Discovering the Cosmos
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University Science Books,U.S.
Published:13th Mar '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Based on Bob Bless's extensive experience teaching astronomy courses, this book provides a rich, historical approach to introductory astronomy.
In the fifteen years since the first edition of this text was published, several new concepts such as dark matter, dark energy, and an incredible expansion of the universe (inflation) have been developed. Furthermore, many of the exotic effects predicted by General Relativity (e.g. black holes, warped space) have gone from being interesting theoretical speculations to useful practical tools for understanding the universe.
This book aims to give an overview of astronomy, but in such a way that the non-science major can get a feeling for how science actually developed with its false starts and wrong turns, which observational evidence eventually corrected. Several chapters of the second edition have been extensively revised to include the incredible recent developments in our understanding of the physical universe. This streamlined new edition is ideal for use as the primary text in an introductory astronomy course for nonmajors.
'Astronomy is a big subject, spanning the multi-billion light-year extent of the cosmos, and the entirety of human history. It's no easy task to encapsulate all this in a single text. The new edition of Bob Bless's book provides the best all-around treatment of the subject that I've found at the undergraduate level, including a thorough yet concise survey of astronomy's rich history, as well as rigorous but accessible explanations of diverse astrophysical phenomena. It's an admirable achievement.' -John Blakeslee, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Canada 'This new edition of Discovering the Cosmos by R.C. Bless is the best liberal arts introduction to astronomy available. Its emphasis is on understanding rather than memorizing the science. Bless includes a generous historical account in his text. And despite the limited use of explicit mathematics, this book provides excellent coverage of the science. The problem sets, observation projects, and references are excellent. Discovering the Cosmos has been my favorite introductory astronomy text since the first edition hit the market.' -Richard Hilt, Colorado College, USA
ISBN: 9781891389719
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
768 pages
2nd ed. 2013