In recent years cosmologists have advanced from largely qualitative models of the Universe to precision modelling using Bayesian methods, in order to determine the properties of the Universe to high accuracy. This timely book is the only comprehensive introduction to the use of Bayesian methods in cosmological studies, and is an essential reference for graduate students and researchers in cosmology, astrophysics and applied statistics. The first part of the book focuses on methodology, setting the basic foundations and giving a detailed description of techniques. It covers topics including the estimation of parameters, Bayesian model comparison, and separation of signals. The second part explores a diverse range of applications, from the detection of astronomical sources (including through gravitational waves), to cosmic microwave background analysis and the quantification and classification of galaxy properties. Contributions from 24 highly regarded cosmologists and statisticians make this an authoritative guide to the subject.

'Dark energy' is the name given to the unknown cause of the Universe's accelerating expansion, which is one of the most significant and surprising discoveries in recent cosmology. Understanding this enigmatic ingredient of the Universe and its gravitational effects is a very active, and growing, field of research. In this volume, twelve world-leading authorities on the subject present the basic theoretical models that could explain dark energy, and the observational and experimental techniques employed to measure it. Covering the topic from its origin, through recent developments, to its future perspectives, this book provides a complete and comprehensive introduction to dark energy for a range of readers. It is ideal for physics graduate students who have just entered the field and researchers seeking an authoritative reference on the topic.

Before Paulo Coelho and Eckhart Tolle came Rodney Collin. A huge 462 page book full of essential knowledge. How To Become Supernatural Man, The Universe and Cosmic Mystery is an exploration of the universe and man's place in it. Rodney Collin examines 20th-century scientific discoveries and traditional esoteric teachings and concludes that the driving force behind everything is neither procreation nor survival, but expansion of awareness. Collin sets out to reconcile the considerable contradictions of the rational and imaginative minds and of the ways we see the external world versus our inner selves. For readers familiar with Gurdjieff's cosmology will here find further examinations of the systems outlined in by Ouspensky in Search of the Miraculous.

This volume presents the lectures of the nineteenth Canary Islands Winter School, dedicated to the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This relict radiation from the very early Universe provides a fundamental tool for precision cosmology. Prestigious researchers in the field present a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the CMB, reviewing the theoretical foundations, the main observational results and the most advanced statistical techniques used in this discipline. The lectures give coverage from the basic principles to the most recent research results, reviewing state of the art observational and statistical analysis techniques. The impact of new experiments and the constraints imposed on cosmological parameters are emphasized and put into the broader context of research in cosmology. This is an important resource for both graduate students and experienced researchers, revealing the spectacular progress that has been made in the study of the CMB within the last decade.

Most astronomers and physicists now believe that the matter content of the Universe is dominated by dark matter: hypothetical particles which interact with normal matter primarily through the force of gravity. Though invisible to current direct detection methods, dark matter can explain a variety of astronomical observations. This book describes how this theory has developed over the past 75 years, and why it is now a central feature of extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. Current attempts to directly detect dark matter locally are discussed, together with the implications for particle physics. The author comments on the sociology of these developments, demonstrating how and why scientists work and interact. Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), the leading alternative to this theory, is also presented. This fascinating overview will interest cosmologists, astronomers and particle physicists. Mathematics is kept to a minimum, so the book can be understood by non-specialists.

Astrophysicist and scholar Martin Harwit examines how our understanding of the cosmos advanced rapidly during the twentieth century and identifies the factors contributing to this progress. Astronomy, whose tools were largely imported from physics and engineering, benefited mid-century from the US policy of coupling basic research with practical national priorities. This strategy, initially developed for military and industrial purposes, provided astronomy with powerful tools yielding access - at virtually no cost - to radio, infrared, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations. Today, astronomers are investigating the new frontiers of dark matter and dark energy, critical to understanding the cosmos but of indeterminate socio-economic promise. Harwit addresses these current challenges in view of competing national priorities and proposes alternative new approaches in search of the true Universe. This is an engaging read for astrophysicists, policy makers, historians, and sociologists of science looking to learn and apply lessons from the past in gaining deeper cosmological insight.

