In this collection Gingerich focuses on the transformation of astronomy from Ptolemy's geocentrisim to Kepler's remoulding of Copernican cosmology. Several of Gingerich's favourite themes are illuminated: the importance of historical context in the study of science, the careful examination of work habits as a key to understanding, and the role of creativity and artistry in science. The work includes Dr Gingerich's well-known and influential essay on crisis versus aesthetic in the Copernican revolution, a look at Newton's "Principia" as a work of art, and one of Gingerich's most popular pieces, "The Computer versus Kepler".

This book aims at giving the basis of primordial cosmology. The book is self-contained in the sense that all the elements for the derivations of the presented results are given. It can be used as a textbook to study cosmology. It is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 summarizes the fundamentals in theoretical physics needed in cosmology (general relativity, field theory, particle physics). Part 2 describes the standard model of cosmology and includes cosmological solutions of Einstein equations, hot big bang model, cosmological perturbation theory, cosmic microwave background anisotropies, lensing and evidences for dark matter, and inflation. Part 3 describes extensions of this model and opens up to today's research in the field: scalar-tensor theories, supersymetry, the cosmological constant problem and acceleration of the universe, topology of the universe, grand unification and baryogenesis, topological defects and phase transitions, string inspired cosmology including branes and latest developments. The book provides details of all derivations and leads the student up to the level of research articles.

This volume reviews conceptual conflicts at the foundations of physics now and in the past century. The focus is on the conditions and consequences of Einstein's pathbreaking achievements that sealed the decline of the classical notions of space, time, radiation, and matter, and resulted in the theory of relativity. Particular attention is paid to the implications of conceptual conflicts for scientific views of the world at large, thus providing the basis for a comparison of the demise of the mechanical worldview at the turn of the 20th century with the challenges presented by cosmology at the turn of the 21st century. Throughout the work, Einstein's contributions are not seen in isolation but instead set into the wider intellectual context of dealing with the problem of gravitation in the twilight of classical physics; the investigation of the historical development is carried out with a number of epistemological questions in mind, concerning, in particular, the transformation process of knowledge associated with the changing worldviews of physics.

This volume comprises nine articles on Islamic astronomy published since 1989 by Benno van Dalen. Van Dalen was the first historian of Islamic astronomy who made full use of the new possibilities of computers in the early 1990s. He implemented various statistical and numerical methods that can be used to determine the mathematical properties of medieval astronomical tables, and utilized these to obtain entirely new, until then unattainable historical results concerning the interdependence of individual tables and hence of entire astronomical works. His programmes for analysing tables, making sexagesimal calculations and converting calendar dates continue to be widely used. The five articles in the first part of this collection explain the principles of a range of statistical methods for determining unknown parameter values underlying astronomical tables and present extensive step-by-step examples for their use. The four articles in the second part provide extensive studies of materials in unpublished primary sources on Islamic astronomy that heavily depend on these methods. The volume is completed with a detailed index.

This book explores the insights that Cultural Astronomy provides into the classical Roman world by unveiling the ways in which the Romans made use of their knowledge concerning the heavens, and by shedding new light on the interactions between astronomy and heritage in ancient Roman culture. Leading experts in the field present fascinating information on how and why the Romans referred to the sky when deciding upon the orientation of particular monuments, temples, tombs and even urban layouts. Attention is also devoted to questions of broader interest, such as the contribution that religious interpretation of the sky made in the assimilation of conquered peoples. When one considers astronomy in the Roman world it is customary to think of the work and models of Ptolemy, and perhaps the Julian calendar or even the sighting of the Star of Bethlehem. However, like many other peoples in antiquity, the Romans interacted with the heavens in deeper ways that exerted a profound influence on their culture. This book highlights the need to take this complexity into account in various areas of research and will appeal to all those who wish to learn more about the application of astronomy in the lives and architecture of the Romans.

