An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics

An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is a comprehensive, well-organized and engaging text covering every major area of modern astrophysics, from the solar system and stellar astronomy to galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, and cosmology. Designed to provide students with a working knowledge of modern astrophysics, this textbook is suitable for astronomy and physics majors who have had a first-year introductory physics course with calculus. Featuring a brief summary of the main scientific discoveries that have led to our current understanding of the universe; worked examples to facilitate the understanding of the concepts presented in the book; end-of-chapter problems to practice the skills acquired; and computational exercises to numerically model astronomical systems, the second edition of An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is the go-to textbook for learning the core astrophysics curriculum as well as the many advances in the field.

Preface
Part I. The Tools of Astronomy
1. The celestial sphere
2. Celestial mechanics
3. The continuous spectrum of light
4. The theory of special relativity
5. The interaction of light and matter
6. Telescopes
Part II. The Nature of Stars
7. Binary systems and stellar parameters
8. The classification of stellar spectra
9. Stellar atmospheres
10. The interiors of stars
11. The Sun
12. The interstellar medium and star formation
13. Main sequence and post-main-sequence stellar evolution
14. Stellar pulsation
15. The fate of massive stars
16. The degenerate remnants of stars
17. General relativity and black holes
18. Close binary star systems
Part III. The Solar System
19. Physical processes in the solar system
20. The terrestrial planets
21. The realms of the giant planets
22. Minor bodies of the solar system
23. Formation of planetary systems
Part IV. Galaxies and the Universe
24. The Milky Way Galaxy
25. The nature of galaxies
26. Galactic evolution
27. The structure of the Universe
28. Active galaxies
29. Cosmology
30. The early Universe
Appendix A. Astronomical and physical constants
Appendix B. Unit conversions
Appendix C. Solar system data
Appendix D. The constellations
Appendix E. The brightest stars
Appendix F. The nearest stars
Appendix G. Stellar data
Appendix H. The Messier catalog
Appendix I. Constants, a programming module
Appendix J. Orbit, a planetary orbit code
Appendix K. TwoStars, a binary star code
Appendix L. StatStar, a stellar structure code
Appendix M. Galaxy, a tidal interaction code
Appendix N. WMAP Data
Suggested reading
Index.