Stars and Their Spectra

Stars and Their Spectra PDF Author: James B. Kaler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521585705
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Get Book Here

Book Description
The study of stars and their spectra is central to an understanding of classical and modern astronomy. The principal tool for investigating the nature of stars is to observe and interpret their spectra. In this lucid book, James Kaler clearly explains the alphabet of stellar astronomy - from the cool M stars to hot O stars - and tells the story of the evolution of stars and their place in the Universe. Before embarking on a fascinating voyage of cosmic discovery, we are introduced to the fundamental properties of stars, and how they can be categorised. Next, the structure of atoms and the formation of spectra is discussed, as a prelude to a full description of the spectral classification itself. The heart of the book examines each star type in turn and explores their spectra in detail. Notable discoveries and features related to each class sustain the story. There is also a review of unusual stars that cannot easily be classified. Finally, the book closes with a skilful integration of all the data - tracing the paths of birth, life and death of stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This book is based on a widely acclaimed series of articles on stellar astronomy which appeared in the magazine Sky and Telescope. It provides an invaluable introduction for observers and students.

Stars and Their Spectra

Stars and Their Spectra PDF Author: James B. Kaler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521585705
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Get Book Here

Book Description
The study of stars and their spectra is central to an understanding of classical and modern astronomy. The principal tool for investigating the nature of stars is to observe and interpret their spectra. In this lucid book, James Kaler clearly explains the alphabet of stellar astronomy - from the cool M stars to hot O stars - and tells the story of the evolution of stars and their place in the Universe. Before embarking on a fascinating voyage of cosmic discovery, we are introduced to the fundamental properties of stars, and how they can be categorised. Next, the structure of atoms and the formation of spectra is discussed, as a prelude to a full description of the spectral classification itself. The heart of the book examines each star type in turn and explores their spectra in detail. Notable discoveries and features related to each class sustain the story. There is also a review of unusual stars that cannot easily be classified. Finally, the book closes with a skilful integration of all the data - tracing the paths of birth, life and death of stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This book is based on a widely acclaimed series of articles on stellar astronomy which appeared in the magazine Sky and Telescope. It provides an invaluable introduction for observers and students.

Stars and Their Spectra

Stars and Their Spectra PDF Author: James B. Kaler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521899540
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 413

Get Book Here

Book Description
Revised and expanded, the second edition of this popular book provides a thorough introduction to stellar spectra. Each chapter explores a different star type, including new classes L and T. With modern digital spectra and updates from two decades of astronomical discoveries, it is invaluable for amateur astronomers and students.

Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars

Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars PDF Author: Keith Robinson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0387682880
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 165

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is the first non-technical book on spectroscopy written specifically for practical amateur astronomers. It includes all the science necessary for a qualitative understanding of stellar spectra, but avoids a mathematical treatment which would alienate many of its intended readers. Any amateur astronomer who carries out observational spectroscopy and who wants a non-technical account of the physical processes which determine the intensity and profile morphology of lines in stellar spectra will find this is the only book written specially for them. It is an ideal companion to existing books on observational amateur astronomical spectroscopy.

Stellar Spectral Classification

Stellar Spectral Classification PDF Author: Richard O. Gray
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691125114
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 620

Get Book Here

Book Description
Written by leading experts in the field, Stellar Spectral Classification is the only book to comprehensively discuss both the foundations and most up-to-date techniques of MK and other spectral classification systems. Definitive and encyclopedic, the book introduces the astrophysics of spectroscopy, reviews the entire field of stellar astronomy, and shows how the well-tested methods of spectral classification are a powerful discovery tool for graduate students and researchers working in astronomy and astrophysics. The book begins with a historical survey, followed by chapters discussing the entire range of stellar phenomena, from brown dwarfs to supernovae. The authors account for advances in the field, including the addition of the L and T dwarf classes; the revision of the carbon star, Wolf-Rayet, and white dwarf classification schemes; and the application of neural nets to spectral classification. Copious figures illustrate the morphology of stellar spectra, and the book incorporates recent discoveries from earth-based and satellite data. Many examples of spectra are given in the red, ultraviolet, and infrared regions, as well as in the traditional blue-violet optical region, all of which are useful for researchers identifying stellar and galactic spectra. This essential reference includes a glossary, handy appendixes and tables, an index, and a Web-based resource of spectra. In addition to the authors, the contributors are Adam J. Burgasser, Margaret M. Hanson, J. Davy Kirkpatrick, and Nolan R. Walborn.

Extreme Stars

Extreme Stars PDF Author: James B. Kaler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521402620
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Get Book Here

Book Description
Over the past 200 years, our knowledge of stars has expanded enormously. From seeing myriad dots of different brightnesses, we moved on to measure distances, temperatures, sizes, chemical compositions, even ages, finding stars that dwarf our Sun and are dwarfed by it, some in their youth, others ancient. First published in 2001, Extreme Stars describes the lives of stars from a fascinating perspective. It examines their amazing extremes and results in an engaging overview of stellar evolution, suitable for anyone interested in viewing or studying stars. Ten chapters, generously illustrated throughout, explain the natures of the brightest, the largest, the hottest, the youngest, and so on, ending with a selection of the strangest stars the Universe has to offer. Taken as a whole, the chapters show how stars develop and die and how each extreme turns into another under the inexorable twin forces of time and gravity.

Spectral Atlas for Amateur Astronomers

Spectral Atlas for Amateur Astronomers PDF Author: Richard Walker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107165903
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 295

Get Book Here

Book Description
A full colour reference featuring detailed commented spectral profiles of more than one hundred astronomical objects.

Practical Amateur Spectroscopy

Practical Amateur Spectroscopy PDF Author: Stephen F. Tonkin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1447101278
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book contains everything an amateur astronomer needs to know to begin observing whilst going relatively deeply into the subject for those who are already involved. Covers a very wide range of available equipment, from simple DIY spectroscopes to the most expensive commercially-made instruments. Describes basic principles so that the reader understands how to analyse the spectra he/she sees or records. Contributions by leading amateurs astronomers from the USA and Europe.

Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy

Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy PDF Author: C.R. Kitchin
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781420050691
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book Here

Book Description
A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners.

The Glass Universe

The Glass Universe PDF Author: Dava Sobel
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 069814869X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Get Book Here

Book Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the "inspiring" (People), little-known true story of women's landmark contributions to astronomy A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017 Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR's Science Friday Nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A joy to read.” —The Wall Street Journal In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

Spectroscopy for Amateur Astronomers

Spectroscopy for Amateur Astronomers PDF Author: Marc F. M. Trypsteen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107166187
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 167

Get Book Here

Book Description
This accessible guide presents the astrophysical concepts behind astronomical spectroscopy, covering both theoretical and practical elements. Suitable for anyone with only a little background knowledge and access to amateur-level equipment, it will help you understand and practise the scientifically important and growing field of amateur astronomy.