Based on a wide variety of previously unstudied sources, these articles explain how science was applied to three aspects of Islamic ritual in the Middle Ages: the regulation of the lunar calendar; the organisation of the times of the five daily prayers; and the determination of the sacred direction (qibla) towards the Kaaba in Mecca. Simple procedures of folk astronomy were used by the scholars of religious law who determined popular practice; more complicated mathematical methods were provided by the scientists - and this proved a powerful incentive for the development of scientific analysis and research. Some of these procedures were to have far-reaching consequences. For example, the astronomical alignment of the Kaaba - known to various medieval writers, but long forgotten - led to the adoption of similar alignments for the qibla, and the final articles show how these were calculated, whether from astronomical observation or geographical computation, and their impact on the orientation of religious and secular architecture across the Islamic world. C'est A partir d'une grande diversite de sources inexplorees que ces articles expliquent comment la science avait ete appliquee a trois aspects du rituel islamique au Moyen Age: la regulation du calendrier lunaire; l'organisation des heures assignees aux cinq prieres quotidiennes; et l'etablissement de la direction sacree (qibla) vers la Kaaba de la Mecque. Des procedes simples d'astronomie populaire etaient utilises par les erudits en droit religieux qui decidaient de la pratique populaire; des methodes mathematiques plus complexes etaient offertes par les hommes de science - ce qui, en effet, s'avera Atre une motivation puissante dans le developpement de l'analyse et de la recherche scientifique. Certains de ces procedes eurent des consequences d'une grande portee par la suite. L'alignement astronomique de la Kaaba - pour ne reprendre qu'un exemple connu

Since humans first looked up at the stars, astronomy has had a particular ability to stir the imagination and challenge the thinking of scientists and non-scientists alike. Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding is an introductory astronomy textbook specifically designed to relate to non-science majors across a wide variety of disciplines, nurture their curiosity, and develop vital science-based critical-thinking skills. This textbook provides an introduction to how science operates in practice and what makes it so successful in uncovering nature's secrets. Given that the study of astronomy dates back thousands of years, it is the ideal subject for tracing the development of the physical sciences and how our evolving understanding of nature has influenced, and been influenced by, mathematics, philosophy, religion, geography, politics, and more. This historical approach also illustrates how wrong turns have been taken, and how the inherent self-correcting nature of science through constant verification and the falsifiability of truly scientific theories ultimately leads us back to a more productive path in our quest for understanding. This approach also points out why, as a broadly educated citizenry, students of all disciplines must understand how scientists arrive at conclusions, and how science and technology have become central features of modern society. In discussing this fascinating and beautiful universe of which we are a part, it is necessary to illustrate the fundamental role that mathematics plays in decoding nature's mysteries. Unlike other similar textbooks, some basic mathematics is integrated naturally into the text, together with interpretive language, and supplemented with numerous examples; additional tutorials are provided on the book's companion website. Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding leads the reader down the path to our present-day understanding of our Solar System, stars, galaxies, and the beginning and evolution of our universe, along with profound questions still to be answered in this ancient, yet rapidly changing field.

The search for life on Mars—and the moral issues confronting us as we prepare to send humans there Does life exist on Mars? The question has captivated humans for centuries, but today it has taken on new urgency. As space agencies gear up to send the first manned missions to the Red Planet, we have a responsibility to think deeply about what kinds of life may already dwell there—and whether we have the right to invite ourselves in. Telling the complete story of our ongoing quest to answer one of the most tantalizing questions in astronomy, David Weintraub grapples with the profound moral and ethical questions confronting us as we prepare to introduce an unpredictable new life form—ourselves—into the Martian biosphere. Now with an afterword that discusses the most recent discoveries, Life on Mars explains what we need to know before we go.