For Akiva Jaap Vroman "a day in the infinite past" is nonsense. All the days that have elapsed belong to a past of countable days; they started on a first day a finite number of days ago. Time began this first day. It follows that an eternal past does not exist. Vroman bases his reasoning on a simple mathematical law: an infinite quantity remains the same infinite quantity if a finite quantity, however large, is subtracted from it. On God, Space, and Time devotes itself to this proof.On God, Space, and Time is rooted in the epistemological thinking of Immanuel Kant and Jean Piaget and the law of Leucippus, and draws from the somewhat disparate fields of psychology, physiology, mathematics, and physics. Vroman discusses the modern vindication of the existence of the Creator using ontological arguments, which observe the cosmos solely through our sense-perceptions and the world of space and matter. He balances this worldview with a discussion of brain chemistry and physiology in "God, Mind, and Body" showing that the world of space and matter is nothing but an interpretation made by our working mind. Vroman also describes the Spanish-based Jewish philosophers of the Middle Ages who came close to solving the Genesis-Creation contradiction, which cannot be reconciled through the external world of Greek philosophy.As we travel through time with Vroman, who ranges easily and poetically over important concepts and influential thinkers, we encounter a variety of subjects: Spinoza's new definition of God and the authority of reason in the age of Descartes, Leibniz, and Newton; Jewish idealists, such as Nachman Krochmal, Solomon L. Steinman, Solomon Formstecher, and Samuel Hirsch; the concept of space-time; and Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Arthur Schopenhauer, Max Wentscher, and Charles Darwin. He presents engaging, worthwhile discussions of futurology; the astrological world of sub-lunar events; religious eschatology, specifically the Jewish and Christian Messiah; apocalyptic revelation in psychological science, the future of the universe, God and moral virtue, the medical approach to the question of life and death, and finally, personal thoughts on religious worship and service based on reason and moral sense. On God, Space, and Timea valuable historical synthesis of Western thought on man's vision of God, and consequently reality. This volume will interest many, particularly those intrigued by philosophy, religion, and futurology.

This book builds on the fluid and kinetic theory of equilibria and waves presented in a companion textbook, Basic Space Plasma Physics (by the same authors), but can also serve as a stand-alone text. It extends the field covered there into the domain of plasma instability and nonlinear theory.

The book provides a representative selection of the many possible macro- and microinstabilities in a space plasma, from the Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz to electrostatic and electromagnetic kinetic instabilities. Their quasilinear stabilization and nonlinear evolution and their application to space physics problems are treated. The chapters on nonlinear theory include nonlinear waves, weak turbulence and strong turbulence, all presented from the viewpoint of their relevance to space plasma physics. Special topics include auroral particle acceleration, soliton formation and caviton collapse, anomalous transport, and the theory of collisionless shocks.

A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners.

A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners.

The workshop on The Very Large Telescope Interferometer: Challenges for the Future, which was part of JENAM 2002 organised by Sociedade Portuguesa de Astronomia, took place at the Departamentos de Matematica Aplicada e Matemclt- ica Pura da Universidade do Porto (FCUP) from the 5th to the 7th of September 2002. The Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) is the major interferometric facility in the world, operated by the European Southern Observatory. It is a unique facility as it is available to the community and has a sensitivity that will bring into reach vast classes of objects in the fields of planet searches, star formation and evolution and extragalatic astrophysics. The VLTI was open to the community on a shared risk basis in March 2002. This workshop was therefore an ideal place to obtain a broad view of optical interferometry and its scientific prospects. The workshop started with a presentation of the basics of interferometry the- ory/practice, then of the VLT, Keck and LBT interferometers. The VLTI instru- ments MIDI and AMBER were introduced to its users as well as specific cal- ibration and modelling tools. The bulk of the workshop addressed astrophysics being currently done with interferometers with very high quality reviews in the fields star formation, imaging, pulsating stars, Mira stars, active stellar shells and extragalactic astronomy. The workshop featured some talks presenting fresh VLTI data using the VINCI commissioning instrument.

