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This book is intended for students interested in the applications of general relativity in astrophysics and cosmology but who would like to avoid mathematical complications. This volume thus combines relativity, astrophysics, and cosmology in a single volume. It provides an introduction to the subject that will enable students to consult more detailed treatises as well as the current literature. For prospective researchers in these fields, the book includes an appendix on differential forms, and an extensive, though not exhaustive list of references. The book is divided into three parts. The section on general relativity gives the case for a curved space-time, presents the mathematical background (tensor calculus, Riemannian geometry), discusses the Einstein equation and its solutions (including black holes, Penrose processes, and similar topics), and considers the energy-momentum tensor for various solutions. The section on relativistic astrophysics discusses stellar contraction and collapse, neutron stars and their equations of state, black holes, and accretion onto collapsed objects. The section on cosmology discusses various cosmological models, observational tests, and scenarios for the early universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Who is this book for?
For whom was this book written? If you don't know tensor analysis, GR and the rest of that stuff you're sure not going to learn it here. If you do know tensor analysis and the other stuff why are you reading this book? ... Read more

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Astronomy and Astrophysics is a comprehensive, fundamental, up-to-date reference book. It is filled with vital information and basic facts for amateur astronomers and professional astrophysicists, and for anyone interested in the Universe, from the Earth and other planets to the stars, galaxies and beyond. Although serious and thorough, the language, and ideas will attract the general reader, as well as students and professionals.

Astronomy and Astrophysics consists of two main parts, a Timeline and a Dictionary. The Timeline is a concise history, arranged chronologically, which provides the complete story of cosmic discovery from early Chinese and Greek astronomy to the latest findings of modern astrophysics and robotic spacecraft. It provides a sense of destination and flow in our growing awareness of the Universe. Each entry in the unfolding narrative is written in a concise, light and friendly style that will be appreciated by all, without being weighted down with incomprehensible specialized terms.

The story of science is one of individuals, as well as discoveries and ideas. So our Timeline includes the people who have made major scientific contributions that are related to astronomy, and astrophysics.

The Dictionary defines all terms and acronyms that deal with our celestial science, from important concepts to individual objects and space missions. It is arranged alphabetically and complemented by numerous tables of fundamental data for bright cosmic objects, including the celestial coordinates required to observe them. Line drawings are also used to forcefully compact a scientific insight, with clear labels and captions.

An exceptionally thorough Index cross-references concepts, discoveries and individuals in both the Timeline and Dictionary. The combined result is a unique, comprehensive, stand-alone reference volume in which the reader can quickly locate information, while also discovering new and unexpected knowledge. Astronomy and Astrophysics is therefore an indispensable book for any library and all persons interested in astronomy and astrophysics, as well as the related fields of cosmology, geology and physics.

Kenneth R. Lang is known for his famous, widely used reference books Astrophysical Formulae I, II, published in their third edition in 1995 by Springer-Verlag. He is also a writer of prize-winning science books that have a broad readership, including amateurs, experts and the educated layperson. Some of these popular books, which include Sun, Earth and Sky, Wanderers in Space, the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Sun and the Cambridge Guide to the Solar System, have been translated into seven languages.

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All papers were peer reviewed. The broad objective of Frontiers of Fundamental Physics has been to enable scholars working in different areas to meet and exchange ideas and status reports. In this edition, the foundations of physics have been discussed and the role of science and its connection with society. The idea of supplying a site to impel this debate among workers of science and all the society also appeared. Changing the way of doing science could contribute to improve the society in a fairer social system, a science for all the peoples of the world. Moreover, alternative ideas should be taken into account to help the progress of science. Topics discussed include: high energy physics including string theory and quantum gravity; astro-particle physics; theoretical physics; applied mathematics; astrophysics and cosmology; alternative theories.

