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40 results in Observational Astronomy, Techniques and Instrumentation

Page 1 of 2

Case Studies in Star Formation
  • A Molecular Astronomy Perspective
  • Duncan MacKay, Mark Thompson, James Urquhart
  • Published online:
    11 April 2023
    Print publication:
    13 April 2023
  • Case Studies in Star Formation offers an overview of our current observational and theoretical understanding in the molecular astronomy of star formation. The book is divided into six sections: the first introduces an overview of star formation and the essential language, concepts and tools specific to molecular astronomy studies. Each subsequent section focuses on individual sources, beginning with a description of large-scale surveys. The volume covers low- and high mass star formation, ionization and photodissociation regions, and concludes with the extragalactic perspective. Conventional textbooks begin with principles, ending with a few convenient examples. Through copious examples, Case Studies reflects the reality of research, which requires the creative matching of ongoing observations to theory and vice-versa, often raising as many questions as answers. This supplementary study guide enables graduate students and early researchers to bridge the gap between textbooks and the wealth of research literature.

The Observation and Analysis of Stellar Photospheres
  • 4th edition
  • David F. Gray
  • Published online:
    05 January 2022
    Print publication:
    16 December 2021
  • This textbook describes the equipment, observational techniques, and analysis used in the investigation of stellar photospheres. Now in its fourth edition, the text has been thoroughly updated and revised to be more accessible to students. New figures have been added to illustrate key concepts, while diagrams have been redrawn and refreshed throughout. The book starts by developing the tools of analysis, and then demonstrates how they can be applied. Topics covered include radiation transfer, models of stellar photospheres, spectroscopic equipment, how to observe stellar spectra, and techniques for measuring stellar temperatures, radii, surface gravities, chemical composition, velocity fields, and rotation rates. Up-to-date results for real stars are included. Written for starting graduate students or advanced undergraduates, this textbook also includes a wealth of reference material useful to researchers. eBook formats include color imagery while print formats are greyscale only; a wide selection of the color images are available online.

Star-Formation Rates of Galaxies
  • Edited by Andreas Zezas, Véronique Buat
  • Published online:
    11 May 2021
    Print publication:
    29 April 2021
  • Star-formation is one of the key processes that shape the current state and evolution of galaxies. This volume provides a comprehensive presentation of the different methods used to measure the intensity of recent or on-going star-forming activity in galaxies, discussing their advantages and complications in detail. It includes a thorough overview of the theoretical underpinnings of star-formation rate indicators, including topics such as stellar evolution and stellar spectra, the stellar initial mass function, and the physical conditions in the interstellar medium. The authors bring together in one place detailed and comparative discussions of traditional and new star-formation rate indicators, star-formation rate measurements in different spatial scales, and comparisons of star-formation rate indicators probing different stellar populations, along with the corresponding theoretical background. This is a useful reference for students and researchers working in the field of extragalactic astrophysics and studying star-formation in local and higher-redshift galaxies.

Detection of Light
  • 3rd edition
  • George H. Rieke
  • Published online:
    30 April 2021
    Print publication:
    13 May 2021
  • The invention and development of advanced methods to detect light underlies much of modern technology. This fully updated and restructured third edition is unique amongst the literature, providing a comprehensive, uniform discussion of a broad range of detection approaches. The material is accessible to a broad range of readers rather than just highly trained specialists, beginning with first principles and developing the relevant physics as it goes. The book emphasizes physical understanding of detector operation, without being a catalog of current examples. It is self-contained but also provides a bridge to more specialized works on specific approaches; each chapter points readers toward the relevant literature. This will provide a broad and lasting understanding of the methods for detecting light that underpin so much of our technology. The book is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and will provide a valuable reference for professionals across physics and engineering disciplines.

Introduction to the Interstellar Medium
  • Jonathan P. Williams
  • Published online:
    28 January 2021
    Print publication:
    18 February 2021
  • The gas and dust between the stars emit across the electromagnetic spectrum and are found in a range of physical conditions from diffuse plasmas to cold, dense molecules. Through their study we see how quantum processes shape the structure of our Galaxy and fluid mechanics sets the stellar mass scale. The Interstellar Medium is a very broad subject with layers of complexity, a long history and a steady flow of new results. This comprehensive yet accessible textbook provides a self-contained one-semester course for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students. It is written in a style that students can follow by themselves and allows instructors to use class time to go deeper into the details or show applications to current research. It makes extensive use of publicly accessible data to illustrate specific points and to encourage students to learn by performing their own analyses.