Essential Relativistic Celestial Mechanics presents a systematic exposition of the essential questions of relativistic celestial mechanics and their relation to relativistic astrometry. The book focuses on the comparison of calculated and measurable quantities that is of paramount importance in using general relativity as a necessary framework in the discussion of high-precision observations and for the construction of accurate dynamical ephemerides. It discusses the results of the general relativistic theory of motion of celestial bodies and describes the relativistic theory of astronomical reference frames, time scales, and the reduction of observations.

This contributed monograph is the first work to present the latest results and findings on the new topic and hot field of planetary exploration and sciences, e.g., lunar surface iron content and mare orientale basalts, Earth's gravity field, Martian radar exploration, crater recognition, ionosphere and astrobiology, Comet ionosphere, exoplanetary atmospheres and planet formation in binaries. By providing detailed theory and examples, this book helps readers to quickly familiarize themselves with the field. In addition, it offers a special section on next-generation planetary exploration, which opens a new landscape for future exploration plans and missions. Prof. Shuanggen Jin works at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. Dr. Nader Haghighipour works at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, USA. Prof. Wing-Huen Ip works at the National Central University, Taiwan.

Relativistic cosmology has in recent years become one of the most exciting and active branches of current research. In conference after conference the view is expressed that cosmology today is where particle physics was forty years ago, with major discoveries just waiting to happen. Also gravitational wave detectors, presently under construction or in the testing phase, promise to open up an entirely novel field of physics. It is to take into account such recent developments, as well as to improve the basic text, that this second edition has been undertaken. The most affected is the last part on cosmology, but there are smaller additions, corrections, and additional exercises throughout. The books basic purpose is to make relativity come alive conceptually. Hence the emphasis on the foundations and the logical subtleties rather than on the mathematics or the detailed experiments per se. Aided by some 300 exercises, the book promotes a deep understanding and the confidence to tackle any fundamental relativistic problem. To request a copy of the Solutions Manual, visit: http: //global.oup.com/uk/academic/physics/admin/solutions

.".. is a worthwhile elementary treatment of the cosmology of the early Universe written with a liveliness and simplicity that will surely encourage students to pursue the subject further.''
John D Barrow
Nature, 1989

.".. a superb guide to what is known about cosmology....The authors also leave you with a sense of anticipation and excitement.''
David Hughes
New Scientist, 1989

"The book is well written and interesting, particularly in its use of Chinese stories throughout ... The book contains all the standard material found in such texts. The chapters on the thermodynamics of the Universe are particularly good ... this is a first-rate book of its genre and is heartily recommended."
Kenneth Dunn
Mathematical Reviews, 1993

"The best popular account of the science that explains how the universe can be friendly to life is a book, 'Creation of the Universe', by the Chinese astronomers, Fang Li Zhi and Li Shu Xian. The book was translated into English and published by World Scientific Publishing in 1989. Fang Li Zhi is the famous dissident astronomer now living in exile in the United States. I particularly recommend Chapter 6, with the title 'How Order Was Born of Chaos'. This tells the same story that I am telling you today, but with more detail and more depth."
Freeman J Dyson
Oppenheimer lecture at University of California, Berkeley
Mar 2000

.".. is a worthwhile elementary treatment of the cosmology of the early Universe written with a liveliness and simplicity that will surely encourage students to pursue the subject further.''
John D Barrow
Nature, 1989

.".. a superb guide to what is known about cosmology....The authors also leave you with a sense of anticipation and excitement.''
David Hughes
New Scientist, 1989

"The book is well written and interesting, particularly in its use of Chinese stories throughout ... The book contains all the standard material found in such texts. The chapters on the thermodynamics of the Universe are particularly good ... this is a first-rate book of its genre and is heartily recommended."
Kenneth Dunn
Mathematical Reviews, 1993