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This book provides a comprehensive survey of modern molecular astrophysics. It gives an introduction to molecular spectroscopy and then addresses the main areas of current molecular astrophysics, including galaxy formation, star forming regions, mass loss from young as well as highly evolved stars and supernovae, starburst galaxies plus the tori and discs near the central engines of active galactic nuclei. With chapters written by leading experts, the book is unique in giving a detailed view of this wide-ranging subject. It will provide the standard introduction for research students in molecular astrophysics; it will also enable chemists to learn the astrophysics most related to chemistry as well as instruct physicists about the molecular processes most important in astronomy. ... Read more

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Provides a thorough overview of the subject, covering general concepts, methods of investigation, important results and their significance, relevant literature, and some suggestions for promising avenues of future research. Softcover. ... Read more

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This well-illustrated monograph is devoted to classic fundamentals, current practice, and perspectives of modern plasma astrophysics. The level of the book is designed mainly for professional researchers in astrophysics. The book will also be interesting and useful to graduate students in space sciences, geophysics, as well as to advanced students in applied physics and mathematics seeking a unified view of plasma physics and fluid mechanics.

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Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology offers a succinct and self-contained treatment of general relativity and its application to compact objects, gravitational waves and cosmology. The required mathematical concepts are introduced informally, following geometrical intuition as much as possible. The approach is theoretical, but there is ample discussion of observational aspects and of instrumental issues where appropriate.

The book includes such topical issues as the Gravity Probe B mission, interferometer detectors of gravitational waves, and the physics behind the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Written for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in (astro)physics, it is ideally suited for a lecture course and contains 140 exercises with extensive hints. The reader is assumed to be familiar with linear algebra and analysis, ordinary differential equations, special relativity, and basic thermal physics.

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Dust is widespread in the galaxy. To astronomers studying stars it may be just an irritating fog, but it is becoming widely recognized that cosmic dust plays an active role in astrochemistry. Without dust, the galaxy would have evolved differently, and planetary systems like ours would not have occurred.

To explore and consolidate this active area of research, Dust and Chemistry in Astronomy covers the role of dust in the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium, with the exception of dust in the solar system. Each chapter provides thorough coverage of our understanding of interstellar dust, particularly its interaction with interstellar gas. Aimed at postgraduate researchers, the book also serves as a thorough review of this significant area of astrophysics for practicing astronomers and graduate students. ... Read more

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This book deals with the fundamentals of stellar interferometry with emphasis on aperture synthesis using sparse array of telescopes particularly at optical/IR wavelengths, the origin, properties, and optical effects of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, techniques developed to overcome image degradation. Studded with more than one hundred and fifty illustrations and tens of footnotes, it addresses the basic tricks of trade, current trend, motivation, methods, and path to future promise of true interferometry both from the ground and space. Also discussed are the technical challenge involved, such as beam transportation and recombination, detecting fringes using modern sensors, and image synthesis. Astronomical science that benefits from aperture synthesis imaging are highlighted as well. ... Read more

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This is the first collection of review articles in one volume covering the very latest developments in exoplanet research. This edited, multi-author volume will be an invaluable introduction and reference to all key aspects in the field this field. The reviews cover topics such as the properties of known exoplanets and searching for exoplanets in the stellar graveyard. The book provides an easily accessible point of reference in a fast moving and exciting field.

Customer Reviews (2)

Very Good Text on Extra-Solar Planets
I read this book alongside the book by Ollivier et. al. on Planetary Systems. I would say that there is very little to choose between these two books and the potential purchaser would not go wrong with either book. Both are very good introductions to a new and burdgeoning area of science - the search for and categorization of extra-solar planets.

I found this book to be an excellent introduction to Extra-solar planets. I used it as a "jump-off" text into the area of exoplanets in terms of a research paper I had to write about this subject, i.e., to give me an overview of the subject and to lead me into the published scientific literature. The text is very well-written. There are many helful illustrations, all nicely captioned, and each chapter has a very good bibliography that I very much appreciated in breaking into the scientific papers. Indeed, the bibliographies at the end of each chapter are a bit more extensive than contained in the Ollivier text, and thus a bit more helpful from the perspective I was using the book. For a subject still in its infancy, the authors were able to provide a nice break-down of the scientific findings rapidly developing as new exoplanets are being found at an amazing clip.

