A Thin Cosmic Rain

Author : Michael W. Friedlander
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674009894
Total Pages : 255 pages
Book Rating : 4.99/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Thin Cosmic Rain written by Michael W. Friedlander and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2002-11 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enigmatic for many years, cosmic rays are now known to be not rays at all, but particles, the nuclei of atoms, raining down continually on the earth, where they can be detected throughout the atmosphere and sometimes even thousands of feet underground. This book tells the long-running detective story behind the discovery and study of cosmic rays, a story that stretches from the early days of subatomic particle physics in the 1890s to the frontiers of high-energy astrophysics today. Writing for the amateur scientist and the educated general reader, Michael Friedlander, a cosmic ray researcher, relates the history of cosmic ray science from its accidental discovery to its present status. He explains how cosmic rays are identified and how their energies are measured, then surveys current knowledge and theories of thin cosmic rain. The most thorough, up-to-date, and readable account of these intriguing phenomena, his book makes us party to the search into the nature, behavior, and origins of cosmic rays—and into the sources of their enormous energy, sometimes hundreds of millions times greater than the energy achievable in the most powerful earthbound particle accelerators. As this search led unexpectedly to the discovery of new particles such as the muon, pion, kaon, and hyperon, and as it reveals scenes of awesome violence in the cosmos and offers clues about black holes, supernovas, neutron stars, quasars, and neutrinos, we see clearly why cosmic rays remain central to an astonishingly diverse range of research studies on scales infinitesimally small and large. Attractively illustrated, engagingly written, this is a fascinating inside look at a science at the center of our understanding of our universe.

Author : Steven J. Dick
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030103803
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.04/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Classifying the Cosmos written by Steven J. Dick and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the invention of the telescope 400 years ago, astronomers have rapidly discovered countless celestial objects. But how does one make sense of it all? Astronomer and former NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick brings order to this menagerie by defining 82 classes of astronomical objects, which he places in a beginner-friendly system known as "Astronomy’s Three Kingdoms.” Rather than concentrating on technicalities, this system focuses on the history of each object, the nature of its discovery, and our current knowledge about it. The ensuing book can therefore be read on at least two levels. On one level, it is an illustrated guide to various types of astronomical wonders. On another level, it is considerably more: the first comprehensive classification system to cover all celestial objects in a consistent manner. Accompanying each spread are spectacular historical and modern images. The result is a pedagogical tour-de-force, whereby readers can easily master astronomy’s three realms of planets, stars, and galaxies.

Author : Wallace H. Tucker
Publisher : Smithsonian Institution
ISBN 13 : 1588345874
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Chandra's Cosmos written by Wallace H. Tucker and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On July 23, 1999, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the most powerful X-ray telescope ever built, was launched aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Since then, Chandra has given us a view of the universe that is largely hidden from telescopes sensitive only to visible light. In Chandra's Cosmos, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra science spokesperson Wallace H. Tucker uses a series of short, connected stories to describe the telescope's exploration of the hot, high-energy face of the universe. The book is organized in three parts: "The Big," covering the cosmic web, dark energy, dark matter, and massive clusters of galaxies; "The Bad," exploring neutron stars, stellar black holes, and supermassive black holes; and "The Beautiful," discussing stars, exoplanets, and life. Chandra has imaged the spectacular, glowing remains of exploded stars and taken spectra showing the dispersal of their elements. Chandra has observed the region around the supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way and traced the separation of dark matter from normal matter in the collision of galaxies, contributing to both dark matter and dark energy studies. Tucker explores the implications of these observations in an entertaining, informative narrative aimed at space buffs and general readers alike.

Author : Steven J. Dick
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107033616
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.10/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Discovery and Classification in Astronomy written by Steven J. Dick and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows that astronomical discovery is a complex and ongoing process comprising various stages of research, interpretation and understanding.

Author : Volker Bothmer
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540345787
Total Pages : 438 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Space Weather written by Volker Bothmer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-01-10 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The editors present a state-of-the-art overview on the Physics of Space Weather and its effects on technological and biological systems on the ground and in space. It opens with a general introduction on the subject, followed by a historical review on the major developments in the field of solar terrestrial relationships leading to its development into the up-to-date field of space weather. Specific emphasis is placed on the technological effects that have impacted society in the past century at times of major solar activity. Chapter 2 summarizes key milestones, starting from the base of solar observations with classic telescopes up to recent space observations and new mission developments with EUV and X-ray telescopes (e.g., STEREO), yielding an unprecedented view of the sun-earth system. Chapter 3 provides a scientific summary of the present understanding of the physics of the sun-earth system based on the latest results from spacecraft designed to observe the Sun, the interplanetary medium and geospace. Chapter 4 describes how the plasma and magnetic field structure of the earth's magnetosphere is impacted by the variation of the solar and interplanetary conditions, providing the necessary science and technology background for missions in low and near earth's orbit. Chapter 5 elaborates the physics of the layer of the earth's upper atmosphere that is the cause of disruptions in radio-wave communications and GPS (Global Positioning System) errors, which is of crucial importance for projects like Galileo. In Chapters 6-10, the impacts of technology used up to now in space, on earth and on life are reviewed.

