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Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time
Optics of the Moon presents methods for interpreting optics of
surfaces on the Moon with complicated structures. For example, the
book illustrates how phase-ratio techniques can lead to the
detection of surface structure anomalies, describes polarimetric
studies of the lunar surface and their use, and addresses many
other questions relating to the regolith-like surfaces of the Moon,
such as why the Moon looks like a ball at a large phase angle and
like a disk in full moon, why the lunar surface has slight color
variations, and why at large phase angles its polarization degree
closely correlates with albedo.
Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil
deGrasse Tyson, bestselling author of Astrophysics for People in a
Hurry, shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time-war,
politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, race, and tribalism-in a
way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all. In a time
when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive
than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what
divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of
enlightenment-a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science.
After thinking deeply about how a scientist views the world and
about what Earth looks like from space, Tyson has found that
terrestrial thoughts change as our brain resets and recalibrates
life's priorities, along with the actions we might take in
response. As a result, no outlook on culture, society, or
civilisation remains untouched. In Starry Messenger, Tyson reveals
just how human the enterprise of science is. Far from a cold,
unfeeling undertaking, scientific methods, tools, and discoveries
have shaped modern civilisation and created the landscape we've
built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows
how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews
deeper and more informed than ever before-and exposes unfounded
perspectives and unjustified emotions. With crystalline prose and
an abundance of evidence, Starry Messenger walks us through the
scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From
lessons on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious
it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, ten
surprising, brilliant, and beautiful truths of human society,
informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.
Stonehenge was not an observatory used by druidical
astronomer-priests. It was, instead, a monument in which the moon
and the sun and the dead were joined together. In this book the
author explains how people in the British Isles, four thousand or
more years ago, identified life and death with the cycle of
midwinter and midsummer and with the risings and settings of the
sun and moon. This is why so many megalithic monuments have
astronomical sightlines built into them. This book describes how
astronomical customs developed in the British Isles. Unlike other
works about 'megalithic astronomy' technical explanations about
azimuths and declinations are kept to their simplest. The emphasis
here is upon people rather than pertrubations and eclipses.
Featuring more than 200 intriguing images taken by space probes
travelling billions of kilometres from Earth, The Solar System is
an exhilarating exploration of the mysteries of our local planetary
space. Within the span of a human lifetime, our spacecraft have
visited all eight planets of the Solar System, together with
several dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. We have mapped the
surface of Mercury and Venus in exquisite detail, landed rovers on
Mars, placed orbiters around Jupiter and Saturn, and parachuted to
the surface of Titan. Our emissaries have visited icy worlds five
billion kilometres from home and continued onwards to reach
interstellar space. The pictures and science returned by these
intrepid travellers have transformed our understanding of the Solar
System in which we live.
Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the
universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some
of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed
masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered
to have been one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by
reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein,
before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of
space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral
galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time
remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and
clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and
its wonders. This new edition includes recent updates from Stephen
Hawking with his latest thoughts about the No Boundary Proposal and
offers new information about dark energy, the information paradox,
eternal inflation, the microwave background radiation observations,
and the discovery of gravitational waves. It was published in
tandem with the app, Stephen Hawking's Pocket Universe.
Machine Learning for Planetary Science presents planetary
scientists with a way to introduce machine learning into the
research workflow as increasingly large nonlinear datasets are
acquired from planetary exploration missions. The book explores
research that leverages machine learning methods to enhance our
scientific understanding of planetary data and serves as a guide
for selecting the right methods and tools for solving a variety of
everyday problems in planetary science using machine learning.
Illustrating ways to employ machine learning in practice with case
studies, the book is clearly organized into four parts to provide
thorough context and easy navigation. The book covers a range of
issues, from data analysis on the ground to data analysis onboard a
spacecraft, and from prioritization of novel or interesting
observations to enhanced missions planning. This book is therefore
a key resource for planetary scientists working in data analysis,
missions planning, and scientific observation.
Learn about the Earth and the Moon with this engaging science
reader. With easy-to-read text, this book teaches students
important scientific concepts and vocabulary including the phases
of the Moon, the movement of the Earth around the sun, and the
rotation of the Earth. Aligned to state and national standards, the
book contains nonfiction text features like an index, a glossary,
captions, bold font, and detailed images to keep students connected
to the text. A hands-on science experiment helps students apply
what they have learned and develops critical thinking skills.
Magnetospheric Imaging: Understanding the Space Environment through
Global Measurements is a state-of-the-art resource on new and
advanced techniques and technologies used in measuring and
examining the space environment on a global scale. Chapters detail
this emergent field by exploring optical imaging, ultraviolet
imaging, energetic neutral atom imaging, X-ray imaging, radio
frequency imaging, and magnetic field imaging. Each technique is
clearly described, with details about the technologies involved,
how they work, and both their opportunities and limitations.
Magnetospheric imaging is still a relatively young capability in
magnetospheric research, hence this book is an ideal resource on
this burgeoning field of study. This book is a comprehensive
resource for understanding where the field stands, as well as
providing a stepping stone for continued advancement of the field,
from developing new techniques, to applying techniques on other
planetary bodies.
Bestselling author and acclaimed physicist Lawrence Krauss offers a
paradigm-shifting view of how everything that exists came to be in
the first place.
"Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What
will the future bring? And finally, why is there something rather
than nothing?"
One of the few prominent scientists today to have crossed the chasm
between science and popular culture, Krauss describes the
staggeringly beautiful experimental observations and mind-bending
new theories that demonstrate not only can something arise from
nothing, something will "always "arise from nothing. With a new
preface about the significance of the discovery of the Higgs
particle, "A Universe from Nothing "uses Krauss's characteristic
wry humor and wonderfully clear explanations to take us back to the
beginning of the beginning, presenting the most recent evidence for
how our universe evolved--and the implications for how it's going
to end.
Provocative, challenging, and delightfully readable, this is a
game-changing look at the most basic underpinning of existence and
a powerful antidote to outmoded philosophical, religious, and
scientific thinking.
This book provides the first comprehensive historical account of
the evolution of scientific traditions in astronomy, astrophysics,
and the space sciences within the Max Planck Society. Structured
with in-depth archival research, interviews with protagonists,
unpublished photographs, and an extensive bibliography, it follows
a unique history: from the post-war relaunch of physical sciences
in West Germany, to the spectacular developments and successes of
cosmic sciences in the second half of the 20th century, up to the
emergence of multi-messenger astronomy. It reveals how the Society
acquired national and international acclaim in becoming one of the
world's most productive research organizations in these fields.
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