Putting together a concise book in an area developing so rapidly and that was practically non-existent 10-15 years ago must have been a real challenge to the editor here, but in my view, it was handled it very nicely. While the book serves as a nice text on the subject, it will also be enjoyed by any reader with a passing interest in exoplanets, and thus would serve as a nice "general read" as well. Non-technical readers will not find the mathematics in the text over-powering (although the mathematics in this text is somewhat heavier than in the Ollivier text). Nonetheless, the text will more than make up for any mathematics that is not comprehended by the lay reader.

A really nice book and an important contribution to a new and burdgeoning area of science.

successful methods
This is an exciting time in astronomy, for now we can detect exoplanets by several means. What was once pure speculation in science fiction is now an observational field, young and growing. The book describes detection methods, especially Doppler exoplanet surveying. Currently the major tool of discovery. As Jian Ge says in one chapter, of 200+ exoplanets found thus far, around 90% were by this method.

But don't forget gravitational microlensing. A fundamentally different approach that has also yielded exoplanets. More interestingly, it is more sensitive to low mass planets and planets orbiting a star at 1.5-4 AU. It strictly uses gravitational effects, and does not need to find light from the planet or its star.

A former classmate of mine, Steinn Sigurdsson, has a chapter on looking for planets in stars that have left the main sequence [ie. burned up most of their fuel]. Another interesting approach; though perhaps more speculative than Dopplering or microlensing. ... Read more

Product Description

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.

Customer Reviews (3)

A look at the Skies
I bought this book as a gift. The recipient has had an interest in Astronomy for many years.
He found the book lovely to look at, interesting to read. A great addition to his personal library, where he can browse it over and over again. A good book for a novice and still a good book for someone more knowledgable.

Excellent Read
This is an excellent book if you are simply looking to update yourself on what's currently going on in the aerospace, astronomy, astrophysics, optics, etc. fields.It gives just enough information to enlighten one on the latest and greatest of these fields.However, if you're looking for a more in-depth look at the multiple topics presented in this book, you'll have to turn to supplementary materials (which this book does a good job of referencing so that you don't have to conduct in-depth supplementary materials searches yourself).It readslike a magazine full of editorials, and they are written by scientists and researchers who are renowned in their respective fields of research.

It is a bit redundant in places, as it covers some topics that were "cutting edge" in the previous volume, "State Of The Universe 2007."But that is to be expected, as many such topics can remain at the forefront of these fields of interest for years at a time.Nevertheless, there is plenty of new material, making it worth while to get "SOTU 2008" even if you have "SOTU 2007."

In summary, this book does exactly what it was intended to do - inform interested parties of what's going on at the forefront of the many astronomically-related fields in a clear and concise manner.

An Astrono0mers view
This book should be in the reading list of every educator who is involved in teaching Astronomy. Martin Ratcliff has collected in one publication information that would require many hours of research from the worlds leading authorities in each subject. I particularly liked the references given to each entry and have been able to contact via e-mail a number of the contributors to raise questions and gain further information.

A must in any library.

Frank Gear F.R.A.S.
Director/Presenter
NIAS Planetarium ... Read more

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Towards the second half of this decade several major telescope facilities operating in the infrared submillimeter and millimeter wave bands will become operational. These missions are expected to throw much light on our understanding of the the star formation phenomenon, which is addressed as one of the primary science goals in these wave bands. This book is the proceedings of the "Cores to Clusters" workshop held at Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto during 7 - 9 October, 2004 to discuss current and future issues in star formation physics in the light of these Next Generation Telescopes.

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The book covers the field of solar system astrophysics beginning with basic tools of spherical astronomy and coordinate frames and celestial mechanics. Historical introductions precede the development and discussion in most chapters.