One of the most fascinating unresolved problems of modern astrophysics is how the galaxies we observe today were formed. The Lambda-Cold Dark Matter paradigm predicts that large spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way formed through accretion and tidal disruption of satellite galaxies. The galaxies of the Local Group provide the best laboratory in which to investigate these galaxy formation processes because they can be studied with sufficiently high resolution to exhume fossils of galactic evolution embedded in the spatial distribution, kinematics, and chemical abundances of their oldest stars. Based on the twentieth Winter School of the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics, this volume provides a firm grounding for graduate students and early career researchers working on Local Group cosmology. It presents modules from eight eminent and experienced scientists at the forefront of Local Group research, and includes overviews of observational techniques, diagnostic tools, and various theoretical models.

By the time of his death, William Herschel (1738-1822) had built revolutionary telescopes, identified hundreds of binary stars, and published astronomical papers in over forty volumes of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions. This two-volume collection, which originally appeared in 1912, was the first to gather together his scattered publications. It draws also on a wealth of previously unpublished material, from personal letters to numerous papers presented to the Philosophical Society of Bath. Although Herschel is best known for his discovery of Uranus, this collection highlights the true range of his observations and interests. Focusing on his early work, Volume 1 includes notes on the discovery of Uranus, unpublished papers on electricity, and studies of the lunar mountains and the poles of Mars - both of which he believed to be inhabited. It also features a biographical account by the historian of astronomy J. L. E. Dreyer.

By the time of his death, William Herschel (1738-1822) had built revolutionary telescopes, identified hundreds of binary stars, and published astronomical papers in over forty volumes of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions. This two-volume collection, which originally appeared in 1912, was the first to gather together his scattered publications. It draws also on a wealth of previously unpublished material, from personal letters to numerous papers presented to the Philosophical Society of Bath. Although Herschel is best known for his discovery of Uranus, this collection highlights the true range of his observations and interests. Focusing on his later work, Volume 2 includes notes on some of the moons of Uranus, studies of solar heat and the atmosphere of Saturn, and some practical experiments investigating the capabilities of contemporary telescopes. It also features an appendix of work compiled by his son, John Herschel, and sister Caroline.

The study of exoplanetary atmospheres--that is, of planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system--may be our best hope for discovering life elsewhere in the universe. This dynamic, interdisciplinary field requires practitioners to apply knowledge from atmospheric and climate science, astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, geology and geophysics, planetary science, and even biology. Exoplanetary Atmospheres provides an essential introduction to the theoretical foundations of this cutting-edge new science. Exoplanetary Atmospheres covers the physics of radiation, fluid dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and atmospheric escape. It draws on simple analytical models to aid learning, and features a wealth of problem sets, some of which are open-ended. This authoritative and accessible graduate textbook uses a coherent and self-consistent set of notation and definitions throughout, and also includes appendixes containing useful formulae in thermodynamics and vector calculus as well as selected Python scripts. Exoplanetary Atmospheres prepares PhD students for research careers in the field, and is ideal for self-study as well as for use in a course setting. * The first graduate textbook on the theory of exoplanetary atmospheres* Unifies knowledge from atmospheric and climate science, astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, planetary science, and more* Covers radiative transfer, fluid dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and atmospheric escape* Provides simple analytical models and a wealth of problem sets* Includes appendixes on thermodynamics, vector calculus, tabulated Gibbs free energies, and Python scripts* Solutions manual (available only to professors)

Here is the essential companion to Welcome to the Universe, a New York Times bestseller that was inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course for non-science majors that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton. This problem book features more than one hundred problems and exercises used in the original course--ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the original material and to learn to think like an astrophysicist. Whether you're a student or teacher, citizen scientist or science enthusiast, your guided tour of the cosmos just got even more hands-on with Welcome to the Universe: The Problem Book. * The essential companion book to the acclaimed bestseller* Features the problems used in the original introductory astronomy course for non-science majors at Princeton University* Organized according to the structure of Welcome to the Universe, empowering readers to explore real astrophysical problems that are conceptually introduced in each chapter* Problems are designed to stimulate physical insight into the frontier of astrophysics* Problems develop quantitative skills, yet use math no more advanced than high school algebra* Problems are often multipart, building critical thinking and quantitative skills and developing readers' insight into what astrophysicists do* Ideal for course use--either in tandem with Welcome to the Universe or as a supplement to courses using standard astronomy textbooks--or self-study* Tested in the classroom over numerous semesters for more than a decade* Prefaced with a review of relevant concepts and equations* Full solutions and explanations are provided, allowing students and other readers to check their own understanding

