The Galactic Centre represents a unique and extreme environment in the Galaxy. It hosts the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, its most concentrated dense gas reservoir and its most extreme star-formation environment. The Galactic Centre is therefore our nearest analogue to both an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and a starburst system. IAU Symposium 322 explores the revolution in our understanding of the Galactic Centre, driven by novel instrumentation including NuSTAR, ALMA, EHT and, in the near future, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). A number of anomalous, non-thermal signals have recently been discovered emanating from the Inner Galaxy. This volume addresses the question: are these signatures of dark matter or other new physics, or symptoms of the region's unusual astrophysics? Graduate students and researchers at the interface between astrophysics and particle physics have much to learn from studying this unique region.

The emphasis of Planetary Atmospheres is on comparative aspects of planetary atmospheres, generally meaning comparison with the Earth, including atmospheric composition, thermal structure, cloud properties, dynamics, weather and climate, and aeronomy. The goal is to look for common processes at work under different boundary conditions in order to reach a fundamental understanding of the physics of atmospheres. As part of a general Physics course, the material is chosen to emphasise certain aspects that will be of broad topical interest:
- evolutionary processes, setting the Earth in its context as a planet and a member of the Solar System
- the properties of atmospheres that affect the climate near the surface of each planet
- measurement techniques and models, where the same experimental and theoretical physics is applied under different conditions to investigate and explain atmospheric behaviour.
These might be thought of as the astronomical, environmental, and technical sides of the discipline respectively.
The book covers the basic physics of planetary atmospheres in a single text for students or anyone interested in this area of science. The approach is the same as in the author's previous book Elementary Climate Physics: an overview, followed by more detailed discussion of key topics arranged by physical phenomenon and not planet by planet as usually found in this field. There is an emphasis on acquiring and interpreting measurements, and the basic physics of instruments and models, with key definitions and some historical background in footnotes and in the glossary at the end of the book.

This book presents readers with the latest research in interferometry. Chapters include research done on an approach that can be used to identify the performance of coherence scanning interferometers in the presence of vibration; the permeability engineering of semiconductor photonic devices; several interferometric structures based on bulk optics to achieving optical interleaving; interference lithography; recent results on laser surface patterning using interferometers and femtosecond laser radiation; the realisation of the optical interferometers with the optical MEMS technology; a simple two-ray interferometer tuned by rotation; tuning of interference pattern period by rotation of an interferometer itself; the characteristics of a two-ray interferometer with fixed mirrors; the detection of acoustic fields from bounded ultrasonic beams by using laser interferometry techniques; and the use of lateral shearing interferometry as an important area of general interferometry.

Proceedings of the workshop on title], held in Les Houches, France, June 1991, designed to help the astronomical community in the preparation of observations for the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) satellite. This mission, which will explore the infrared sky during 18 months (1994-1995) in Earth orbit, will be one of the major projects of space a

As a new wave of interplanetary exploration unfolds, a talented young planetary scientist charts our centuries-old obsession with Mars. 'Beautifully written, emotive - a love letter to a planet' DERMOT O'LEARY, BBC Radio 2 Mars - bewilderingly empty, coated in red dust - is an unlikely place to pin our hopes of finding life elsewhere. And yet, right now multiple spacecraft are circling, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes of Elysium and Mare Sirenum - on the brink, perhaps, of a discovery that would inspire humankind as much as any in our history. With poetic precision and grace, Sarah Stewart Johnson traces the evocative history of our explorations of Mars. She interlaces her personal journey as a scientist with tales of other seekers - from Galileo to William Herschel to Carl Sagan - who have scoured this enigmatic planet for signs of life and transformed it in our understanding from a distant point of light into a complex world. Ultimately, she shows how its story is also a story about Earth: it is a foil, a mirror, a tell-tale reflection of our own anxieties and yearnings to find - if we're lucky - that we're not alone. 'Elegantly written and boundlessly entertaining' Sunday Telegraph 'Beguiling' The Times 'Johnson's prose swirls with lyrical wonder, as varied and multi-hued as the apricot deserts, butterscotch skies and blue sunsets of Mars' Anthony Doerr, New York Times Book Review 'Elegantly crafted' Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal

Every night, astronomers use a new generation of giant telescopes at observatories around the world to study phenomena at the forefront of science. By focusing on the history of the Gemini Observatory--twin 8-meter telescopes located on mountain peaks in Hawaii and Chile--"Giant Telescopes" tells the story behind the planning and construction of modern scientific tools, offering a detailed view of the technological and political transformation of astronomy in the postwar era.