In their latest book, Edmund O'Sullivan and Marilyn Taylor highlight the pedagogical practices that foster transformation from our current way of thinking about our place in the world to an underlying ecological way of seeing and acting. Learning Towards Ecological Consciousness offers the reader a selection of transformative practices that demonstrate, in specific contexts, the complex journey and contextual conditions that move us forward towards a deeper realization that we are part of the world around us, holding a greater promise for deeper ecological awareness. To this end, thirteen chapters offer a rich array of practices in diverse life settings--educational environments, communities and workplaces and personal relationships. Contributors and their material represent a range of cultures, work setting and professions. The aspect of O'Sullivan and Taylor's new book that distinguishes it from other books in the field is its exploration of how consciousness can be transformed through practices, experience and action.

How many days are there between full moons - think you know? Is there an ancient key to the calendar hidden in stone circles? What is the magical secret of the Sun-Moon-Earth system? If you have ever wondered about eclipses, tides or the seasons, this amazing little book by acknowledged time-lord Robin Heath will quickly introduce you to the astonishing beauty of the primary cycles around this planet. Advanced wizarding at its best! "Timeless" RESURGENCE. "Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Research on extrasolar planets is one of the most exciting fields of activity in astrophysics. In a decade only, a huge step forward has been made from the early speculations on the existence of planets orbiting "other stars" to the first discoveries and to the characterization of extrasolar planets. This breakthrough is the result of a growing interest of a large community of researchers as well as the development of a wide range of new observational techniques and facilities.

Based on their lectures given at the 31st Saas-Fee Advanced Course, Andreas Quirrenbach, Tristan Guillot and Pat Cassen have written up up-to-date comprehensive lecture notes on the "Detection and Characterization of Extrasolar Planets," "Physics of Substellar Objects Interiors, Atmospheres, Evolution" and "Protostellar Disks and Planet Formation." This book will serve graduate students, lecturers and scientists entering the field of extrasolar planets as detailed and comprehensive introduction.

The influence of Arabic-Islamic science on European astronomy is still evident in the number of terms and star names which derive from the Arabic. These articles examine what the Arabs - and other peoples of the Islamic world - knew about the fixed stars and the constellations, and the astrological traditions they associated with them. Professor Kunitzsch shows how the early folk astronomy of the Arabs was radically altered, without being swept away, by the discovery of ancient Greek, also Indian and Persian, sources; by far the most important of these was the Almagest of Ptolemy. This knowledge was then transmitted to medieval Europe, to Byzantium and, especially, to Spain, as the articles go on to describe, and was a vital factor in stimulating the development of scientific thought in the West.

Exploring the potential for extraterrestrial life and the origins of our own planet, this comprehensive introduction to astrobiology is updated with the latest findings. Informed by the discoveries and analyses of extrasolar planets and the findings from recent robotic missions across the solar system, scientists are rapidly replacing centuries of speculation about potential extraterrestrial habitats with real knowledge about the possibility of life outside our own biosphere-if it exists, and, if so, where. Casting new light on the biggest questions there are-how did we get here, and who else might be out there?-this third edition of Kevin W. Plaxco and Michael Gross's widely acclaimed Astrobiology incorporates a decade's worth of new developments in space to bring readers the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and engaging introduction to the field available. Plaxco and Gross examine the factors that make our Universe habitable, from the origin of chemical elements and the formation of the first galaxies and stars to the birth and composition of the planets. They describe the latest thinking about the origins of life, explain the evolution of metabolism and the development of complex organisms. In order to assess the limits for life elsewhere, they also explore life in extreme habitats and reveal how it informs the search for potential extraterrestrial habitats-ones that might support extraterrestrial life. New and updated illustrations enhance the book throughout. Sharing fascinating findings from the comet mission Dawn, the visit of New Horizons to Pluto, and the work of the Deep Carbon Observatory, which has revealed an incredible underground biosphere within our own planet, Plaxco and Gross weave together cosmology, astrophysics, geology, biochemistry, biophysics, and microbiology. From neutron star mergers to the survival skills of tardigrades, this fascinating book is an ideal primer for students or anyone curious about life and the Universe.

