State of the Universe 2008: New Images, Discoveries, and Events

ISBN-13: 9780387716749 / Angielski / Miękka / 2007 / 183 str.

Ratcliffe, Martin A.

Opis

The aim of the State of the Universe annuals is to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every September in a format that will be suitable for, and appeal to, the Christmas market. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The aim is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. This section also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites. Chapter 1 A Year in News and Pictures, written by Martin Ratcliffe, appears every year and makes up the first half of the annual. It will present brief summaries of the major announcements, discoveries and news items from that year, with the major ones being explained in detail through later chapters written by invited contributors who are at the forefront of research in these fields. The January meeting of the American Astronomical Society each year will be the major source of astronomical news for the following year s volume, giving access to potential authors and contacts with public information officers of major observatories, space centers, etc. The invited contributions which make up the second half of the annual each year will cover a variety of topics and are written to appeal to a wide readership. These are written by leading astronomers or science writers. One feature introduced in the first volume, the overall review of the State of the Universe by Dr Jim Kaler will be retained for State of the Universe 2008. The set of appendices at the end of the book will include a list of launches of major astronomical observatories/satellites during the past year; a list of planned future astronomical satellites; basic data on all astronomical observatories currently in operation with web links for the reader who wishes to find out more."

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This softback volume brings together 100 of the most significant astronomy-related press releases that were issued between 2006 April and 2007 March, together with full-colour reproductions of the relevant illustrations. ... this compilation by writer and educator Martin Ratcliffe is a welcome reference. ... Written by recognized experts in their field, these articles cover such diverse topics as 'The history and future of telescopes', 'The state of the Universe', and 'Building planetary disks'." (Peter Bond, The Observatory, Vol. 128 (1204), 2008)

"A book that collates and presents a whole year's worth of news stories ... . The succinct nature of these news stories captures the essence of the research, and for those who wish to read up more about each subject, web links to the original press release or even the scientific paper are provided, making this an excellent resource ... . Anyone wanting a year book style review of the current state of affairs in the Universe ... will enjoy reading this book." (Emily Baldwin, Astronomy Now, July, 2008)

Spis treści

A year in News... ...and Pictures: April 2006 – March 2007.- A year in News... ...and Pictures: April 2006 – March 2007.- Astronomers Gather in Seattle... ...The 209th American Astronomical Society Meeting.- Astronomers Gather in Seattle... ...The 209th American Astronomical Society Meeting.- Features.- The State of the Universe... ...New Steps in Expanding our Knowledge.- High-Stakes Astronomy at Low Frequencies... ...Opening Up a New Wavelength Frontier.- Where Do All the Stars Come from?... ...New Views of Star Formation with the Spitzer Space Telescope.- Chips off the Planetary Block... ...Building Planetary Debris Disks.- High-Energy Vision... ...The Chandra X-ray Observatory.- Surfing Long Waves of the Universe... ...The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the 21st Century.- Through the Eyes of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey... ...Probing Deeper into the Milky Way Galaxy.- Reinventing the Hubble Space Telescope... ...The Next Hubble Servicing Mission.- The History and Future of Telescopes... ...400 Years from Galileo to Keck and Beyond.- Chasing a Runaway Universe... ...Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe.

O autorze

State of the Universe 2008 captures the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. It details discoveries made from the world's leading ground based and orbiting observatories in astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology in the last year. The volume also

presents brief summaries of the major announcements and news items.

Leading astronomers and science writers fully explain all major discoveries and events, and web links are included for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites. Written at an accessible level for both novice and experienced astronomy enthusiasts, this volume enables the reader to stay up to date with the rapid pace and development of modern astronomical research.