The Cosmic Keyhole: How Astronomy Is Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe

This document was uploaded by one of our users. The uploader already confirmed that they had the permission to publish it. If you are author/publisher or own the copyright of this documents, please report to us by using this DMCA report form.

Simply click on the Download Book button.

Yes, Book downloads on Ebookily are 100% Free.

Sometimes the book is free on Amazon As well, so go ahead and hit "Search on Amazon"

It is 400 years since Galileo first turned the newly invented telescope towards the heavens and saw things that few had ever seen before. His discoveries, along with those of his contemporaries, completely changed our view of the world.

Since that time, there have been many revolutions in our understanding of the universe, some perhaps even more revolutionary than the ones from Galileo’s time. In this book, Will Gater leads us through various recent advances in modern astronomy that have increased our understanding of the universe and seen it grow from a single Solar System full of intriguing worlds to a galaxy filled with other star systems and their own planets — maybe even Earthlike worlds.

This is a journey like no other. What you glimpse through Gater’s keyhole is vast, breathtakingly beautiful, and sometimes utterly bizarre, certainly unfamiliar to those of us on Terra Firma. From the desolate plains of Mars and the frozen moons of the outer Solar System, from the Milky Way to the ends of the universe, you will learn of wonders often hard to describe and sometimes even harder to fathom. And you, too, will come to know some of the enthralling secrets of the universe.

Author(s): William J.H. Gater (auth.)
Series: Astronomers' Universe
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
Year: 2009

Language: English
Pages: 254
Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology; Popular Science in Astronomy; Planetology

Front Matter....Pages i-xxiv
Front Matter....Pages 2-2
The Hardiest Microbes on Earth....Pages 3-11
The Hunt for Life Begins....Pages 13-25
Where Does Water Flow?....Pages 27-48
Front Matter....Pages 50-50
Cassini and Its Saturnian Adventure....Pages 51-76
The Hidden Wanderers and a Cometary Meeting....Pages 77-96
Front Matter....Pages 98-98
Planetary Nurseries and Dusty Discs....Pages 99-114
The Discovery of Extrasolar Planets....Pages 115-133
Front Matter....Pages 136-136
The Universe on a Grand Scale....Pages 137-153
The Era of Hubble – From Disaster to Deep Field....Pages 155-170
Star Life in Starlight....Pages 171-186
Exotic Space....Pages 187-212
Back Matter....Pages 213-239