In order to analyze the light of cosmic objects, particularly at extremely great distances, spectroscopy is the workhorse of astronomy. In the era of very large telescopes, long-term investigations are mainly performed with small professional instruments. Today they can be done using self-designed spectrographs and highly efficient CCD cameras, without the need for large financial investments. This book explains the basic principles of spectroscopy, including the fundamental optical constraints and all mathematical aspects needed to understand the working principles in detail. It covers the complete theoretical and practical design of standard and Echelle spectrographs. Readers are guided through all necessary calculations, enabling them to engage in spectrograph design. The book also examines data acquisition with CCD cameras and fiber optics, as well as the constraints of specific data reduction and possible sources of error. In closing it briefly highlights some main aspects of the research on massive stars and spectropolarimetry as an extension of spectroscopy. The book offers a comprehensive introduction to spectroscopy for students of physics and astronomy, as well as a valuable resource for amateur astronomers interested in learning the principles of spectroscopy and spectrograph design.

Knowledge about the outer heliosphere and the interstellar medium, which were long treated as two separate fields, has improved dramatically over the past 25 years as a consequence of recent developments: The discovery of interstellar pickup ions and neutral helium inside the heliosphere, the determination of the interstellar hydrogen distribution in the heliosphere obtained using backscattered solar Lyman-alpha radiation, the prediction and subsequent detection of the hydrogen wall just outside of the heliopause, the development of detailed global models for the interaction of solar wind plasma with the interstellar medium, and most recently, direct in-situ plasma and field measurements inside of the heliosheath. At the same time, our understanding of the nearby galactic environment, including the composition and dynamics of the warm gas clouds and hot gas in the local bubble, has benefited greatly from absorption-line spectroscopy using nearby stars as background sources and dynamic modeling. The present volume provides a synopsis of these developments organised into seven sections: Dominant physical processes in the termination shock and heliosheath, three-dimensional shape and structure of the dynamic heliosphere, relation of the plasmas and dust inside and outside of the heliosphere, origin and properties of the very local interstellar medium, energy and pressure equilibria in the local bubble, physical processes in the multiphase interstellar medium inside of the local bubble, and the roles that magnetic fields play in the outer heliosphere and the local bubble. The last theme is probably the most basic of all as magnetic fields play important roles in most of the phenomena discussed here. The volume concludes with four papers providing the "big picture" by looking at the time evolution of both the heliosphere and the local bubble, looking beyond the local bubble, and finally addressing the challenges in modeling the interface between the two media.

Einstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most accurate and successful theories in all of physics, be united into a single quantum theory of gravity? Can quantum and cosmos ever be combined? In The Nature of Space and Time, two of the world's most famous physicists--Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time) and Roger Penrose (The Road to Reality)--debate these questions. The authors outline how their positions have further diverged on a number of key issues, including the spatial geometry of the universe, inflationary versus cyclic theories of the cosmos, and the black-hole information-loss paradox. Though much progress has been made, Hawking and Penrose stress that physicists still have further to go in their quest for a quantum theory of gravity.

Introduction. Phase Transitions in the Early Universe and Defect Formation; T.W.B. Kibble. The Topological Classification of Defects; M. Kleman. Introduction to Growth Kinetics Problems; G.F. Mazenko. Dynamics of Cosmological Phase Transitions: What Can We Learn from Condensed Matter Physics? N. Goldenfeld. Topological Defects and Phase Ordering Dynamics; A.J. Bray. The Production of Strings and Monopoles at Phase Transitions; R.J Rivers, T.S. Evans. Geometry of Defect Scattering; N.S. Manton. Theory of Fluctuating Nonholonomic Fields and Applications: Statistical Mechanics of Vortices and Defects and New Physical Laws in Spaces with Curvature and Torsion; H. Kleinert. String Network Evolution; E.P.S. Shellard. Global Field Dynamics and Cosmological Structure Formation; R. Durrer. Electroweak Baryogenesis; N.G. Turok. Dynamics of Cosmic Strings and Other Brane Models; B. Carter. Cosmological Experiments in Superfluids and Superconductors; W. Zurek. Cosmological Experiments in Liquid 4He-Problems and Prospects; P.C. Hendry et al. Index.

