Seeds/Backman/Wegryns Foundations of Astronomy, 15th Edition, is known for its up-to-date content, clear explanations and student-friendly approach, helping you answer two key questions: "What are we?" and "How do we know?" The first question asks how we fit into the universe's history, tracing atoms in your body back to the Big Bang and stars. Where might those atoms be in 10 billion years? It's a thrilling story that everyone should know and only astronomy can tell. The second question focuses on how science works. Whats the evidence, and how do we know it's true? For example, how do we know the Big Bang happened? In a world full of opinions, understanding that scientific knowledge is based on evidence allows you to think critically, rather than be swayed by opinions with no foundation. WebAssign for this text offers practice, additional resources and real-time feedback.
Part I: THE SKY.
1. Here and Now.
2. A Guide to the Sky.
3. Moon Phases and Eclipses.
4. Origins of Modern Astronomy.
5. Gravity.
6. Light and Telescopes.
7. Atoms and Spectra.
Part II: THE STARS.
8. The Sun.
9. The Family of Stars.
10. The Interstellar Medium.
11. Formation and Structure of Stars.
12. Stellar Evolution.
13. Deaths of Stars.
14. Neutron Stars and Black Holes.
Part III: GALAXIES AND THE UNIVERSE.
15. The Milky Way Galaxy.
16. Galaxies: Normal and Active.
17. Modern Cosmology.
Part IV: THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
18. Origin of the Solar System and Extrasolar Planets.
19. Earth: The Active Planet.
20. The Moon and Mercury.
21. Venus and Mars.
22. Jupiter and Saturn.
23. Uranus and Neptune.
24. Small Solar System Bodies.
Part V: LIFE.
25. Extrasolar Planets.
26. Astrobiology.
Afterword.
Appendix A: Scientific Units and Astronomical Data.
Appendix B: Star Charts.
Glossary.
Mike Seeds was a professor of physics and astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 1970 until his retirement in 2001. In 1989 he received F&M Colleges Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Mikes love for the history of astronomy led him to create upper-level courses on archeoastronomy and on the Copernican Revolution (Changing Concepts of the Universe). His research interests focused on variable stars and automation of astronomical telescopes. Mike is coauthor with Dana Backman of FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY, 14th Edition (2019); STARS AND GALXIES, 10th Edition (2019); THE SOLAR SYSTEM, 10th Edition (2019); and ASTRO, 3rd Edition (2018), all published by Cengage. He was senior consultant for creation of the 20-episode telecourse accompanying his book HORIZONS: EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE. Mike Seeds was a professor of physics and astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 1970 until his retirement in 2001. In 1989 he received F&M Colleges Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. Mikes love for the history of astronomy led him to create upper-level courses on archeoastronomy and on the Copernican Revolution (Changing Concepts of the Universe). His research interests focused on variable stars and automation of astronomical telescopes. Mike is coauthor with Dana Backman of FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY, 14th Edition (2019); STARS AND GALXIES, 10th Edition (2019); THE SOLAR SYSTEM, 10th Edition (2019); and ASTRO, 3rd Edition (2018), all published by Cengage. He was senior consultant for creation of the 20-episode telecourse accompanying his book HORIZONS: EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE. Dana Backman taught with Mike Seeds in the physics and astronomy department at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 1991 until 2003. He invented and taught a course titled Life in the Universe in F&Ms interdisciplinary foundations program. Dana has also taught introductory solar system astronomy at Santa Clara University, plus introductory courses on astronomy, astrobiology, cosmology and the science of climate change in Stanford Universitys continuing studies program. His research interests focused on infrared observations of planetary system formation and evolution of the solar systems Kuiper belt. Dana is employed by the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, as lead for the Astronomy Activation Ambassadors teacher professional development program at NASAs Ames Research Center. Dana is coauthor with Mike Seeds of FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY, 14th Edition (2019); STARS AND GALAXIES, 10th Edition (2019); THE SOLAR SYSTEM, 10th Edition (2019); and ASTRO, 3rd Edition (2018), all published by Cengage. Eric Wegryn is a life-long explorer and explainer. His career began as an aerospace engineer who helped launch NASA's Space Shuttles. Eric transitioned to science, earning a Ph.D. in planetary science from the University of Arizona (Lunar & Planetary Lab), as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission. After Mars, he helped explore Saturn, discovering organic chemicals on Saturn's moons as member of the Cassini mission team at NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute. Eric has taught astronomy, engineering, and physics courses at several colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has traveled the world chasing solar eclipses and investigating nuclear sites including Hiroshima and Chernobyl. Eric has also authored Just Twelve Men, a history of the Moon landings, as well as a history of the Space Shuttle program.
