a Presidential Young Investigator. In addition to teaching introductory astronomy, he works closely with science teachers, presenting workshops and special courses. He also loves to draw and paint.

• Preview The Cosmic LandscapeChapter 1 The Cycles of the SkyChapter 2 The Rise of AstronomyEssay 1 Backyard AstronomyChapter 3 Gravity and MotionChapter 4 Light and AtomsEssay 2 Special and General RelativityChapter 5 TelescopesChapter 6 The EarthEssay 3 Keeping TimeChapter 7 The MoonChapter 8 Survey of Solar SystemsChapter 9 The Terrestrial PlanetsChapter 10 The Outer PlanetsChapter 11 Small Bodies Orbiting the SunChapter 12 The Sun, Our StarChapter 13 Measuring the Properties of StarsChapter 14 Stellar EvolutionChapter 15 Stellar Remnants: White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, and Black HolesChapter 16 The Milky Way GalaxyChapter 17 GalaxiesChapter 18 CosmologyEssay 4 Life in the UniverseAnswers to Test YourselfAppendixScientific NotationMetric PrefixesSolving Distance, Velocity, Time (d, V, t) ProblemsSome Useful FormulasGlossaryCreditsIndex