Specifically traces the impact of Einstein's ideas on astronomy, including the way we interpret observations of stars and galaxies.

Includes comments from principals in important discoveries, illuminating the processes behind these results.

Presents many applications of relativity that have not been shown in earlier popular-level books and illustrates how deeply physics permeates the way we interpret many astronomical phenomena.

Highlights light-travel delays in cosmic jets, using gravitational lensing to trace cosmic mass distribution.

Illustrations employ...

The formation of galaxies is one of the greatest puzzles in astronomy, the solution is shrouded in the depths of space and time, but has profound implications for the universe we observe today. This book discusses the beginnings of the process from cosmological observations and calculations. It examines the different theories of galaxy formation and shows where each theory either succeeds or fails in explaining what we actually observe. In addition, the book looks ahead to what we may expect to uncover about the epoch of galaxy formation from the new and upcoming generations of telescopes...

This is volume 6 of Planets, Stars and Stellar Systems, a six-volume compendium of modern astronomical research, covering subjects of key interest to the main fields of contemporary astronomy. This volume on "Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology" edited by William C. Keel presents accessible review chapters on Galaxy Morphology, Elliptical and Disk Galaxy Structure and Modern Scaling Laws, Star Formation in Galaxies, The Cool ISM in Galaxies, The Influence of Environment on Galaxy Evolution, Clusters of Galaxies, Active Galactic Nuclei, Large Scale Structure of the Universe, Distance...