Molecular Astrophysics
  • A. G. G. M. Tielens
  • Published online:
    14 January 2021
    Print publication:
    04 February 2021
  • Focusing on the organic inventory of regions of star and planet formation in the interstellar medium of galaxies, this comprehensive overview of the molecular universe is an invaluable reference source for advanced undergraduates through to entry-level researchers. It includes an extensive discussion of microscopic physical and chemical processes in the universe; these play a role in the excitation, spectral characteristics, formation, and evolution of molecules in the gas phase and on grain surfaces. In addition, the latest developments in this area of molecular astrophysics provide a firm foundation for an in-depth understanding of the molecular phases of the interstellar medium. The physical and chemical properties of gaseous molecules, mixed molecular ices, and large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules and fullerenes and their role in the interstellar medium are highlighted. For those with an interest in the molecular universe, this advanced textbook bridges the gap between molecular physics, astronomy, and physical chemistry.

An Introduction to Radio Astronomy
  • 4th edition
  • Bernard F. Burke, Francis Graham-Smith, Peter N. Wilkinson
  • Published online:
    06 August 2019
    Print publication:
    22 August 2019
  • Radio astronomy is an active and rapidly expanding field due to advances in computing techniques, with several important new instruments on the horizon. This text provides a thorough introduction to radio astronomy and its contribution to our understanding of the universe, bridging the gap between basic introductions and research-level treatments. It begins by covering the fundamentals physics of radio techniques, before moving on to single-dish telescopes and aperture synthesis arrays. Fully updated and extensively rewritten, the fourth edition places greater emphasis on techniques, with detailed discussion of interferometry in particular, and comprehensive coverage of digital techniques in the appendices. The science sections are fully revised, with new author Peter N. Wilkinson bringing added expertise to the sections on pulsars, quasars and active galaxies. Spanning the entirety of radio astronomy, this is an engaging introduction for students and researchers approaching radio astronomy for the first time.

To Measure the Sky
  • An Introduction to Observational Astronomy
  • 2nd edition
  • Frederick R. Chromey
  • Published online:
    05 February 2019
    Print publication:
    20 October 2016
  • The second edition of this popular text provides undergraduates with a quantitative yet accessible introduction to the physical principles underlying the collection and analysis of observational data in contemporary optical and infrared astronomy. The text clearly links recent developments in ground- and space-based telescopes, observatory and instrument design, adaptive optics, and detector technologies to the more modest telescopes and detectors that students may use themselves. Beginning with reviews of the most relevant physical concepts and an introduction to elementary statistics, students are given the firm theoretical foundation they need. New topics, including an expanded treatment of spectroscopy, Gaia, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, and photometry at large redshifts bring the text up to date. Historical development of topics and quotations emphasize that astronomy is both a scientific and a human endeavour, while extensive end-of-chapter exercises facilitate the students' practical learning experience.

Time: From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics
  • 2nd edition
  • Dennis D. McCarthy, P. Kenneth Seidelmann
  • Published online:
    01 October 2018
    Print publication:
    18 October 2018
  • In the twenty-first century, we take the means to measure time for granted, without contemplating the sophisticated concepts on which our time scales are based. This volume presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping up to the present day. It outlines the progression of time based on sundials, water clocks, and the Earth's rotation, to time measurement using pendulum clocks, quartz crystal clocks, and atomic frequency standards. Time scales created as a result of these improvements in technology and the development of general and special relativity are explained. This second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances and discusses the redefinition of SI units and the future of UTC. A new chapter on time and cosmology has been added. This broad-ranging reference benefits a diverse readership, including historians, scientists, engineers, educators, and it is accessible to general readers.

High Time-Resolution Astrophysics
  • Edited by Tariq Shahbaz, Jorge Casares Velázquez, Teodoro Muñoz Darias
  • Published online:
    31 July 2018
    Print publication:
    02 August 2018
  • High time-resolution astrophysics (HTRA) involves measuring and studying astronomical phenomena on timescales of seconds to milliseconds. Although many areas of astronomy, such as X-ray astronomy and pulsar observations, have traditionally required high time-resolution studies, HTRA techniques are now being applied to optical, infrared and gamma-ray wavelength regimes, due to the development of high efficiency detectors and larger telescopes that can gather photons at a higher rate. With lectures from eminent scientists aimed at young researchers and postdoctorate students in observational astronomy and astrophysics, this volume gives a practical overview and introduction to the tools and techniques of HTRA. Just as multi-spectral observations of astrophysical phenomena are already yielding new scientific results, many astronomers are optimistic that exploring the time domain will open up an important new frontier in observational astronomy over the next decade.