Author : G Fraser
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 9781420050332
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Particle Century written by G Fraser and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first attempts to split the atom to the discovery of the top quark, the 20th century has witnessed a revolution in basic physics. Probing successively smaller constituents of matter has also revealed the conditions present at the time of the Big Bang. In a series of essays by scientists who have been closely involved in this exciting research, The Particle Century describes the unprecedented advances in our understanding of the universe. The book covers major historical developments as well as current advances, including early accelerator physics, the rise of the Standard Model, new comprehension of the big bang theory, and the cutting edge of today's investigations. These essays add novel insight into the continuing efforts to unravel the deepest secrets of nature.

Author : Neil A. Downie
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 9780801874109
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ink Sandwiches, Electric Worms, and 37 Other Experiments for Saturday Science written by Neil A. Downie and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The book is a job well done, and I recommend it for anyone trying to get physics across to non-specialist audiences." -- Physics Today

Author : Ernest M Henley
Publisher : World Scientific Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 9813101679
Total Pages : 640 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Subatomic Physics written by Ernest M Henley and published by World Scientific Publishing Company. This book was released on 2007-07-13 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the third and fully updated edition of the classic textbook on physics at the subatomic level. An up-to-date and lucid introduction to both particle and nuclear physics, the book is suitable for both experimental and theoretical physics students at the senior undergraduate and beginning graduate levels. Topics are introduced with key experiments and their background, encouraging students to think and empowering them with the capability of doing back-of-the-envelope calculations in a diversity of situations. Earlier important experiments and concepts as well as topics of current interest are covered, with extensive use of photographs and figures to convey principal concepts and show experimental data. The coverage includes new material on: Detectors and acceleratorsNucleon elastic form factor dataNeutrinos, their masses and oscillationsChiral theories and effective field theories, and lattice QCDRelativistic heavy ions (RHIC)Nuclear structure far from the region of stabilityParticle astrophysics and cosmology Errata(s) Errata for Chapter 6 Errata for Chapter 11

Author : Bradley W. Carroll
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108390242
Total Pages : 1361 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics written by Bradley W. Carroll and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-07 with total page 1361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is a comprehensive, well-organized and engaging text covering every major area of modern astrophysics, from the solar system and stellar astronomy to galactic and extragalactic astrophysics, and cosmology. Designed to provide students with a working knowledge of modern astrophysics, this textbook is suitable for astronomy and physics majors who have had a first-year introductory physics course with calculus. Featuring a brief summary of the main scientific discoveries that have led to our current understanding of the universe; worked examples to facilitate the understanding of the concepts presented in the book; end-of-chapter problems to practice the skills acquired; and computational exercises to numerically model astronomical systems, the second edition of An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics is the go-to textbook for learning the core astrophysics curriculum as well as the many advances in the field.

Author : Stephen Webb
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1461421942
Total Pages : 371 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book New Eyes on the Universe written by Stephen Webb and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-05-19 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “New Eyes on the Universe – Twelve Cosmic Mysteries and the Tools We Need to Solve Them” gives an up-to-date broad overview of some of the key issues in modern astronomy and cosmology. It describes the vast amount of observational data that the new generation of observatories and telescopes are currently producing, and how that data might solve some of the outstanding puzzles inherent in our emerging world view. Included are questions such as: What is causing the Universe to blow itself apart? What could be powering the luminous gamma-ray bursters? Where is all the matter in the Universe? Do other Earths exist? Is there intelligent life out there? The renowned author explains clearly, without recourse to mathematics, why each question is puzzling and worthy of research. Included in the study of the wide range of sensitive and powerful instruments used by scientists to try and solve these problems are ones which capture electromagnetic radiation and ‘telescopes’ for cosmic rays, neutrinos, gravitational waves, and dark matter. This book discusses twelve areas of active astronomical research, ranging from the nature of dark energy to the existence or otherwise of extraterrestrial civilizations, and devotes one chapter to each topic. Although astronomers tackle each of these questions using information gleaned from all possible wavelengths and sources (and this is emphasized throughout the book), in this work the author dedicates each chapter to a particular observational method. One chapter covers X-ray telescopes for investigating black holes, while another uses infrared telescopes to learn more about planetary information.