The Sun is an active and variable star. Instabilities and non-stationary processes connected to the solar magnetic field and its evolutionary mechanisms modify its radiative and particle output on different time scales, from seconds to the evolutionary scale of the star. The Sun's activity affects interplanetary space and planetary environments, through space weather due to short-term activity and space climate on longer timescales. Space weather processes and forecasts are therefore important for both Earth and space within the heliosphere. The multi-disciplinary IAU Symposium 335 on 'Space Weather of the Heliosphere: Processes and Forecasts' gave a balanced overview of the general advances in space weather. It linked various aspects of research in solar, heliospheric and planetary physics, emphasizing cross-disciplinary developments. These companion proceedings, covering interdisciplinary topics and attracting a wide variety of contributors, serves as a timely reference to the international space weather community.

The search for life in the universe, once the stuff of science fiction, is now a robust worldwide research program with a well-defined roadmap probing both scientific and societal issues. This volume examines the humanistic aspects of astrobiology, systematically discussing the approaches, critical issues, and implications of discovering life beyond Earth. What do the concepts of life and intelligence, culture and civilization, technology and communication mean in a cosmic context? What are the theological and philosophical implications if we find life - and if we do not? Steven J. Dick argues that given recent scientific findings, the discovery of life in some form beyond Earth is likely and so we need to study the possible impacts of such a discovery and formulate policies to deal with them. The remarkable and often surprising results are presented here in a form accessible to disciplines across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

With their best-selling astronomy textbook, HORIZONS, INTERNATIONAL EDITION, authors Mike Seeds and Dana Backman help you understand your place in the universe-not just your location in space, but your role in the unfolding history of the physical universe. To achieve this goal, they focuses on two central questions: What Are We?, which highlights your place as a planet dweller in an evolving universe, guiding you to better understand where we came from and how we formed, and How Do We Know?, which provides insights into how the process of science can teach us more about what we are.

The fifth edition of The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium provides you with the fundamentals of astronomical knowledge that have been built up over decades, with an expanded discussion of the incredible advances that are now taking place in this fast-paced field, such as New Horizons' flyby of Pluto, exoplanets, 'dark matter', and the direct detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Written in a clear and easily understandable style, this textbook has been thoroughly revised to include updated data and figures, new images from recent space missions and telescopes, the latest discoveries on supernovae, and new observations of the region around the four-million-solar-mass black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. A rich array of teaching and learning resources is available at http://thecosmos5.com. The website is regularly updated to include the latest discoveries and photographs in the field.

The interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas set a new high standard for modern celestial cartography. The same team now presents the interstellarum Deep Sky Guide, its unique observing companion. Taking an intuitive visual approach, for each spread of the Atlas, the Guide focuses on carefully selected objects, either as colored composite POSS plates or through the authors' own eyepiece sketches. They allow you to estimate the visibility of features in the telescope while planning observations. Stars and other objects in the vicinity are highlighted, so they also serve as finder charts at night. An index map on each spread allows you to quickly find each object's location in the Atlas. The interstellarum Deep Sky Guide takes all the hassle out of preparing for observing sessions - there's no need to print star charts or photos. Simply grab your Atlas and your Guide, and go observe!

This classic star atlas is ideal for both beginning astronomers and more experienced observers worldwide. The clear, full-color maps show stars, clusters and galaxies visible with binoculars or a small telescope. The atlas also features constellation boundaries and the Milky Way, and lists objects that are interesting to observe. This new edition features a clearer map of the Moon's surface, showing craters and features; a second Moon map, mirror reversed for users of telescopes with star diagonals; enhanced index charts showing the constellations more clearly; and a new data table listing stars hosting planetary systems. It is now spiral bound, making it ideal for use at the telescope.

AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR `A peerless intellectual biography. The Glass Universe shines and twinkles as brightly as the stars themselves' The Economist #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel returns with a captivating, little-known true story of women in science Before they even had the right to vote, a group of remarkable women were employed by Harvard College Observatory as `Human Computers' to interpret the observations made via telescope by their male counterparts each night. The author of Longitude, Galileo's Daughter and The Planets shines light on the hidden history of these extraordinary women who changed the burgeoning field of astronomy and our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

The Physics GRE plays a significant role in deciding admissions to nearly all US physics Ph.D. programs, yet few exam-prep books focus on the test's actual content and unique structure. Recognized as one of the best student resources available, this tailored guide has been thoroughly updated for the current Physics GRE. It contains carefully selected review material matched to all of the topics covered, as well as tips and tricks to help solve problems under time pressure. It features three full-length practice exams, revised to accurately reflect the difficulty of the current test, with fully worked solutions so that students can simulate taking the test, review their preparedness, and identify areas in which further study is needed. Written by working physicists who took the Physics GRE for their own graduate admissions to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this self-contained reference guide will help students achieve their best score.