"The best popular account of the science that explains how the universe can be friendly to life is a book, 'Creation of the Universe', by the Chinese astronomers, Fang Li Zhi and Li Shu Xian. The book was translated into English and published by World Scientific Publishing in 1989. Fang Li Zhi is the famous dissident astronomer now living in exile in the United States. I particularly recommend Chapter 6, with the title 'How Order Was Born of Chaos'. This tells the same story that I am telling you today, but with more detail and more depth."
Freeman J Dyson
Oppenheimer lecture at University of California, Berkeley
Mar 2000

To study astronomy is to consider the most wondrous phenomena on the grandest of scales - the universe and all it contains. Beginning with our earliest explorations of the night sky, William Waller takes us on an enthralling journey through the Milky Way and far, far beyond. He combines science and history to show how our understanding of everything from black holes to the structure of the universe has evolved over time, illuminating past discoveries and offering contemporary insights into the cosmic histories of stars, planets and galaxies. Whether object of study or curiosity, the universe - and all it contains - is tantalisingly introduced here.

"These proceedings provide the latest results on dark matter and dark energy research. The UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted its tenth Dark Matter and Dark Energy conference in Marina del Rey and brought together all the leaders in the field. The symposium provided a scientific forum for the latest discussions in the field."

"Topics covered at the symposium: "

" Status of measurements of the equation of state of dark energy and new experiments"

" The search for missing energy events at the LHC and implications for dark matter search"

" Theoretical calculations on all forms of dark matter (SUSY, axions, sterile neutrinos, etc.)"

" Status of the indirect search for dark matter"

" Status of the direct search for dark matter in detectors around the world"

" The low-mass wimp search region"

" The next generation of very large dark matter detectors"

" New underground laboratories for dark matter search"

"

This book collates papers presented at two international conferences (held at the Australian National University in 2018 and Birkbeck College London in 2019) exploring the relationships between big history and astrobiology and their wider implications for society. These two relatively new academic disciplines aim to integrate human history with the wider history of the universe and the search for life elsewhere. The book will show that, despite differences in emphasis, big history and astrobiology share much in common, especially their interdisciplinary approaches and the cosmic and evolutionary perspectives that they both engender. Specifically, the book addresses the unified, all-embracing, nature of knowledge, the impact of big history on humanity and the world at large, the possible impact of SETI on astrobiology and big history, the cultural signature of Earth's inhabitants beyond our own planet, and the political implications of a planetary worldview. The principal readership is envisaged to comprise scholars working in the fields of astrobiology, big history and space exploration interested in forging interdisciplinary links between these diverse topics, together with educators, and a wider public, interested in the societal implications of the cosmic and evolutionary perspectives engendered by research in these fields.

This book is the first thorough and overdue biography of one of the giants of science in the twentieth century, Jan Hendrik Oort. His fundamental contributions had a lasting effect on the development of our insight and a profound influence on the international organization and cooperation in his area of science and on the efforts and contribution of his native country. This book aims at describing Oort's life and works in the context of the development of his branch of science and as a tribute to a great scientist in a broader sense. The astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort from the Netherlands was founder of studies of the structure and dynamics of the Milky Way Galaxy, initiator of radioastronomy and the European Southern Observatory, and an important contributor to many areas of astronomy, from the study of comets to the universe on the largest scales.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of time-fixed terminal rendezvous around the Earth using chemical propulsion. The book has two main objectives. The first is to derive the mathematics of relative motion in near-circular orbit when subjected to perturbations emanating from the oblateness of the Earth, third-body gravity, and atmospheric drag. The mathematics are suitable for quick trajectory prediction and the creation of computer codes and efficient software to solve impulsive maneuvers and fly rendezvous missions. The second objective of this book is to show how the relative motion theory is applied to the exact precision-integrated, long-duration, time-fixed terminal rendezvous problem around the oblate Earth for the general elliptic orbit case. The contents are both theoretical and applied, with long-lasting value for aerospace engineers, trajectory designers, professors of orbital mechanics, and students at the graduate level and above.