After a basic treatment of the two- and restricted three-body system motions, perturbations are discussed, and then the Earth’s gravitational potential field and its effects on satellite orbits. Next follow chapters on the Earth-Moon system and the interior planets. Surfaces are treated as well as the interiors and atmospheres, developing appropriate mathematical tools and the basic geophysics, mineralogy, crystallography, and meteorology required for comprehension. Chapters 5 and 6 involve pedagogically clear, illustrated discussions of the numerical integration of the Adams-Williamson equation and the equations of state in planetary interiors. The discussion of rocks and minerals includes crystallography, essential for understanding the state of matter in planetary interiors and moon rocks. The atmospheres chapter includes detailed discussions of circulation, applicable also to the subsequent discussion of the gas giants. A comparative planetary approach is given to discussions of the atmospheric and ionospheric chemistry, magnetospheres, and crustal properties. The giant planets are discussed together, and the thermal excess of three of them highlighted. This is followed by chapters on moons and rings, mainly in the context of dynamical stability, comets and meteors, meteorites and asteroids, and concludes with an extensive discussion of extrasolar planets. The material has been updated in the last few months to take advantage of the newer discoveries of the Mars Rover and the Saturn Cassini missions.

Product Description
This is a very useful reference book for working astronomers and astrophysicists. Forming the proceedings of a recent IAU meeting where the availability and the needs of atomic and molecular data were discussed, the papers published here discuss existing and planned instruments for astronomical spectroscopy from earth-orbiting satellites. In particular, the atomic and molecular parameters that are, or will be, needed for analysis of the data obtained by these instruments are considered. A number of significant shortcomings in the available databases are identified. The needs highlighted will be of interest to laboratory astrophysicists, both experimentalists and theorists, who can produce the data required. A second group of papers provides a current inventory of atomic and molecular data compilations. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

reference text, not for use in class
I was assigned this textbook for an advanced undergraduate astrophysics course.I found it to be ambiguous and difficult to use effectively.Many of the equations seemed to come from nowhere, and were presented with little explanation.

I suspect that this textbook could be helpful for those who are already quite familiar with the material, as a reference text.However, I do not think that it is an effective classroom text to be used on its own.

Concise and Wonderful
This book is NOT meant to be an in-depth look at all of astrophysics, but rather a concise overview. Hence the "in a nutshell" title! This book is appropriate for educators who plan on teaching a semester or even quarter course with an emphasis on breadth of knowledge rather than depth. Furthermore, students will find this book EXTREMELY useful for reviewing basic astrophysics and for preparing for exams (such as the PhD qualifying exam). The problems at the end of the book are wonderful, and are at a level that undergraduates should be able to complete them. This book does assume a basic background in both physics and astronomy. Also, since the book is so concise, it's not a good book to learn from for the first time, however as I mentioned, it is an excellent book if supplemented by lectures. Bottom line, if you are trying to learn this material for the first time, this book is not for you. However, if you're looking for a good book to adopt for class, or you already "know" the material but want to review, this book is for you.

An excellent overview
Astrophysics in a Nutshell is an absolutely excellent introduction to the subject for those with a reasonable physics background, but from outside the field. I am recommending it heartily to all my friends and colleagues who want a concise overview of this vast field.

Not For Teaching, Good for Reference
This text was used with my Astronomy undergradute class for the Fall 2007 semester. My professor simply paraphrased and verbally expounded upon certain topics in the book leading to a boring lecture; and furthermore, I haven't learned anything more than if I had picked up this book myself.

Here are some problems I have with the book:
-I found on several instances that there was the classic physics text book faux pax, 'and as the reader can easily see or do on their own, this equals this'. Would it really be that hard to take 2 sentences to explain what is going on? We are supposed to learn from a text book, not guess as to how things are done.

-Some of the problems having little to do with what was actually covered in the chapter. In a good text book, you should be able to reference concepts AND equations in the chapter to use in working through a problem. What is the point of introducing a topic and then having a problem essentially say, 'ignore all that, and use this simplification'. That completely nullifies the entire point of introducing the topic in the chapter.


