Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding

Description

This introductory astronomy textbook is aimed at undergraduates across a range of disciplines. It encourages the development of vital science-based critical-thinking skills, and outlines our present-day understanding of our universe and the profound questions still to be answered in this ancient, yet rapidly changing field.

• Develops critical thinking skills throughout the text to help students learn to distinguish between false claims that derive from faulty evidence or conjecture and verifiable statements based on expert research and study
• Emphasises the crucial role of science and its integration into modern society
• Strives to prompt curiosity in the reader, by demonstrating that our understanding of the universe is far from complete
• Features some basic mathematics, together with interpretive language, and supplemented with numerous examples
• Additional tutorials are provided on the book's companion website
• Features end-of-chapter exercises to reinforce learning and embed understanding
• Solutions manual available on request from the OUP website

About the Author(s)

Dale A. Ostlie, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Weber State University

Professor Ostlie earned his BA degree from St. Olaf College in 1977 and his PhD in theoretical astrophysics from Iowa State University in 1982. Following a two-year position at Bates College, Ostlie went to Weber State University in 1984, where he remained until his retirement in 2014. Along with teaching astronomy, physics, and mathematics courses, Ostlie conducted research in stellar pulsation theory, served as Chair of the Physics Department and Dean of the College of Science. Ostlie also co-authored a highly successful introductory astrophysics textbook with WSU colleague, Bradley W. Carroll. Ostlie continues an active career in textbook writing today.

Table of Contents

I The Process of Science Through the Lens of Astronomy
1:The Nature of Science
2:The Heavens: A Realm of Mystery
3:On the Path Toward Modern Science
4:The Copernican Revolution
5:Sir Isaac Newton's Universe
6:The Universality of Physical Law
7:Revealing Secrets Hidden in Light and Matter
8:Modern Physics: New Science to Study the Universe
II The Sun, Our Solar System, and Exoplanets
9:The Sun, Our Parent Star
10:An Overview of the Solar System
11:The Rocky Planets and Our Moon
12:The Giant Planet Systems
13:Dwarf Planets and Small Bodies
14:Planets Everywhere and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
III Stars and the Universe Beyond
15:Measuring the Stars
16:The Lives of Stars
17:The End of a Stellar Life
18:Galaxies Galore
19:The Once and Future Universe
Appendices

Reviews

"This hefty volume includes standard textbook-type supplements-such as problem sets with some of the answers provided in an appendix but could also serve as a mini-reference book or self-study guide for a wide range of astronomical topics...The writing style is fresh and approachable, encouraging an understanding of the nature of science as something that people do when curious about how nature works." - Choice

"The writing style is fresh and approachable, encouraging an understanding of the nature of science as something that people do when curious about how nature works. The level of mathematics is low, but math is used extensively. This well-illustratedbook includes a nice glossary and an index. An accompanying website offers tutorials and further examples as well as updates, such as discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), that came in after thebook was printed." - M.-K. Hemenway, formerly, University of Texas at Austin, CHOICE connect

"Dale Ostlie has wonderfully redefined what knowledge of the physical universe an introductory textbook on astronomy should convey." - Simon Mitton, St Edmund's College Cambridge

"Ostlie presents an interesting approach to introductory astronomy and one that will help students better learn and understand not just astronomy, but how science in general works as well." - Aaron Grocholski, American University, Washington DC