Drawing on interviews with participants and archival documents, W. Patrick McCray describes the ambitions and machinations of prominent astronomers, engineers, funding patrons, and politicians in their effort to construct a modern facility for cutting-edge science--and to establish a model for international cooperation in the coming era of "megascience." His account details the technological, institutional, cultural, and financial challenges that scientists faced while planning and building a new generation of giant telescopes. Besides exploring how and why scientists embraced the promise and potential of new technologies, he considers how these new tools affected what it means to be an astronomer. McCray's book should interest anyone who desires a deeper understanding of the science, technology, and politics behind finding our place in the universe.

** An accompanying journal to the original & bestselling Almanacs by Lia Leendertz.** The Almanac Journal is a place for you to create your own personal almanac, starting and ending at any point in the year. This is a space to write down all of the things you notice about the year's turning, and your own reactions to it. There are pages where you can note all of the firsts: first swift, first rose, first frost; a place to squirrel away your favourite foraging locations - and to jot down the recipes you create from them. There are also pages for pressed flowers and seaweeds, sketches and pictures, feathers and drying leaves. Make it your own. Lia Leendertz is an award-winning garden and food writer, her reinvention of the traditional rural almanac has become an annual must-have for readers eager to connect with the seasons, appreciate the outdoors and discover ways to mark and celebrate each month. PRAISE FOR THE ALMANACS 'Indispensable' - Sir Bob Geldof 'The perfect companion to the seasons' - India Knight 'This book is your bible' - the Independent 'An ideal stocking filler' - The English Garden 'I love this gem of a book' - Cerys Matthews

Capturing the excitement and accomplishments of X-ray astronomy, this second edition now includes a broader range of astronomical phenomena and dramatic new results from the most powerful X-ray telescopes. Covering all areas of astronomical research, ranging from the smallest to the largest objects, from neutron stars to clusters of galaxies, this textbook is ideal for undergraduate students. Each chapter starts with the basic aspects of the topic, explores the history of discoveries, and examines in detail modern observations and their significance. This new edition has been updated with results from the most recent space-based instruments, including ROSAT, BeppoSAX, ASCA, Chandra, and XMM. New chapters cover X-ray emission processes, the interstellar medium, the Solar System, and gamma-ray bursts. The text is supported by over 300 figures, with tables listing the properties of the sources, and more specialized technical points separated in boxes.

'This book offers an excellent explanation of the scientific method and its use, through case studies from astronomy, physics, and philosophy. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. General readers.'CHOICE'In summary this is a lovely, elegant book which reminds us that physics is not an exercise in mathematics but a self-consistent system of thought based on measurement and informed observation which depends on interpretation by the human mind in the context of the science of the day. It is a valuable reminder of the underlying human quality in physics that gets lost in the 'shut up and calculate' methodology of the more esoteric branches of the science.'The ObservatoryWe know the Earth rotates, but how do we know? When and how did it become reasonable to believe that the Earth rotates?This book offers a historical account, from ancient Greek science to the theory of relativity and ultimately to videos taken from outer space, of how this widely known truth came to be. Using an accessible and entertaining narrative suitable for anyone interested in astronomy, physics, or the history of either, Kosso clarifies the use of evidence to prove that the Earth rotates, and deals with the tension between the claims that the Earth is absolutely in motion, yet all motion is relative. The book also explores the general nature of scientific evidence and method, and confronts challenges to science from outside the discipline.