The bottom line is that this book should NOT be used as a textbook for an undergradute astronomy course. One should thoroughly learn specific topics that can be continually built upon in later classes. This book glosses over a lot of topics, introduces things conceptually and very briefly that you won't be able to learn in depth until later after more physics.

It's a good reference book for graduates. It is NOT a good textbook, by any stretch of the imagination, for undergraduates; unless, of course, you have an amazing professor which seem few and far between in Astronomy undergrad.

Text much like an outline from lecture notes
I have completed reading this textbook, appreciating the conciseness of the material and completeness of this topic when compared to larger and more rigorous texts.Diagrams are plentiful and explanations flow well, but for the independent reader a more polished, better illustrated text would work better.This physics book would work well with a class supplemented with explanations, more mathematical examples, and correlating images. ... Read more

Product Description

This book tells two stories. The first and most obvious is why the star known as Sirius has been regarded as an important fixture of the night sky by many civilizations and cultures since the beginnings of history. A second, but related, narrative is the prominent part that Sirius has played in how we came to achieve our current scientific understanding of the nature and fate of the stars. This is the first book to integrate the cultural history of Sirius with modern astrophysics in a way which provides a realistic view of how science progresses over time.

Customer Reviews (2)

A Five Star Book about a Star
I found the book filled with interesting information about one of my favorite stars.I enjoy discussing Sirius and its companion when I give astronomy walks, so the information in this book will be used far into the future.Buy it.Its an easy read and very interesting.

Michael R. Richardson

A Siriusly Flawed Non-diamond
Holberg's book is not entirely bad.It gives the most recent and most accurate statistics regarding the size, composition, orbital characteristics, distance from earth, and proper motion of the stars Sirius A and B.These are unfortunately stashed in an appendix at the end of the book.I would liked to have seen an enhanced color graphic of this, with fully labeled orbits, semi-major axes, and so on, placed in the color plate section of the book, along with the statistic summary.Holberg is a qualified authority to present these data since he has played a part in obtaining the most accurate satellite measurement.

The first problem with this book is that it lacks focus.A good portion of the book rehashes the same information that is crammed down the throats of university students in any standard introductory astronomy textbook.The author is so passionate about this dogma that he can't resist the chance to preach this doctrine.The book devotes a substantial portion to the history of the developments of the telescope from the 1700s to the present.This section was actually much more interesting than I would have thought, and was actually well-written.However, the vast majority of this material did not belong in this book.In fact, Holberg would have written a much better book if he would have just used this material and written the book about the history of telescopes.

However, Holberg is completely clueless about the use of telescopes in ancient times.He discounts Robert Temple's book, "The Sirius Mystery," but apparently has no knowledge of Temple's book "The Crystal Sun," which offers plenty of convincing evidence that the ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks had telescopes and optical technology.

Holberg is utterly unqualified to write about the knowledge and understanding that ancient cultures had regarding Sirius, or its continuing influence in esoteric traditions and modern influence.All of the sections regarding the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and the Dogon can be thrown in the trash, because that is where it belongs.For example, he almost gets close to something substantial when mentioning Ellicott and Banneker surveying the design for Washington, D.C, but it goes right over his head that Pennsylvania avenue is aligned with Sirius on the intentionally designed commemorative date of design, as discussed in Bauval and Hancock's book, Talisman, and in Ovason's book, The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital.How does Sirius fit into modern esoteric lore--this issue is not addressed at all.Holberg blasts Robert Temple's suggestion of the artificiality of Saturn's moon Pheobe, but doesn't mention Hoagland and the Iapetus controversy, nor does he mention Hoagland's ritual alignment model.