Internationally renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Lawrence Krauss offers provocative, revelatory answers to the biggest philosophical questions: Where did our universe come from? Why does anything exist? And how is it all going to end? 'Why is there something rather than nothing?' is the question atheists and scientists are always asked,and until now there has not been a satisfying scientific answer. Today, exciting scientific advances provide new insight into this cosmological mystery: not only cansomething arise from nothing, but something willalwaysarise from nothing. A mind-bending trip back to the beginning of the beginning, A Universe from Nothingauthoritatively presents the most recent evidence that explains how our universe evolved - and the implications for how it's going to end. It will provoke, challenge, and delight readers to look at the most basic underpinnings of existence in a whole new way. In the words of Richard Dawkins: this could potentially be the most important scientific book since Darwin's On the Origin of Species.

This is a Yosemite awash in light delivered from the far reaches of space. This is a Yosemite rarely explored. This is Celestial Yosemite. This captivating collection of astrophotography records the otherworldly beauty of Yosemite at night. The Milky Way stretches above world-famous features that appear utterly transformed after dark. Yosemite Valley glows beneath moonlit cliffs. Star trails stripe the sky over a snow-capped Half Dome. A brilliant blue and pink storm electrifies the vista from Olmsted Point. Rock climbers' headlamps glimmer like fireflies on mighty El Capitan. Dark nights-crucial not only for stargazers, but also for many plants and animals-have become increasingly rare on this urbanizing planet. Yosemite remains a sanctuary for starry skies, a place where inky nights are unimpeded by the glow of cities or highways. The ethereal elegance of Kristal Leonard's work casts cosmic light onto the singular natural wonder that is Yosemite at night.

In the twenty-first century, we take the means to measure time for granted, without contemplating the sophisticated concepts on which our time scales are based. This volume presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping up to the present day. It outlines the progression of time based on sundials, water clocks, and the Earth's rotation, to time measurement using pendulum clocks, quartz crystal clocks, and atomic frequency standards. Time scales created as a result of these improvements in technology and the development of general and special relativity are explained. This second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances and discusses the redefinition of SI units and the future of UTC. A new chapter on time and cosmology has been added. This broad-ranging reference benefits a diverse readership, including historians, scientists, engineers, educators, and it is accessible to general readers.

To a degree incomprehensible to the modern mind, skywatchers of the ancient past found the night sky a source of wonder and mystery. As Evan Hadingham so brilliantly demonstrates in his latest book, they found the skies an enormous challenge as well. These ancient astronomers met the challenge by devising techniques with which they could predict, often with astounding precision, the cycles and eclipses of the sun, moon and planets as they passed across the heavens. With these skills - and with the visions of the universe they created as a framework for their observations - early astronomers were able to address both the everyday and spiritual needs of their people. At times, some of them may have used their arcane craft to wield vast religious and political power over their fellow men. Drawing on the latest findings of archeologists and modern astronomers, Hadingham explores the ample evidence of the ingenuity of the early astronomers: the ziggurats of Babylon (the Tower of Babel); Egypt's pyramids; Stonehenge and other megalithic arrays in Great Britain, and the enigmatic 360-ton fallen megalith, the Fairy Stone in Brittany. Moving from the Old World to the New, Hadingham illuminates recent discoveries of the American Southwest: the Chumash cave art of California; sun-dagger solar devices of New Mexico; and the intriguing alignments of twelfth-century pueblos, near which early astronomers still practice a form of their ancient art today. Particular attention is given the extraordinary current studies of the temples and cosmologies of the Maya, whose ancient priests compiled books of lunar cycles so accurate that their error is only two hours every five centuries. Wherever they worked, Hadingham points out, the ancient astronomers evolved a unifying vision of their universe, through which they provided a myth explaining the natural and supernatural order of things. Often overseen by a pantheon of super beings that bolstered the powers of earthly kings and priests, these celestial visions helped to order such matters as planting and irrigation and to maintain calendars for the affairs of men. Most importantly, the visions inspired great ceremonies that celebrated life on earth and life hereafter. Early Man and the Cosmos is a fascinating study of man's perception of the universe that illuminates our understanding not only of ancient man but also of ourselves.

A brand-new edition of this bestselling Gem, featuring individual charts for all 88 constellations, a star atlas of the entire sky and details of the brightest stars and objects of interest which can be seen with the naked eye, binoculars and small telescopes. Collins Gem Stars provides details of all 88 constellations of the Northern and Southern hemispheres, complete with star charts and a star atlas of the entire sky, ideal for practical observation of the stars throughout the world all year round.