However deficient by modern standards was the astronomical knowledge of most early astronomers, one never ceases to wonder at the completeness and precision of some of their results, derived as they were from inaccurate observations made with the naked eye or with crude instruments. The main results of astronomy that could be discovered by the naked eye actually were discovered by the best ancient observers. "Planetary Systems from the Ancient Greeks to Kepler" describes the detailed technical models whereby astronomers prior to Newton accounted for their observations. Unlike histories of science that focus on the influence of great ideas, this book presents the actual substance of those ideas and details their elaboration and development. The exposition is as geometrical as possible, reflecting the original style of the ancients. The first chapter presents the general body of observational astronomy known to the ancients and forming the subject of their explanatory endeavors. Each of the following chapters concentrates on the work of a single astronomer - Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho, and Kepler - and provides biographical details, a detailed exposition of his astronomical system, and some evaluation of the astronomer's role in the history of astronomy. Theodor S. Jacobsen is professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Washington.

The ideal gift for all amateur and seasoned astronomers. “This is a great guide to the night sky at a great price”Astronomy Now “A handy and straightforward guide.” British Astronomical Association's 'Journal' “an ideal Christmas stocking-filler” The Observatory From the UK’s Number One Astronomy publisher, this is the bestselling stargazing handbook to the planets, stars and constellations visible from the northern hemisphere. With 6 pages for each month covering January–December 2024. This practical guide is an easy introduction to astronomy and a useful reference for seasoned stargazers. Designed for Britain and Ireland but usable anywhere in the world between 40°N and 60°N, covering most of Europe, southern Canada and the northern United States. Advice on where to start looking and a map of dark sky sites to avoid light pollution. Charts for the circumpolar and seasonal constellations. Easy-to-use star charts for each month with descriptions of objects and events to look for in 2024. Positions of the moon, visible planets and eclipses. Includes a section on comets and a detailed map of the moon. Now in three editions: Britain and Ireland; North America; Southern Hemisphere. Written and illustrated by astronomical experts, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion, and approved by the astronomers of the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

IAU Symposium 356 summarises the most recent results in the field of active galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN). These are some of the most luminous sources in the Universe, also the most distant ones that we can observe, so they are very important for understanding the early Universe and its evolution through cosmic time. This volume gives an overview of the current status in the field of active galaxies including: AGN multiwavelength observations; different AGN types and their properties; AGN variability; active supermassive black holes and properties of galaxies in which they reside; triggering, feedback and shutting off AGN activity; relativistic jets and environments of active galaxies; and AGN evolution. IAU S356 was the third IAU symposium organised in Africa in the past 100 years since the IAU was established, and the first one organised in Ethiopia, highlighting current developments in astronomical research in Africa.

Laboratory astrophysics is the Rosetta Stone that enables astronomers to understand and interpret the distant cosmos. It provides the tools to interpret and guide astronomical observations and delivers the numbers needed to quantitatively model the processes taking place in space, providing a bridge between observers and modelers. IAU Symposium 350 was organized by the International Astronomical Union's Laboratory Astrophysics Commission (B5), and was the first topical symposium on laboratory astrophysics sponsored by the IAU. Active researchers in observational astronomy, space missions, experimental and theoretical laboratory astrophysics, and astrochemistry discuss the topics and challenges facing astronomy today. Five major topics are covered, spanning from star- and planet-formation through stellar populations to extragalactic chemistry and dark matter. Within each topic, the main themes of laboratory studies, astronomical observations, and theoretical modeling are explored, demonstrating the breadth and the plurality of disciplines engaged in the growing field of laboratory astrophysics.

The ideal gift for all amateur and seasoned astronomers. This is the ideal resource for beginners and experienced stargazers in the United States and Canada, and has been updated to include new and practical information covering events occurring in North America's night sky throughout 2022. This practical guide is both an easy introduction to astronomy and a useful reference for seasoned stargazers. Now includes a section on comets and a map of the moon. Designed specifically for North America. Written and illustrated by astronomical experts, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion, and approved by the astronomers of the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Content includes: Advice on where to start looking. Easy-to-use star maps for each month with descriptions of what to see. Positions of the moon and visible planets. Details of objects and events in 2022. Now in three editions: Britain and Ireland; North America; Southern Hemisphere.