The problems with this book are that it has no "soul" and no "mind", and this causes its author to make many errors in logic, and reach many conclusions that are just wrong.Holberg is an obvious member of the church of scientific progress.He is one of the standard outmoded academics that believes that current science has almost all of the answers regarding Sirius.When writing at length about how old ideas were proposed and then overturned numerous times, it never occurs to him that the current theories and ideas regarding Sirius and stellar behavior in general will be overturned as well.It never occurs to him that ancient Egypt might have actually known more about Sirius then we do.

The book should have evaluated such issues as the location of Sirius on the horizon at Giza in 10,000 BC at the equinox, and its role in the Orion Correlation Theory.The author is also well aware of the work of the Homann's Sirius Research Group, that suggests that based on data, our solar system revolves around the Sirius system, yet this issue is not mentioned or evaluated.The author is apparently also unaware of the work of R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz, and other researchers that suggest that the beginning of the ancient Egyptian Sothic calendar more comfortably fits to 4240 BC, not 3000 BC.Holberg doesn't deal with this at all, nor does he mention Walter Cruttenden's work.

Holberg does mention the Dogon tribe, but is so set on discounting any possible ancient knowledge, that he concludes that missionaries must have brought knowledge to the Dogon.He is unaware of the work of Laird Scranton that suggests that the Dogon symbols involve a cosmology similar to that of modern science, and which was obviously not brought by missionaries or other outsiders in the 1930s.

What Holberg simply doesn't get is how limited that the knowledge possessed by current academic science really is.He attempts to debunk Robert Temple's numerical correspondences, but does not realize that even if these particular correspondences are not correct, the overarching approach is.Temple realizes that conciousness, acoustic and light resonances, subatomic structure, stellar space, and hyperdimensionality are somehow interconnected in a way in which we have very little current understanding.

Holberg thinks 2007 science has all the answers.This quote from the book typifies this: "For the evolution of both Sirius and the sun, most of the margins of uncertainty are relatively small.In essence, there is really little room for dramatic unforeseen changes of the type represented by the idea of a 'Red Sirius'.It is much easier for us to predict the fate of the stars than to use the stars to predict the fate of our lives or that of our civilization."

Really?What if conclusive evidence of a Sirius C is found in the future?Not only is the jury still out, it hasn't even been assembled yet.One thing is certain--there will be surprises, and probably a lot of big ones--not only about Sirius, but about everything else as well.

Holberg thinks that Sirius and the sun are just average stars that really offer nothing unique--just random evolutionary blips that came about and will die out in a few million years.That is his point throughout and in conclusion in this book.I laughed at the last sentence of the book: "All traces of the earth's nearly 12 billion year history will have been obliterated."How is that for a bedtime story?I feel sorry for such people as this author who simply have no role for consciousness or meaning.The Egyptians devoted their entire civilization to understanding immortality and the science of the soul, which what this author lacks.He just doesn't understand that there really is a mystery--a Sirius mystery.
... Read more

Product Description
Volume 4 of The General History of Astronomy, originally published in 1984, concerns the birth of modern astrophysics in the nineteenth century, the growth of astronomical institutions to around 1920, and the development of instrumentation. The volume commences in the 1850s, with the first astronomical applications of photography and spectral analysis. It closes in the 1950s, before the explosive growth made possible by new electronic devices and computers. In Part A, there are eleven chapters, written by an international panel of eighteen authors, on subjects such as observatories, large telescopes, astronomy in the southern hemisphere, and early radio astronomy. Intended for general readership, this book formed part of an in-depth synthesis of the development of astronomy from the earliest times. ... Read more

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Expanding upon the ideas first proposed in his seminal book Cosmical Magnetic Fields, Eugene N. Parker here offers the first in-depth treatment of the magnetohydrodynamic theory of spontaneous magnetic discontinuities.In detailing his theory of the spontaneous formation of tangential discontinuities (current sheets) in a magnetic field embedded in highly conducting plasma, Parker shows how it can be used to explain the activity of the external magnetic fields of planets, stars, interstellar gas clouds, and galaxies, as well as the magnetic fields in laboratory plasmas.Provocative and fascinating, Spontaneous Current Sheets in Magnetic Fields presents a bold new theory that will excite interest and discussion throughout the space physics community. ... Read more

