Galaxies in Turmoil: The Active and Starburst Galaxies and the Black Holes That Drive Them - Hardcover

Kitchin, C. R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846286700 ISBN 13: 9781846286704

Verlag: Springer, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

Astronomers' Universe Series is a new series, aimed at the same people as the Practical Astronomy Series - in general, active amateur astronomers. However, it is also appropriate to a wider audience of astronomically-informed readers. The aim of this book is to provide an up-to-date account of active galaxies that is appropriate to the background knowledge of amateur astronomers, but might also be picked-up and read for interest by any reader with a scientific bent. Active galaxies (including Quasars, QSOs, Radio galaxies, BL Lacs, Blazars, LINERS, ULIRGS, Seyfert galaxies, Starburst galaxies, N galaxies, etc.) are a major field of current astronomical research. Up to a fifth of all research astronomers are working on active galaxies. Huge amounts of time on major telescopes are devoted to their study. In almost all cases the galaxies are thought to be powered by 100 million solar mass black holes at their centres. Some of the objects are bright enough to be seen in small telescopes, and an amateur astronomer with a 20 cm telescope and a CCD detector could obtain images of many more. Lists of such objects, and their visual and imaged appearance in commercially available telescopes are an important component of this book. This detailed but accessible work will be the only coherent and complete source of information for non-technical readers on an area of astronomy that fascinates many people and whose spectacular images from the Hubble space telescope, Gemini, VLT and other major telescopes frequently make the pages of the quality newspapers and occasionally appear on TV. It also has the potential to be chosen as a set text or background reading for university courses on the subject, although the writing style is such that it will appeal to all readers.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Chris Kitchin has written or contributed to over two dozen books, and has published more than 500 articles in the astronomical journals and magazines. He also appears regularly on television, including many appearances on BBC TV's Sky at Night. His works for Springer includes, A Photo Guide to the Constellations: A Self-Teaching Guide to Finding Your Way Around the Heavens (1997), Solar Observing Techniques (2001), Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Astronomy (2002), and most recently Galaxies in Turmoil (2007). In his 'day job' Chris is Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at the University of Hertfordshire, where until recently he was also Head of Physics and Astronomy, and Director of the University Observatory. Like many other astronomers Chris's interest in the subject started early. At the age of fourteen, he constructed an 8-inch Newtonian after spending hundreds of hours grinding and polishing the main mirror from scratch. Despite using some of the largest telescopes in the world since then, Chris still enjoys just 'gazing at the heavens' - though nowadays it's through a German-made Zeiss Maksutov telescope.

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Active galaxies involve some of the most extreme conditions and some of the most intriguing phenomena found anywhere in the universe.

Written for amateur astronomers, school and college science students and for those with a more general interest in science, Galaxies in Turmoil provides a readable, non-mathematical account of one of the hottest areas of astronomical research.

Observing details are given for 160 active galaxies, all of which are within the reach of amateur astronomers using small to medium-sized telescopes. There are tips on observing galaxies and active galaxies using binoculars and small to medium telescopes, along with a guide to imaging galaxies with CCD cameras.

Galaxies in Turmoil is equally suitable for practical amateur astronomers, or as a text for college courses including galaxies, active galaxies, quasars, deep-space objects and large-scale astronomy, up to the final year of an astrophysics, physics or science degree.

Research students - and even established research astronomers - will also find this book invaluable as a quick reference to the properties of, and phenomena within, those types of active galaxies that may be outside their specialisms.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Springer
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1846286700
• ISBN 13: 9781846286704
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 311
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: ProductSafety@springernature.com; ProductSafety@springernature.com; ; Tiergartenstr. 17; Heidelberg; 69121; Deutschland