Several Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments, for example, LOFAR, MWA and PAPER, are currently under way and producing results. These very deep observations not only set constraints on when and where the first sources formed in the early Universe and began (re)ionizing the predominantly neutral all-pervasive intergalactic medium, but they also provide high-quality data for cutting edge auxiliary foreground science. Obviously studying the physical origin of the foreground emission, whether Galactic or extragalactic, is a very exciting field in its own right and is of fundamental importance for perfecting the foreground removal techniques in the cosmological experiments. These proceedings of IAU S333 address both topics through giving the clearest and widest possible view on the EoR; presenting the state-of-the-art foreground science; and discussing challenges of upcoming and planned radio facilities such as HERA and SKA.

Providing a definitive history of the formative years of radio astronomy, this book is invaluable for historians of science, scientists and engineers. The whole of worldwide radio and radar astronomy is covered, beginning with the discoveries by Jansky and Reber of cosmic noise before World War II, through the wartime detections of solar noise, the discovery of radio stars, lunar and meteor radar experiments, the detection of the hydrogen spectral line, to the discoveries of Hey, Ryle, Lovell and Pawsey in the decade following the war, revealing an entirely different sky from that of visual astronomy. Using contemporary literature, correspondence and photographs, the book tells the story of the people who shaped the intellectual, technical, and social aspects of the field now known as radio astronomy. The book features quotes from over a hundred interviews with pioneering radio astronomers, giving fascinating insights into the development of radio astronomy. Woodruff T. Sullivan III has been awarded the 2012 Leroy E. Doggett Prize for Historical Astronomy.

Astronomical spectrographs analyze light emitted by the Sun, stars, galaxies and other objects in the Universe, and have been used in astronomy since the early nineteenth century. This book provides a comprehensive account of spectrographs from an historical perspective, from their theory and development over the last two hundred years, to the recent advances of the early twenty-first century. The author combines the theoretical principles behind astronomical spectrograph design with their historical development. Spectrographs of all types are considered, with prism, grating or prism dispersing elements. Included are Cassegrain, coude, prime focus, echelle, fibre-fed, ultraviolet, nebular, objective prism, multi-object instruments and those which are ground-based, on rockets and balloons or in space. The book contains several tables listing the most significant instruments, around 900 references, and over 150 images, making it an indispensable reference for professional astronomers, graduate students, advanced amateur astronomers, and historians of science.

In less than a century, the accepted picture of the universe transformed from a stagnant place, composed entirely of our own Milky Way galaxy, to a realm inhabited by billions of individual galaxies, hurtling away from one another. We must thank, in part, Edwin P. Hubble, one of the greatest observational astronomers of the 20th century. In 1936, Hubble described his principal observations and conclusions in "The Realm of the Nebulae," which quickly became a classic work. Two new introductory pieces, by Robert P. Kirshner and Sean M. Carroll, explain advances since Hubble's time and his work's foundational importance.
"Meaningful, historically accurate, and thoroughly delightful reading."--Gail O. Clark, "Astronomy"

This volume collects Congressional Research Service reports (which are available on the Web for free) related to US space policy. It covers US civilian space policy priorities 50 years after Sputnik; government activities, commercial competition, and satellite exports in space launch vehicles; space stations; the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle; appropriations and current issues connected to US military space programs; the future of the Space Shuttle program; issues concerning the "Vision for Space Exploration," issues concerning the Department of Defense's space-based infrared system and space tracking and surveillance system programs; and whether NASA should proceed with a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

PMThis guide provides a comprehensive tour of the famous Kitt Peak telescopes and an introduction to the important research accomplished with them. For more than 45 years, astronomers have used the telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatories (KPNO) to make many remarkable discoveries about the Universe. KPNO supports the most diverse collection of astronomical observatories on Earth for nighttime optical and infrared astronomy and daytime study of the sun. It is currently the most visited astronomical observatory site in the world, including over 50,000 visitors a year from all 50 states and over 51 countries. With over twenty optical and radio telescopes, the site reveals to visitors modern astronomy's great diversity. Leslie Sage is a Senior Editor at Nature magazine and Research Associate, Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland. ^lGail Aschenbrener is a Public Affairs Officer, USDA Forest Servi

