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Table of Contents
Intro
Preface
Rationale for the Book
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
Chapter 1: Tools of the Trade
1.1. Angular Measurement
1.2. Distances in Astronomy
1.3. Brightness and Luminosity of Astronomical Objects
1.4. Magnitudes
1.4.1 Apparent Magnitude
1.4.2 Absolute Magnitude
1.5. The Visually Brightest Stars
1.6. The Colour of Stars
1.7. The Sizes of Stars
1.8. The Constituents of Stars
1.9. Telescope Basics
1.9.1 Magnification
1.9.2 Resolution
1.9.3 Limiting Magnitude
1.9.4 Field of View
1.10. Atmospheric Effects
1.10.1 Transparency
1.10.2 Seeing
1.10.3 Light Pollution
1.10.4 Dark Adaption and Averted Vision
Chapter 2: The Solar System
2.1. Early History of Astronomy
2.1.1 The Geocentric Universe
2.1.2 The Scientific Method
2.1.3 Ancient Greek Science
2.1.4 The Ptolemaic System
2.1.5 The Copernican Revolution
2.1.6 Tycho-The Great Observer
2.1.7 Kepler-The Great Theoretician
2.1.8 Galileo-The Great Experimenter
2.1.9 Newton-The Genius
2.1.10 The Greenhouse Effect
2.2. Observing the Solar System
2.2.1 The Moon
2.2.2 Mercury
2.2.3 Venus
2.2.4 Jupiter
2.2.5 Uranus
Chapter 3: Spectroscopy and the Spectral Sequence
3.1. Spectra and Spectroscopy
3.2. Stellar Classification
3.3. Amateur Astronomical Spectroscopy
3.4. Redshift and Blueshift
Chapter 4: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Radius
4.3. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Luminosity
4.4. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Mass
Chapter 5: The Interstellar Medium and Protostars
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Nebulae
5.3. Emission Nebulae
5.4. Dark Nebulae
5.5. Reflection Nebulae
5.6. Molecular Clouds
5.7. Protostars
5.8. The Jeans Criterion
Chapter 6: Star Birth
6.1. The Birth of a Star
6.2. Pre-Main-Sequence Evolution and the Effect of Mass
6.3. Mass Loss and Mass Gain
6.3.1 T Tauri Stars
6.3.2 Discs and Winds
6.4. Star Formation Triggers
6.4.1 The Spiral Arms of a Galaxy
6.4.2 Expanding HII Regions
6.4.3 Supernova
Chapter 7: Galactic Clusters and Stellar Associations
7.1. Galactic Star Clusters
7.2. Trumpler Classification for Star Clusters
7.2.1 Concentration
7.2.2 Range of Brightness
7.2.3 Richness of Cluster
7.3. Stellar Associations and Streams
Chapter 8: The Sun, Our Nearest Star
8.1. From the Core to the Surface
8.2. The Proton-Proton Chain
8.3. Energy Transport from the Core to the Surface
8.4. Sunspots
8.4.1 The Solar Cycle
8.4.2 The Maunder Minimum
8.4.3 The Solar Magnetic Cycle
8.5. Prominences, Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections, and the Solar Wind
Chapter 9: Binary Stars and Stellar Mass
9.1. Binary Stars
9.2. The Masses of Orbiting Stars
Chapter 10: Life on the Main Sequence
10.1. Lifetimes of Main Sequence Stars
10.2. Red Giant Stars
Preface
Rationale for the Book
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
Chapter 1: Tools of the Trade
1.1. Angular Measurement
1.2. Distances in Astronomy
1.3. Brightness and Luminosity of Astronomical Objects
1.4. Magnitudes
1.4.1 Apparent Magnitude
1.4.2 Absolute Magnitude
1.5. The Visually Brightest Stars
1.6. The Colour of Stars
1.7. The Sizes of Stars
1.8. The Constituents of Stars
1.9. Telescope Basics
1.9.1 Magnification
1.9.2 Resolution
1.9.3 Limiting Magnitude
1.9.4 Field of View
1.10. Atmospheric Effects
1.10.1 Transparency
1.10.2 Seeing
1.10.3 Light Pollution
1.10.4 Dark Adaption and Averted Vision
Chapter 2: The Solar System
2.1. Early History of Astronomy
2.1.1 The Geocentric Universe
2.1.2 The Scientific Method
2.1.3 Ancient Greek Science
2.1.4 The Ptolemaic System
2.1.5 The Copernican Revolution
2.1.6 Tycho-The Great Observer
2.1.7 Kepler-The Great Theoretician
2.1.8 Galileo-The Great Experimenter
2.1.9 Newton-The Genius
2.1.10 The Greenhouse Effect
2.2. Observing the Solar System
2.2.1 The Moon
2.2.2 Mercury
2.2.3 Venus
2.2.4 Jupiter
2.2.5 Uranus
Chapter 3: Spectroscopy and the Spectral Sequence
3.1. Spectra and Spectroscopy
3.2. Stellar Classification
3.3. Amateur Astronomical Spectroscopy
3.4. Redshift and Blueshift
Chapter 4: The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Radius
4.3. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Luminosity
4.4. The H-R Diagram and Stellar Mass
Chapter 5: The Interstellar Medium and Protostars
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Nebulae
5.3. Emission Nebulae
5.4. Dark Nebulae
5.5. Reflection Nebulae
5.6. Molecular Clouds
5.7. Protostars
5.8. The Jeans Criterion
Chapter 6: Star Birth
6.1. The Birth of a Star
6.2. Pre-Main-Sequence Evolution and the Effect of Mass
6.3. Mass Loss and Mass Gain
6.3.1 T Tauri Stars
6.3.2 Discs and Winds
6.4. Star Formation Triggers
6.4.1 The Spiral Arms of a Galaxy
6.4.2 Expanding HII Regions
6.4.3 Supernova
Chapter 7: Galactic Clusters and Stellar Associations
7.1. Galactic Star Clusters
7.2. Trumpler Classification for Star Clusters
7.2.1 Concentration
7.2.2 Range of Brightness
7.2.3 Richness of Cluster
7.3. Stellar Associations and Streams
Chapter 8: The Sun, Our Nearest Star
8.1. From the Core to the Surface
8.2. The Proton-Proton Chain
8.3. Energy Transport from the Core to the Surface
8.4. Sunspots
8.4.1 The Solar Cycle
8.4.2 The Maunder Minimum
8.4.3 The Solar Magnetic Cycle
8.5. Prominences, Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections, and the Solar Wind
Chapter 9: Binary Stars and Stellar Mass
9.1. Binary Stars
9.2. The Masses of Orbiting Stars
Chapter 10: Life on the Main Sequence
10.1. Lifetimes of Main Sequence Stars
10.2. Red Giant Stars