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The Solar System: From the renaissance to the Nineteenth Century presents major chapters on Tycho Brahe and the Tychonic world systems, Johannes Kepler, Galileo and the early telescope astronomy of the solar system, Cartesian vortex theory, magnetic philosophy and astronomy, and the Newtonian achievement.There is a glossary of technical terms, as well as an extensive bibliography and thorough index.Published under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union and the International Union for the History and philosophy of Science, this work of great distinction and scholarship will be the standard reference on the historical development of solar system astronomy. ... Read more

Product Description
Spacecraft such as the Pioneer, Vela, and Voyager have explored the interplanetary medium between the orbits of Mercury and Pluto.The insights derived from these missions have been successfully applied to magnetospheric, astro-solar, and cosmic ray physics.This book is an overview of these insights, using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows as the framework for interpreting objects and processes observed in the interplanetary medium.Topics include various types of MHD shocks and interactions among them, tangential and rotational discontinuities, force-free field configurations, the formation of merged interaction regions associated with various types of flows, the destruction of flows, the growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and formation of a heliospheric vortex street, the development of multifractal fluctuations on various scales, and the evolution of multifractal intermittent turbulence.Students and researchers in astrophysics will value the data from these missions, which provide confirmation of many theoretical models of the interstellar medium. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Large-scale structure & dynamics of the heliosphere
The first two books in this Oxford University Press series on Astronomy and Astrophysics are E.N. Parker's "Spontaneous Current Sheets in Magnetic Fields with Applications to Stellar X-rays" and C. F. Kennel's "Convection and Substorms:Paradigms of Magnetospheric Phenomenology."This third book, "Interplanetary Magnetohydrodynamics" is primarily intended for advanced graduate students and scientists who are not specialists in interplanetary physics.

My own particular interest in interplanetary physics was sparked by the incredible journeys of the Voyager spacecraft to the edge of our Solar System and beyond.This book describes some of the fundamental structures and processes of the interplanetary medium that these brave voyagers helped to measure.It deals with specific properties of the heliosphere (the region extending from the sun to the termination shock) as measured by the Voyagers and other spacecraft, and treats the interplanetary medium as a Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow.

(While the exact location of the termination shock is not known, it is now estimated to be located at about 90 ± 10 Astronomical Units (AU). Voyager 1 should reach 90 AU by the end of this year (2003).What will it experience when it ventures beyond the solar system's interplanetary magnetic field and into interstellar space?)

"Interplanetary Magnetohydrodynamics" was published in 1995 and relies primarily on data from various Pioneers, Mariners, Helios 1 & 2, Vela 3, and Voyager 1 & 2, rather than a newer generation of spacecraft such as the rechristened RHESSI - the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, which became operational on 02/12/2002, SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), IMAGE(Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration), and TRACE (Transition Region and Coronal Explorer spacecraft).As a result, there is for example, no mention of the exciting new research on solar flares and the theory that they may be 'powered' by magnetic reconnections (a reexamination of the forty-year-old Sweet-Parker model).

However, this is more a book about the really large-scale structures of the heliosphere: the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field, the streams and interaction regions that corotate with the period of the sun's rotation, the shape of the heliospheric current sheet and its boundary conditions, and large-scale periodic fluctuations in the plasma and magnetic field.

Dr. Burlaga was a co-investigator on several of the magnetospheric and plasma cloud experiments performed by Helios 1 & 2, Voyager 1&2, Giotto (Comet Halley), etc., and is currently a Goddard Senior Fellow at the Interplanetary Physics Branch, Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

If you're at all interested in solar sailing and want to know 'what the weather is like out there,' and if you have a good background in physics and calculus, "Interplanetary Magnetohydrodynamics" presents a detailed picture of our Sun's exotic and interesting environment. ... Read more