This book focuses on the specific mission planning for lunar sample collection, the equipment used, and the analysis and findings concerning the samples at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Texas. Anthony Young documents the collection of Apollo samples for the first time for readers of all backgrounds, and includes interviews with many of those involved in planning and analyzing the samples. NASA contracted with the U.S. Geologic Survey to perform classroom and field training of the Apollo astronauts. NASA's Geology Group within the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, helped to establish the goals of sample collection, as well as the design of sample collection tools, bags, and storage containers. In this book, detailed descriptions are given on the design of the lunar sampling tools, the Modular Experiment Transporter used on Apollo 14, and the specific areas of the Lunar Rover vehicle used for the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions, which carried the sampling tools, bags, and other related equipment used in sample collection. The Lunar Receiving Laboratory, which was designed and built at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Texas for analysis and storage of the lunar samples returned from the Apollo lunar landing missions is also described in detail. There are also descriptions of astronaut mission training for sample collecting, with the focus on the specific portions of the mission EVAs devoted to this activity.

From deep ocean trenches and the geographical poles to outer space, organisms can be found living in remarkably extreme conditions. This book provides a captivating account of these systems and their extraordinary inhabitants, 'extremophiles'. A diverse, multidisciplinary group of experts discuss responses and adaptations to change; biodiversity, bioenergetic processes, and biotic and abiotic interactions; polar environments; and life and habitability, including searching for biosignatures in the extraterrestrial environment. The editors emphasize that understanding these systems is important for increasing our knowledge and utilizing their potential, but this remains an understudied area. Given the threat to these environments and their biota caused by climate change and human impact, this timely book also addresses the urgency to document these systems. It will help graduate students and researchers in conservation, marine biology, evolutionary biology, environmental change and astrobiology better understand how life exists in these environments and their susceptibility or resilience to change.

With Astronomy Today, Eighth Edition, trusted authors Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan communicate their excitement about astronomy, delivering current and thorough science with insightful pedagogy. The text emphasizes critical thinking and visualization, and it focuses on the process of scientific discovery, teaching students how we know what we know. Alternate Versions *Astronomy Today, Volume 1: The Solar System, Eighth Edition-Focuses primarily on planetary coverage for a 1-term course. Includes Chapters 1-16, 28. *Astronomy Today, Volume 2: Stars and Galaxies, Eighth Edition-Focuses primarily on stars and stellar evolution for a 1-term course. Includes Chapters 1-5 and 16-28.

From the cutting edge of science and living spirituality: a guide to understanding our identity and purpose in the world * Explains how we can evolve consciously, become connected with each other, and flourish on this planet * "From the time when the conscious universe was a preposterous notion to today, when it's a cutting-edge idea full of promise for your future, Ervin Laszlo has been its staunch champion." - Deepak Chopra, author of You Are the Universe. For the outdated mainstream paradigm the world is a giant mechanism functioning in accordance with known and knowable laws and regularities. The new paradigm emerging in science offers a different concept: The world is an interconnected, coherent whole, and it is informed by a cosmic intelligence. We are conscious beings who emerge and co-evolve as complex, cosmic-intelligence in-formed vibrations in the Akashic Field of the universe. Ervin Laszlo and his collaborators from the forefront of science, cosmology, and spirituality show how the re-discovery of who we are and why we are here integrates seamlessly with the new emerging worldview in the sciences, revealing a way forward for humanity on this planet. Offering a guidepost to orient this evolution, Laszlo examines the nature of consciousness in the universe, showing how our bodies and minds act as transmitters of consciousness from the intelligence of the cosmos and how understanding science's new concept of the world enables us to re-discover our identity and our purpose in our world. With bold vision and forward thinking, Laszlo and his contributors Maria Sagi, Kingsley L. Dennis, Emanuel Kuntzelman, Dawna Jones, Shamik Desai, Garry Jacobs, and John R. Audette outline the new idea of the world and of ourselves in the world. They help us discover how we can overcome these divisive times and blossom into a new era of peace, coherence, connection, and global wellbeing.

