What happens to space and matter near a black hole? Where did the moon come from? How do we know what stars are made of? Are we alone in the universe?
In Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets, Fred Watson, an award-winning astronomer, presents the most up-to-date knowledge on hot topics in astronomy and space science, providing a fascinating and entertaining account of the latest research. Watson explains how to find invisible planets around other stars, why dark matter matters, and the future of citizen space travel, all while recounting the seismic shifts in understanding that have taken place during his illustrious career.
The book features illuminating discussions of microbes in space; the dividing line between day and night; exploding stars and light echoes; fast radio bursts and signals from space; meteors, meteorites, and space dust; what happened to the Martian ocean; the seas and lakes of Titan; and the birth of the universe.
- Table of Contents
- Prologue: Astronomy at Large
- Part I: Earth and Space
- 1. Restless Earth: The Way of the World
- 2. The Terminator: A User’s Guide to Nightfall
- 3. Starring Citizen Science: Research by the People
- 4. Catch a Falling Star: Meteors, Meteorites and Space Dust
- 5. Radio Silence: The Quietest Place in the World
- 6. The Off-Planet Economy: Doing Business in Space
- 7. Moonstruck: Where Did Our Satellite Come From?
- Part II: Planetary Explorations
- 8. Telescope Troubles: Astronomers in Court
- 9. Space Bugs: Rules for Planetary Protection
- 10. Climate Change: What Happened to Mars?
- 11. Not Our Planet B? Colonising Mars
- 12. Ringing in the Changes: The Vanishing Rings of Saturn
- 13. Stormy Weather: Weird Worlds of the Saturnian System
- 14. Stalking an Invisible Planet: The Search for Planet Nine
- Part III: The Universe At Large
- 15. Nature’s Barcode: A User’s Guide to Light
- 16. Reverberations: Exploding Stars and Light Echoes
- 17. Signals from the Unknown: The Fast Radio Burst Mystery
- 18. Eye of the Storm: Black Holes Inside And Out
- 19. Through Gravity’s Lens: The Curious Matter of Dark Matter
- 20. Ripples in Space: Probing the Birth of the Universe
- 21. Unrequited Love: Is Anyone There?
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- Color Illustrations
Text
Audio
Adobe DRM
Login to your account