All humans share three origins: the beginning of our individual lives, the appearance of life on Earth, and the formation of our planetary home. Life through Time and Space brings together the latest discoveries in both biology and astronomy to examine our deepest questions about where we came from, where we are going, and whether we are alone in the cosmos. A distinctive voice in the growing field of astrobiology, Wallace Arthur combines embryological, evolutionary, and cosmological perspectives to tell the story of life on Earth and its potential to exist elsewhere in the universe. He guides us on a journey through the myriad events that started with the big bang and led to the universe we inhabit today. Along the way, readers learn about the evolution of life from a primordial soup of organic molecules to complex plants and animals, about Earth's geological transformation from barren rock to diverse ecosystems, and about human development from embryo to infant to adult. Arthur looks closely at the history of mass extinctions and the prospects for humanity's future on our precious planet. Do intelligent aliens exist on a distant planet in the Milky Way, sharing the three origins that characterize all life on Earth? In addressing this question, Life through Time and Space tackles the many riddles of our place and fate in the universe that have intrigued human beings since they first gazed in wonder at the nighttime sky.

The Springer Handbook of Spacetime is dedicated to the ground-breaking paradigm shifts embodied in the two relativity theories, and describes in detail the profound reshaping of physical sciences they ushered in. It includes in a single volume chapters on foundations, on the underlying mathematics, on physical and astrophysical implications, experimental evidence and cosmological predictions, as well as chapters on efforts to unify general relativity and quantum physics. The Handbook can be used as a desk reference by researchers in a wide variety of fields, not only by specialists in relativity but also by researchers in related areas that either grew out of, or are deeply influenced by, the two relativity theories: cosmology, astronomy and astrophysics, high energy physics, quantum field theory, mathematics, and philosophy of science. It should also serve as a valuable resource for graduate students and young researchers entering these areas, and for instructors who teach courses on these subjects.

The Handbook is divided into six parts. Part A: Introduction to Spacetime Structure. Part B: Foundational Issues. Part C: Spacetime Structure and Mathematics. Part D: Confronting Relativity theories with observations. Part E: General relativity and the universe. Part F: Spacetime beyond Einstein.

Black holes present one of the most fascinating predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity. There is strong evidence of their existence through observation of active galactic nuclei, including the centre of our galaxy, observations of gravitational waves, and others. There exists a large scientific literature on black holes, including many excellent textbooks at various levels. However, most of these steer clear from the mathematical niceties needed to make the theory of black holes a mathematical theory. Those which maintain a high mathematical standard are either focused on specific topics, or skip many details. The objective of this book is to fill this gap and present a detailed, mathematically oriented, extended introduction to the subject. The book provides a wide background to the current research on all mathematical aspects of the geometry of black hole spacetimes.

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.

A thorough introduction to modern ideas on cosmology and on the physical basis of the general theory of relativity, An Introduction to the Science of Cosmology explores various theories and ideas in big bang cosmology, providing insight into current problems. Assuming no previous knowledge of astronomy or cosmology, this book takes you beyond introductory texts to the point where you are able to read and appreciate the scientific literature, which is broadly referenced in the book. The authors present the standard big bang theory of the universe and provide an introduction to current inflationary cosmology, emphasizing the underlying physics without excessive technical detail.
The book treats cosmological models without reliance on prior knowledge of general relativity, the necessary physics being introduced in the text as required. It also covers recent observational evidence pointing to an accelerating expansion of the universe. The first several chapters provide an introduction to the topics discussed later in the book. The next few chapters introduce relativistic cosmology and the classic observational tests. One chapter gives the main results of the hot big bang theory. Next, the book presents the inflationary model and discusses the problem of the origin of structure and the correspondingly more detailed tests of relativistic models. Finally, the book considers some general issues raised by expansion and isotropy. A reference section completes the work by listing essential formulae, symbols, and physical constants.
Beyond the level of many elementary books on cosmology, An Introduction to the Science of Cosmology encompasses numerous recent developments and ideas in the area. It provides more detailed coverage than many other titles available, and the inclusion of problems at the end of each chapter aids in self study and makes the book suitable for taught courses.