The Moon is accessible to everyone. Because it is easy to observe everywhere, even in big cities, it is a prime target for aspiring astronomers and for those who are merely curious about the night sky. This easy-to-use guide to discovering lunar sites takes the reader through fourteen observing sessions from New Moon to Full Moon. For each evening, the book shows which craters, mountains and other features can be seen, and how to find them. Each photograph shows what the observer actually sees through a telescope, solving the usual difficulties of orientation confronting beginners. Images are shown as they appear through both refracting and reflecting telescopes. Maps printed on the book's front and back flaps show the whole Moon with sites as seen through a refractor, through a Newtonian reflector, or, when turned upside-down, through binoculars. Jean Lacroux has been a columnist for the French astronomy magazine Ciel et Espace for 25 years. He has published four successful amateur astronomy books in French. Christian Legrand is an engineer and amateur astronomer, who has been a passionate lunar observer since the Apollo missions.

"A Treatise the Astrolabe" by Geoffrey Chaucer is the work of an avid amateur astronomer who happened also to be England's greatest medieval poet. A user of the astrolabe can plot the movement of the stars, tell time, and calculate numerous other results. Chaucer translated and revised a standard Latin treatment of the astrolabe. His treatise, which is generally regarded as one of the first technical manuals in English and a model of how technical manuals should be written.

Not since 1872 has a free-standing edition of "A Treatise the Astrolabe" been published. Thanks to the expertise of its editor, Sigmund Eisner, who supplies sixty-eight illustrations, this Variorum edition provides a more detailed exposition than previously available. Eisner's extensive labors result in the first complete record of textual variants found in the thirty-two surviving manuscripts of the work and in all the major printed text published between 1532 and 1987. This landmark edition also presents a thorough digest of all published commentary on Chaucer's treatise.

Amplified by sixty-eight illustrations, this variorum edition of Chaucer's "A Treatise on the Astrolabe" provides a more detailed exposition of the treatise than has ever before been available.

Star-gazing with binoculars is rewarding and, for many, a lifelong passion! Patrick Moore has painstakingly researched Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars to describe the optimal use of binoculars for astronomical observation. He explains basic astronomy and the selection of binoculars, then goes on to discuss the stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies that await the observer. He charts the sky seen from the northern and southern hemispheres season by season, providing detailed maps of all the constellations. In addition, the reader can also observe the Sun, Moon, planets, comets and meteors. New to this Fourth Edition are: An improved presentation of all star maps, rendering a clear impression of what the night sky really looks like; planetary data through 2010; and advice on eclipse watching, including total eclipses of the sun. With many beautiful illustrations, this handbook will be helpful and encouraging to casual observers and those cultivating a more serious interest. The enjoyment of amateur astronomy is now available to everybody!

The recent launch of NASA's Gamma-Ray Observatory will increase interest in gamma-ray astronomy. This is a fully up-dated new edition of the authors' earlier volume published in 1986 and covers both the background science and the current state-of-the-art in this field. The emphasis is on the astronomy and astrophysics of known sources of cosmic gamma-rays outside the solar system. The authors discuss the mechanisms for the production and absorption of gamma-rays. The gamma-ray line astronomy of the interstellar medium, galactic centre, and various discrete sources is then considered. Gamma-ray bursts are treated in considerable detail in chapter three, and the final two chapters describe medium energy and ultra-high energy gamma-rays. Relevant data from supernova SN1987A is also included in this edition. The book includes comprehensive references to the primary literature, together with many figures and tables. The concentration on phenomenology makes this book a fine introduction to gamma-ray astronomy.

Over the past decade, modelling the panchromatic emission of galaxies has become one of the key tools in measuring their properties. As new and next-generation facilities progressively herald a new era in observational astronomy, we face new and specific challenges: LSST (recently named the Vera C. Rubin Observatory) and SKA will provide us with an avalanche of data; the advent of e-ROSITA and the preparation for Athena make it ever more pressing to include X-ray emission into the standard UV to radio panchromatic models; JWST will observe the first galaxies with extreme stellar populations; and, in the meantime, ALMA is already starting to provide us with remarkable dust and metal observations at high redshift. The proceedings of IAU Symposium 341 offer a broad overview of the state of the field from theoreticians, modellers, and observers to present and discuss the current frontier in the panchromatic modelling of galaxies.