The Cosmic Century: A History of Astrophysics and CosmologyCambridge University Press, 2006 M06 15 - 545 pages The twentieth-century witnessed the development of astrophysics and cosmology from subjects which scarcely existed to two of the most exciting and demanding areas of contemporary scientific inquiry. In this book Malcolm Longair reviews the historical development of the key areas of modern astrophysics, linking the strands together to show how they have led to the extraordinarily rich panorama of modern astrophysics and cosmology. While many of the great discoveries were derived from pioneering observations, the emphasis is upon the development of theoretical concepts and how they came to be accepted. These advances have led astrophysicists and cosmologists to ask some of the deepest questions about the nature of our Universe and have pushed astronomical observations to the very limit. This is a fantastic story, and one which would have defied the imaginations of even the greatest story-tellers. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 23 |
Section 3 | 100 |
Section 4 | 125 |
Section 5 | 154 |
Section 6 | 173 |
Section 7 | 175 |
Section 8 | 177 |
Section 19 | 281 |
Section 20 | 317 |
Section 21 | 319 |
Section 22 | 321 |
Section 23 | 327 |
Section 24 | 343 |
Section 25 | 365 |
Section 26 | 368 |
Section 9 | 187 |
Section 10 | 190 |
Section 11 | 216 |
Section 12 | 237 |
Section 13 | 240 |
Section 14 | 244 |
Section 15 | 249 |
Section 16 | 257 |
Section 17 | 258 |
Section 18 | 269 |
Section 27 | 369 |
Section 28 | 380 |
Section 29 | 387 |
Section 30 | 388 |
Section 31 | 395 |
Section 32 | 412 |
Section 33 | 416 |
Section 34 | 425 |
Section 35 | 429 |
Section 36 | 433 |
Other editions - View all
The Cosmic Century: A History of Astrophysics and Cosmology Malcolm S. Longair No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
absorption abundances accretion accretion disc active galactic nuclei angular astronomical astrophysics baryonic binary black hole Cambridge clusters of galaxies cold dark matter colleagues cosmic epoch cosmic microwave background cosmic rays cosmological constant density parameter detected detectors disc discovered discovery distance early Universe Eddington Einstein electrons elements emission energy equation estimates evolution Figure fluctuations flux formation giant gravitational helium Hoyle Hubble hydrogen images important infrared interstellar interstellar medium ionised lines Longair luminosity function magnitude main sequence Malcolm Longair mass measured microwave background radiation nebulae neutrinos neutron stars nuclear nuclei objects Observatory observed optical particles perturbations photons physics power spectrum problem pulsars quasars radio galaxies radio sources radius red giant redshifts regions relativistic relativity result rotation Sandage scale Schwarzschild Section showed solar spectra spiral star-forming stellar structure studies supernova survey telescope temperature theory timescale ultraviolet velocity waveband wavelengths world models X-ray y-ray Zeldovich