The study of stellar dynamics is experiencing an exciting new wave of interest thanks to observational campaigns and the ready availability of powerful computers. Whilst its relevance includes many areas of astrophysics, from the structure of the Milky Way to dark matter halos, few texts are suited to advanced students. This volume provides a broad overview of the key concepts beyond the elementary level, bridging the gap between the standard texts and specialist literature. The author reviews Newtonian gravity in depth before examining the dynamical properties of collisional and collisionless stellar-dynamical systems that result from gravitational interactions. Guided examples and exercises ensure a thorough grounding in the mathematics, while discussions of important practical applications give a complete picture of the subject. Readers are given a sound working knowledge of the fundamental ideas and techniques employed in the field and the conceptual background needed to progress to more advanced graduate-level treatises.

This volume gives an overview of knowledge about the light nuclei created in the Hot Early Universe: H, D, 3He, 4He, and 7Li. It combines observational and theoretical results on the early Universe, the distant galaxies, our Milky Way, the local interstellar cloud, and the solar nebula. The implications for cosmology, galactic and stellar evolution, dark matter research etc. are outlined and directions of future research are indicated.

Unified General Relativity and Quantum Theory: Unified Symmetry: In the Small and in the Large; B.N. Kursunogammalu. Results from Quantum Cosmological Gravity; R.P. Woodard. The Very Early Universe: Baryogenesis from Electroweak Strings; M. Barriola. Reconstructing the Inflation Potential; E.W. Kolb, et al. Beyond Potential Dominated Inflation; K. Freese, J. Levin. Axitons; E.W. Kolb, I. Tkachev. Power Spectrum of Cosmic String Perturbations on the Microwave Background; L. Perivolaropoulos. Progress in New and Old Ideas: Time Reversal for Spacetime and Internal Symmetry; E.C.G. Sudarshan. Superstring Fermion Vertex and Gauge Symmetry in Four Dimensions; L. Dolan. Massive String Status as Extreme; M.J. Duff, J. Rahmfeld. Z' Diagnostics at Future Colliders; M. Cvetic. Aspects of Particle Physics: Siberian Snakes and Polarized Beams; L.G. Ratner. Polarized Lepton Experiments; D.G. Crabb. Progress in Neutrino Physics: A Survey of Experiments and Theory; S.L. Mintz, M. Pourkaviani. Further Inspirations from the Electroweak Theory, Supersymmetry, Supergravity: Implications of Supersymmetric Grand Unification; V. Barger, et al. Realistic Superstring Models; A.E. Faraggi. Flavor Mixing and the Generation of Mass; H. Fritzsch. Unification of Fundamental Interactions in Supersymmetry; P. Nath, R. Arnowitt. Dynamical Problems of Baryogenesis; J.M. Cornwall. Conference Program. Index.

Since 1967, the most prominent events of a General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union have been published in a separate volume. The "Highlight of Astronomy" (Volume 9) reports on the major scientific presentations made at the XXIst General Assembly July 23 August 1, 1991, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The present volume contains the text of the three invited Discourses and of the papers presented during seven Joint Discussion Meetings and eight Joint Commission Meetings.

This book will take the story of astronomy on from where Allan Chapman left it in Stargazers, and bring it almost up to date, with the developments and discoveries of the last three centuries. He covers the big names - Halley, Hooke, Herschel, Hubble and Hoyle; and includes the women who pushed astronomy forward, from Caroline Herschel to the Victorian women astronomers. He includes the big discoveries and the huge ideas, from the Milky War, to the Big Bang, the mighty atom, and the question of life on other planets. And he brings in the contributions made in the US, culminating in their race with the USSR to get a man on the moon, before turning to the explosion of interest in astronomy that was pioneered by Sir Patrick Moore and The Sky at Night.