The prevailing scientific view of the world just doesn't work! Our most precious and accepted scientific principles, built over millennia by luminaries including Einstein, Darwin and Hawking, are all built on one basic idea, that time is a straight line. However, logical contradictions that arise are given ever-more improbable explanations to fill the gaps - string theory, dark matter, parallel universes. It just doesn't add up. But what if time is not a straight line? What if time is a circle with a relatively short repeating cycle? Then everything falls neatly into place. Welcome to Flash Time: a revolutionary new world view Flash Time is a revolutionary new way of looking at the universe and our place in it by seeing time as a cycle rather than a line. As a result, our most persistent scientific inconsistencies are swept away, along with all our biggest scientific assumptions, and a new `Theory of Everything' that really works is presented. A truly mind-bending book that will change how you think about the world around you.

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.

Storms in Space is the story of the mysterious region between Earth and the Sun, where violent storms rage unseen by human eyes. Disruption of spacecraft and satellites, television transmission failures and power blackouts are just a few of the effects of this powerful force of nature, caused by the charged particles and electromagnetic fields that dominate space. This is a highly readable synopsis of man's understanding of the space environment. The book discusses the similarities between storms on Earth and in space, and goes on to describe the causes and effects of space storms, and how they can be monitored by satellites and from observatories on Earth. The forecasting of space storms is presented, along with prospects for improved models in the future. This clear and engaging book will be valuable to space scientists, physicists, astronomers and anyone with an interest in understanding the phenomenon of space weather.

General relativity is a cornerstone of modern physics, and is of major importance in its applications to cosmology. Plebanski and Krasinski are experts in the field and in this book they provide a thorough introduction to general relativity, guiding the reader through complete derivations of the most important results. Providing coverage from a unique viewpoint, geometrical, physical and astrophysical properties of inhomogeneous cosmological models are all systematically and clearly presented, allowing the reader to follow and verify all derivations. For advanced undergraduates and graduates in physics and astronomy, this textbook will enable students to develop expertise in the mathematical techniques necessary to study general relativity.

This highly interdisciplinary 2007 book highlights many of the ways in which chemistry plays a crucial role in making life an evolutionary possibility in the universe. Cosmologists and particle physicists have often explored how the observed laws and constants of nature lie within a narrow range that allows complexity and life to evolve and adapt. Here, these anthropic considerations are diversified in a host of new ways to identify the most sensitive features of biochemistry and astrobiology. Celebrating the classic 1913 work of Lawrence J. Henderson, The Fitness of the Environment for Life, this book looks at the delicate balance between chemistry and the ambient conditions in the universe that permit complex chemical networks and structures to exist. It will appeal to a broad range of scientists, academics, and others interested in the origin and existence of life in our universe.

Einstein's theory of general relativity is a theory of gravity and, as in the earlier Newtonian theory, much can be learnt about the character of gravitation and its effects by investigating particular idealised examples. This book describes the basic solutions of Einstein's equations with a particular emphasis on what they mean, both geometrically and physically. Concepts such as big bang and big crunch-types of singularities, different kinds of horizons and gravitational waves, are described in the context of the particular space-times in which they naturally arise. These notions are initially introduced using the most simple and symmetric cases. Various important coordinate forms of each solution are presented, thus enabling the global structure of the corresponding space-time and its other properties to be analysed. The book is an invaluable resource both for graduate students and academic researchers working in gravitational physics.