Observational Astronomy
  • 2nd edition
  • D. Scott Birney, Guillermo Gonzalez, David Oesper
  • Published online:
    28 May 2018
    Print publication:
    29 June 2006
  • The long-awaited second edition of this well-received textbook gives a thorough introduction to observational astronomy. Starting with the basics of positional astronomy and systems of time, it continues with charts and catalogs covering both historically important publications and modern electronic databases. The book builds on a fundamental discussion of the basics of light and the effects of the atmosphere on astronomical observations. Chapters include discussions of optical telescopes, detectors, photometry, variable stars, astrometry, spectroscopy, and solar observations. This edition contains new discussions of measurements with CCDs and appendices give basic statistical methods, useful astronomical software and websites, and sources of accurate time-calibration signals. Observational Astronomy is the perfect textbook for upper level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses on astronomy. Examples based on real astronomical data are placed throughout the text. Each of the well-illustrated chapters is supported by a set of graduated problems and suggestions for further reading.

Unveiling Galaxies
  • The Role of Images in Astronomical Discovery
  • Jean-René Roy
  • Published online:
    06 October 2017
    Print publication:
    12 October 2017
  • Galaxies are known as the building blocks of the universe, but arriving at this understanding has been a thousand-year odyssey. This journey is told through the lens of the evolving use of images as investigative tools. Initial chapters explore how early insights developed in line with new methods of scientific imaging, particularly photography. The volume then explores the impact of optical, radio and x-ray imaging techniques. The final part of the story discusses the importance of atlases of galaxies; how astronomers organised images in ways that educated, promoted ideas and pushed for new knowledge. Images that created confusion as well as advanced knowledge are included to demonstrate the challenges faced by astronomers and the long road to understanding galaxies. By examining developments in imaging, this text places the study of galaxies in its broader historical context, contributing to both astronomy and the history of science.

Practical Optical Interferometry
  • Imaging at Visible and Infrared Wavelengths
  • David F. Buscher
  • Foreword by Malcolm Longair
  • Published online:
    05 August 2015
    Print publication:
    28 July 2015
  • Optical interferometry is a powerful technique to make images on angular scales hundreds of times smaller than is possible with the largest telescopes. This concise guide provides an introduction to the technique for graduate students and researchers who want to make interferometric observations and acts as a reference for technologists building new instruments. Starting from the principles of interference, the author covers the core concepts of interferometry, showing how the effects of the Earth's atmosphere can be overcome using closure phase, and the complete process of making an observation, from planning to image reconstruction. This rigorous approach emphasizes the use of rules-of-thumb for important parameters such as the signal-to-noise ratios, requirements for sampling the Fourier plane and predicting image quality. The handbook is supported by web resources, including the Python source code used to make many of the graphs, as well as an interferometry simulation framework, available at www.cambridge.org/9781107042179.

Polarimetry of Stars and Planetary Systems
  • Edited by Ludmilla Kolokolova, James Hough, Anny-Chantal Levasseur-Regourd
  • Published online:
    05 May 2015
    Print publication:
    14 May 2015
  • Summarising the striking advances of the last two decades, this reliable introduction to modern astronomical polarimetry provides a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art techniques, models and research methods. Focusing on optical and near-infrared wavelengths, each detailed, up-to-date chapter addresses a different facet of recent innovations, including new instrumentation, techniques and theories; new methods based on laboratory studies, enabling the modelling of polarimetric characteristics for a wide variety of astronomical objects; emerging fields of polarimetric exploration, including proto-planetary and debris discs, icy satellites, transneptunian objects, exoplanets, and the search for extraterrestrial life; and unique results produced by space telescopes, and polarimeters aboard exploratory spacecraft. With contributions from an international team of accomplished researchers, this is an ideal resource for astronomers and researchers working in astrophysics, earth sciences, and remote sensing keen to learn more about this valuable diagnostic tool. The book is dedicated to the memory of renowned polarimetrist Tom Gehrels.

An Introduction to Practical Astronomy
  • Containing Descriptions of the Various Instruments that Have Been Usefully Employed in Determining the Places of the Heavenly Bodies
  • Volume 2
  • William Pearson
  • Published online:
    05 February 2015
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Although astronomical guides were available in the early nineteenth century, they tended to come from continental presses and were rarely in English. This two-volume work by the clergyman and astronomer William Pearson (1767–1847) aimed, with brilliant success, to compile data from extant sources into one of the first English practical guides to astronomy. Most of the tables were updated and improved versions, and some were wholly reconstructed to streamline the calculation processes. Sir John Herschel dubbed it 'one of the most important and extensive works on that subject which has ever issued from the press', and for his efforts Pearson was awarded the gold medal of the Astronomical Society. First published in 1829, Volume 2 provides full descriptions of a range of astronomical instruments, alongside instructions for their use and some pertinent equations and tables. In the history of science, Pearson's work reflects the contemporary challenges of celestial study.

