Observational Astronomy: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Unlocking the secrets of the Universe involves the critical application of the laws of physics to the observations. This Very Short Introduction describes how we are turning observations into knowledge and how theory, in turn, is inspiring new observations.

• Up-to-date introduction to observing the cosmos, including the most recent scientific results and techniques for detecting neutrinos and gravitational waves
• Explains the underlying physical principles, highlighting the intimate relationship between observation and theory
• Describes the evidence we have gleaned about the Universe, the prospects for future discoveries, and how these relate to the remaining key unsolved problems
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Geoff Cottrell, Visitor Oxford Astrophysics Department

Geoff Cottrell obtained his PhD in Radio Astronomy at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University. After researching contact electrification of solidified rare gases near the absolute zero of temperature at UMIST in Manchester, he joined the UKAEA Culham Laboratory, working on the Joint European Torus (JET) experiment, where he became Session Leader. He observed a new form of super-thermal radio emission (Ion Cyclotron Emission) from energetic fusion alpha particles in the plasma. From 1999, he worked on a central issue for the development of fusion energy - fusion materials, in particular calculating the effect that energetic fusion neutrons would have on the wall of a power reactor. He was Director of the Culham International Summer School for Plasma Physics from 2006-2011. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and visiting scientist at the Oxford University Astrophysics Department and at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Preface
1:The observable Universe
2:The life and death of stars
3:Big telescopes
4:The radio Universe
5:Observations from space
6:The transient Universe
7:Multi-messenger astronomy
8:A bigger picture
Further Reading
Index