All the winning and shortlisted images from the 2016 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, which is hosted by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Foreword by German fine-art photographer, Wolfgang Tillmans. The images are submitted in one of the following categories: * Earth and Space * Our Solar System * Deep Space * Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year And can also be entered for one of the special prizes: * Best Newcomer * People and Space * Robotic Scope Each image is accompanied by caption, photographer, location and technical details. Exhibition Every year the Royal Observatory, Greenwich hosts a free exhibition of the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, showcasing some incredible images of the sky. www.rmg.co.uk/astrophoto

At the XXIX IAU General Assembly held in Honolulu from 3-14 August 2015, the meetings known as Special Sessions and Joint Discussions were replaced by new 'Focus Meetings'. Astronomy in Focus XXIXA presents the most relevant contributions from the Focus Meetings together with summaries of all the accepted papers and posters. It covers the meetings on the following areas: dynamical problems in extrasolar planet science; astronomical heritage; scholarly publishing in astronomy; statistics and exoplanets; the exploration of small worlds; ground and space astrophysics and heliophysics; laboratory astrophysics; brightness variations of the Sun and Sun-like stars; astronomy for development; and mitigating the threats of light pollution and radio frequency interference. The publications Astronomy in Focus XXIXA (together with its companion, XXIXB), the proceedings of the six main Scientific Symposia and Reports on Astronomy: Commission Legacy Reports, fully cover the XXIX IAU General Assembly.

At the XXIX IAU General Assembly held in Honolulu from 3-14 August 2015, the meetings known as Special Sessions and Joint Discussions were replaced by new 'Focus Meetings'. Astronomy in Focus XXIXB presents the most relevant contributions from the Focus Meetings together with summaries of all the accepted papers and posters. It covers the following topics: the legacy of Planck; x-ray surveys of the hot and energetic cosmos; stellar physics in galaxies; stellar explosions; gravitational waves and structure formation; the search for water and life's building blocks; red supergiants in the local Universe; advances in stellar physics from asteroseismology; scale-free processes in the Universe; and the frontiers of our understanding of cluster and galaxy evolution. The publications Astronomy in Focus XXIXB (together with its companion, XXIXA), the proceedings of the six main Scientific Symposia and Reports on Astronomy: Commission Legacy Reports, fully cover the XXIX IAU General Assembly.

Sarah Scoles reveals the fascinating figure at the centre of the final frontier of scientific investigation and the inspiration for Carl Sagan's Contact.

A world-renowned astrophysicist takes us through the huge, unfolding history of the universe The night sky is an endless source of wonder and mystery. For thousands of years it has been at the heart of scientific and philosophical inquiry, from the first star catalogues etched into ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets to the metres-wide telescopes constructed in Chile's Atacama Desert today. On a clear night it is hard not to look up and pick out familiar constellations, and to think of the visionary minds who pioneered our understanding of what lies beyond. In this thrilling new guide to our Universe and how it works, Professor of Astrophysics Jo Dunkley reveals how it only becomes more beautiful and exciting the more we discover about it. With warmth and clarity, Dunkley takes us from the very basics - why the Earth orbits the Sun, and how our Moon works - right up to massive, strange phenomena like superclusters, quasars, and the geometry of spacetime. As she does so, Dunkley unfurls the history of humankind's heroic journey to understand the history and structure of the cosmos, revealing the extraordinary, little-known stories of astronomy pioneers including Williamina Fleming, Vera Rubin and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Illuminating and uplifting, this is your essential guide to the biggest subject of all.

Einstein's general theory of relativity is widely considered to be one of the most elegant and successful scientific theories ever developed, and it is increasingly being taught in a simplified form at advanced undergraduate level within both physics and mathematics departments. Due to the increasing interest in gravitational physics, in both the academic and the public sphere, driven largely by widely-publicised developments such as the recent observations of gravitational waves, general relativity is also one of the most popular scientific topics pursued through self-study. Modern General Relativity introduces the reader to the general theory of relativity using an example-based approach, before describing some of its most important applications in cosmology and astrophysics, such as gamma-ray bursts, neutron stars, black holes, and gravitational waves. With hundreds of worked examples, explanatory boxes, and end-of-chapter problems, this textbook provides a solid foundation for understanding one of the towering achievements of twentieth-century physics.

Join Bonnie J. Buratti, a leading planetary astronomer, on this personal tour of NASA's latest discoveries. Moving through the Solar System from Mercury, Venus, Mars, past comets and asteroids and the moons of the giant planets, to Pluto, and on to exoplanets, she gives vivid descriptions of landforms that are similar to those found on Earth but that are more fantastic. Sulfur-rich volcanoes and lakes on Io, active gullies on Mars, huge ice plumes and tar-like deposits on the moons of Saturn, hydrocarbon rivers and lakes on Titan, and nitrogen glaciers on Pluto are just some of the marvels that await readers. Discover what it is like to be involved in a major scientific enterprise, with all its pitfalls and excitement, from the perspective of a female scientist. This engaging account of modern space exploration is written for non-specialist readers, from students in high school to enthusiasts of all ages.