Books with title Discovering the Universe

Neil Comins’ Discovering the Universe is highly acclaimed for bringing the excitement of scientific discovery to the one-term astronomy course. Vivid writing and images, conceptual and mathematical support, and a focus on common mistakes and misunderstandings have made the book a longtime classroom bestseller.The new edition captures the current state of our understanding of the cosmos, with new findings, new study help, and an expanded new media/supplements package centered on W.H. Freeman’s breakthrough online course space, LaunchPad.Also Available: Updated 11th Edition

The third edition has been updated to include the latest information on: the difficulties and successes of the Hubble Space Telescope; the status of AXAF, SIRTIF, Keck and other new observatories; the solar neutrino problem and the growing importance of solar seismology; the Magellan and Galileo missions, including remarkable photographs of Venus and Gaspra; the supernova SN1987A, with a new prediction of its brightening around the year 2000; the existence of black holes, including new observational evidence, plus descriptions of the supermassive-black hole model of the "central engine" in quasars and active galactic nuclei; galactic collisions and mergers, with new the radio maps and super computer simulations of galaxy-galaxy interactions.

Discovering the Universe is the bestselling brief text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme, "the process of scientific discovery," the Eighth Edition furthers the book’s legacy for presenting concepts clearly and accurately while providing all the pedagogical tools to make the learning process memorable.

Discovering the Universe is the best-selling brief text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme, "the process of scientific discovery," readers will encounter spectacular sights, landmark experiments, and recent discoveries, while learning to avoid the pitfalls created by common misconceptions about astronomy. Now enhanced with a powerful technology and image projection package, this is the most exciting and effective edition yet. The accompanying CD-ROM features a special student version of the award-winning virtual planetarium software, Starry Night Enthusiast and the new innovative Deep Space Explorer.

The third edition has been updated to include the latest information on: the difficulties and successes of the Hubble Space Telescope; the status of AXAF, SIRTIF, Keck and other new observatories; the solar neutrino problem and the growing importance of solar seismology; the Magellan and Galileo missions, including remarkable photographs of Venus and Gaspra; the supernova SN1987A, with a new prediction of its brightening around the year 2000; the existence of black holes, including new observational evidence, plus descriptions of the supermassive-black hole model of the "central engine" in quasars and active galactic nuclei; galactic collisions and mergers, with new the radio maps and super computer simulations of galaxy-galaxy interactions.

Early humans turned what they could see above them into rich creation myths. Later philosophers created cosmologies that pushed myth closer toward empiricism. The flat disc universe yielded to celestial spheres, and the stationary Earth at the center of it all yielded to a spinning planet in a heliocentric solar system that was one of only untold hundreds of billions of solar systems in hundreds of billions of galaxies. This expansion of the cosmos was further revolutionized by theoretical physics, including the theory of relativity. The mind-expanding history of humanity's understanding of the universe is related here with gorgeous full-color photographs, captivating primary source imagery, and loads of capsule information and infographics.

This edition of this brief text has been thoroughly updated. The accompanying CD-ROM features a special student version of the award-winning virtual planetarium software "Starry Night" plus software animations and videos, all illustrations from the text, interactive Q&A and exercises, and supplementary resources. Material can be updated periodically from the Freeman Web site. There is an online study guide offering a CD-Web guide, chapter objectives, key terms, review questions, "Starry Night" observations exercises and online tutorials.