Introduction to stars and planets :an activities-based exploration /

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"Version: 20201201"--Title page verso.Includes bibliographical references.26. The search for exoplanets : Doppler method -- 26.1. The Doppler effect -- 26.2. Center of mass -- 26.3. Detecting the solar system from afar -- 26.4. Weighing an exoplanet27. The search for exoplanets : transit method (I) -- 27.1. Introduction -- 27.2. Planetary transit basics -- 27.3. Detecting the solar system from afar (redux)28. The search for exoplanets : transit method (II) -- 28.1. Case study : the transit of a real exoplanet -- 28.2. Radius of Kepler 21b -- 28.3. Orbital radius of Kepler 21b -- 28.4. Mass and average density of Kepler 21b -- 28.5. Surface temperature of Kepler 21b.part I. The sun. 1. The Sun's distance I : the method of Aristarchus -- 1.1. Aristarchus's distance to the Sun -- 1.2. The Sun's diameter -- 1.3. The Sun's distance revisited2. The Sun's distance II : transits and radar-ranging of Venus -- 2.1. Transits of Venus -- 2.2. The relative sizes of Earth's and Venus's orbits -- 2.3. The absolute distance from the Earth to Venus -- 2.4. Radar-ranging of Venus3. The Sun's diameter and mass -- 3.1. The Sun's diameter -- 3.2. The Sun's mass -- 3.3. Implications4. The sunspot cycle -- 4.1. Tracking sunspots through history5. The solar constant -- 5.1. Basic concepts -- 5.2. Measuring the solar constant -- 5.3. The solar constant in practice6. The Sun's luminosity -- 6.1. Introduction -- 6.2. Squares and spheres7. The Sun's surface temperature -- 7.1. Taking the Sun's temperature -- 7.2. A pint-sized star8. Spectral lines and the chemistry of the Sun -- 8.1. Dark lines and bright lines -- 8.2. The Sun's spectrum -- 8.3. Establishing the spectrum's wavelength scale -- 8.4. Computing the wavelengths of the dark lines -- 8.5. Identifying the Fraunhofer lines9. Is the Sun on fire? -- 9.1. The energy enigma -- 9.2. Chemical combustion -- 9.3. Conclusion10. How long will the Sun shine? -- 10.1. Thermonuclear fusion -- 10.2. Input data -- 10.3. Mass into energy -- 10.4. How long can fusion last? -- 10.5. The life span of the sunpart II. The stars. 11. The distances of stars : stellar parallax -- 11.1. Stellar parallax -- 11.2. Parallax simulation -- 11.3. Bessel's star -- 11.4. The 3D cosmos12. Weighing a star : binary stars and stellar mass -- 12.1. Binary stars -- 12.2. Orbital period -- 12.3. Orbital radius and combined mass of Sirius and Sirius B -- 12.4. Masses of the individual stars13. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram -- 13.1. Introduction -- 13.2. Stellar magnitudes and spectral types -- 13.3. Plotting and reading the HR diagram -- 13.4. Selection effects -- 13.5. Theory meets the HR diagram14. The distance to a star cluster -- 14.1. The color-magnitude diagram -- 14.2. Main-sequence fitting -- 14.3. Caveat : interstellar dust15. The evolution of the Sun -- 15.1. Programming the Sun -- 15.2. The life and death of our star16. The evolution of massive stars -- 16.1. Cosmic beacons -- 16.2. Heavyweights17. Supernovae : the expansion of the Crab Nebula -- 17.1. The Crab Nebula, then and now -- 17.2. Image scale -- 17.3. Measurement of the nebula -- 17.4. Expansion and age of the Crab Nebula -- 17.5. Distance of the Crab Nebula18. The event horizon of black holes -- 18.1. Black hole basics -- 18.2. Escape velocity -- 18.3. John Michell's "dark star" -- 18.4. The event horizon19. Kepler's Third law and the masses of black holes -- 19.1. Introduction -- 19.2. Inside the solar system -- 19.3. Beyond the solar system -- 19.4. Beyond the galaxy20. Our place in the galaxy -- 20.1. Our view of the galaxy -- 20.2. Globular star clusters -- 20.3. Galactic coordinate systempart III. The planets. 21. A slice of earth -- 21.1. The Earth in perspective22. Geological time in perspective -- 22.1. Cosmic calendar23. The comparative density of planets -- 23.1. Average density -- 23.2. Terrestrial versus Jovian planets24. Planetary surface temperatures -- 24.1. Introduction -- 24.2. Earth's surface temperature -- 24.3. The surface temperature of other planets -- 24.4. The surface temperature of a comet25. The habitable zone -- 25.1. Introduction -- 25.2. Replacing the Sun -- 25.3. Relocating the EarthHow do astronomers know what they know about the stars and planets? That is the question behind today's rapid pace of cosmic discovery, for every new finding rests upon a centuries-long foundation of astronomical practice. Introduction to Stars and Planets: An activities-based exploration reveals the methods by which Earthbound observers have deduced the physical attributes of celestial bodies, whether situated within our solar neighborhood or at the far ends of the Galaxy. The book's 28 mildly mathematical activities invite readers to carry out the essential work of the astronomer by utilizing real observational data sets and high-quality celestial photographs to establish the innate properties of a range of cosmic systems. Taken in sequence, these activities illustrate the epic advancement of stellar and planetary astronomy over the past century, up to the present day.College-level introductory courses in astronomy, both classroom and online. Also first-year course in an astronomy/astrophysics major curriculum.Also available in print.Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB reader, or Kindle reader.Alan Hirshfeld, Professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is Chair of the American Astronomical Society's Historical Astronomy Division and a longtime Associate of the Harvard College Observatory. He is the author of Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos; The Electric Life of Michael Faraday; Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes; Astronomy Activity & Laboratory Manual; and Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe. He is a regular book reviewer for The Wall Street Journal and writes and lectures frequently on science history and discovery. Visit the author's website at www.alanhirshfeld.com.Title from PDF title page (viewed on January 14, 2021).

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: .,

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1 online resource (various pagings) :illustrations (some color).

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

9780750336918

Classification

523.2

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Subject(s)

SCIENCE / Astronomy.
Galaxies & stars.
Planets.
Stars.

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Alan Hirshfeld.

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