An Introduction to Practical Astronomy
  • Containing Tables for Facilitating the Reduction of Celestial Observations, and a Popular Explanation of their Construction and Use
  • Volume 1
  • William Pearson
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Although astronomical guides were available in the early nineteenth century, they tended to come from continental presses and were rarely in English. This two-volume work by the clergyman and astronomer William Pearson (1767–1847) aimed, with brilliant success, to compile data from extant sources into one of the first English practical guides to astronomy. Most of the tables were updated and improved versions, and some were wholly reconstructed to streamline the calculation processes. Sir John Herschel dubbed it 'one of the most important and extensive works on that subject which has ever issued from the press', and for his efforts Pearson was awarded the gold medal of the Astronomical Society. First published in 1824, Volume 1 chiefly comprises extensive tables to facilitate the reduction of a range of astronomical observations, including solar and sidereal movements, alongside thorough instructions. In the history of science, Pearson's work reflects the contemporary challenges of celestial study.

Observational Molecular Astronomy
  • Exploring the Universe Using Molecular Line Emissions
  • David A. Williams, Serena Viti
  • Published online:
    05 December 2013
    Print publication:
    25 November 2013
  • Molecular line emissions offer researchers exciting opportunities to learn about the evolutionary state of the Milky Way and distant galaxies. This text provides a detailed introduction to molecular astrophysics and an array of useful techniques for observing astronomical phenomena at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths. After discussing the theoretical underpinnings of molecular observation, the authors catalogue suitable molecular tracers for many types of astronomical regions in local and distant parts of the Universe, including cold gas reservoirs primed for the formation of new stars, regions of active star formation, giant photon-dominated regions and near active galactic nuclei. Further chapters demonstrate how to obtain useful astronomical information from raw telescope data while providing recommendations for appropriate observing strategies. Replete with maps, charts and references for further reading, this handbook will suit research astronomers and graduate students interested in broadening their skill to take advantage of the new facilities now coming online.

Asteroseismology
  • Edited by Pere L. Pallé, César Esteban
  • Published online:
    05 December 2013
    Print publication:
    13 January 2014
  • Our understanding of stars has grown significantly due to recent advances in asteroseismology, the stellar analog of helioseismology, the study of the Sun's acoustic wave oscillations. Using ground-based and satellite observatories to measure the frequency spectra of starlight, researchers are able to probe beneath a star's surface and map its interior structure. This volume provides a wide-ranging and up-to-date overview of the theoretical, experimental and analytical tools for carrying out front-line research in stellar physics using asteroseismological observations, tools and inferences. Chapters from seven eminent scientists in residence at the twenty-second Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics examine the interior of our Sun relative to data collected from distant stars, how to measure the fundamental parameters of single field stars, diffusion processes, and the effects of rotation on stellar structures. The volume also provides detailed treatments of modeling and computing programs, providing astronomers and graduate students a practical, methods-based guide.

Night Vision
  • Exploring the Infrared Universe
  • Michael Rowan-Robinson
  • Published online:
    05 March 2013
    Print publication:
    08 April 2013
  • Drawing on exciting discoveries of the last forty years, Night Vision explores how infrared astronomy, an essential tool for modern astrophysics and cosmology, helps astronomers reveal our Universe's most fascinating phenomena – from the birth of stars in dense clouds of gas to black holes and distant colliding galaxies and the traffic of interstellar dust from the formation of our Solar System. While surveying the progress in infrared observation, astronomer Michael Rowan-Robinson introduces readers to the pioneering scientists and engineers who painstakingly developed infrared astronomy over the past two hundred years. Accessible and well illustrated, this comprehensive volume is written for the interested science reader, amateur astronomer or university student, while researchers in astronomy and the history of science will find Rowan-Robinson's detailed notes and references a valuable resource.

Introduction to Astronomical Spectroscopy
  • Immo Appenzeller
  • Published online:
    05 January 2013
    Print publication:
    17 December 2012
  • Spectroscopy is the principal tool used in astronomy to investigate the Universe beyond Earth's atmosphere. Through the analysis of electromagnetic radiation, spectrographs enable observers to assess the chemical composition, kinematics and local physical properties of distant stars, nebulae and galaxies. Thoroughly illustrated and clearly written, this handbook offers a practical and comprehensive guide to the different spectroscopic methods used in all branches of astronomy, at all wavelengths from radio to gamma-ray and from ground and space-borne instruments. After a historical overview of the field, the central chapters navigate the various types of hardware used in spectroscopy. In-depth descriptions of modern techniques and their benefits and drawbacks help you choose the most promising observation strategy. The handbook finishes by assessing new technologies and future prospects for deep-sky observation. This text is an ideal reference for today's graduate students and active researchers, as well as those designing or operating spectroscopic instruments.

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