Gravitational waves were predicted 100 years ago by Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity. This volume contains the exciting results presented at IAU Symposium 338, following the announcement of the first results of the observation of the collision of neutron stars by the LIGO and Virgo Advanced detectors, and follow-up observations by many ground-based and space telescopes. These observations provided an incredible context for the talks, posters and discussions at the meeting, fostering new interactions and collaborations between physicists and astronomers in an exciting new era of multimessenger astrophysics. For the first time, space-time messengers (gravitational waves) and electromagnetic ones (visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma-rays, radio waves) can be correlated, to increase our understanding of binary systems of compact objects, rotating or exploding stars and other astrophysical phenomena. A new window has opened through which we can view the cosmos.

James Croll (1821-90) was self-educated, but on gaining a post at the Glagow Andersonian Museum had the time to explore his academic interests. Despite his lack of formal training, he quickly became a leading light of the Scottish Royal Geological Society. Using physics, mathematics, geology and geography he explored the pressing scientific questions of the time. In this, his final book, published in 1889, Croll divides his focus between 'the probable origin of meteorites, comets and nebulae', the age of the sun and the impact of the pre-nebular condition of the universe on star evolution. Using both proven facts and theories, Croll explores the ideas and hypotheses then current, frequently crediting colleagues for their work, and building on it. Croll, who from humble beginnings became a Fellow of The Royal Society and of St Andrew's University, writes in a style which makes his works accessible to a lay readership.

This title is a comprehensive set of visual descriptions of deep-sky objects visible from the northern hemisphere. It is a record of the most extensive and systematic visual survey of the sky ever done in modern times. 3,000 deep-sky objects are listed with short descriptions of the visual appearance in the author's powerful binocular telescope. Objects in the book are organized by position for easy identification of unknown targets. Full indexes by catalog numbers and names allow searches for specific objects.

Relativistic hydrodynamics is a very successful theoretical framework to describe the dynamics of matter from scales as small as those of colliding elementary particles, up to the largest scales in the universe. This book provides an up-to-date, lively, and approachable introduction to the mathematical formalism, numerical techniques, and applications of relativistic hydrodynamics. The topic is typically covered either by very formal or by very phenomenological books, but is instead presented here in a form that will be appreciated both by students and researchers in the field. The topics covered in the book are the results of work carried out over the last 40 years, which can be found in rather technical research articles with dissimilar notations and styles. The book is not just a collection of scattered information, but a well-organized description of relativistic hydrodynamics, from the basic principles of statistical kinetic theory, down to the technical aspects of numerical methods devised for the solution of the equations, and over to the applications in modern physics and astrophysics. Numerous figures, diagrams, and a variety of exercises aid the material in the book. The most obvious applications of this work range from astrophysics (black holes, neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, and active galaxies) to cosmology (early-universe hydrodynamics and phase transitions) and particle physics (heavy-ion collisions). It is often said that fluids are either seen as solutions of partial differential equations or as "wet". Fluids in this book are definitely wet, but the mathematical beauty of differential equations is not washed out.

Hyperbolic geometry is a classical subject in pure mathematics which has exciting applications in theoretical physics. In this book leading experts introduce hyperbolic geometry and Maass waveforms and discuss applications in quantum chaos and cosmology. The book begins with an introductory chapter detailing the geometry of hyperbolic surfaces and includes numerous worked examples and exercises to give the reader a solid foundation for the rest of the book. In later chapters the classical version of Selberg's trace formula is derived in detail and transfer operators are developed as tools in the spectral theory of Laplace-Beltrami operators on modular surfaces. The computation of Maass waveforms and associated eigenvalues of the hyperbolic Laplacian on hyperbolic manifolds are also presented in a comprehensive way. This book will be valuable to graduate students and young researchers, as well as for those experienced scientists who want a detailed exposition of the subject.

This 2006 book acknowledges the importance of identifying the most crucial science to be performed by the superb Hubble Telescope. With this goal in mind, the book presents a review of some of the most important open questions in astronomy. World experts examine topics ranging from extrasolar planets and star formation to supermassive black holes and the reionization of the universe. Special emphasis is placed on what astronomical observations should be carried out during the next few years to enable breakthroughs in our understanding of a complex and dynamic universe. In particular, the reviewers attempt to identify those topics to which the Hubble Space Telescope can uniquely contribute. The special emphasis on future research makes this book an essential resource for both professional researchers and graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.