Astronomy A Beginner's Guide to the Universe

This introduction to astronomy features an exceptionally clear writing style, an emphasis on critical thinking and visualization, and a leading-edge technology program-including an accompanying full-featured electronic multimedia version of the book and companion Web site. A dynamic art program includes numerous radio, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray images and transparent full-color overlays. The book presents scientific literacy in the context of astronomy, with the aim of teaching studentsto think critically and analytically about the physical world and the development of science. The text requires a minimum level of simple algebra and trigonometry. It presents an explanation of key physical principles and techniques like Kepler and Newton's laws, spectroscopy and distance measurement (the cosmic distance ladder is used throughout).