The Milky Way

The Milky Way

Author: William H. Waller

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-10-31

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 0691178356

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A grand tour of our dynamic home galaxy This book offers an intimate guide to the Milky Way, taking readers on a grand tour of our home Galaxy's structure, genesis, and evolution, based on the latest astronomical findings. In engaging language, it tells how the Milky Way congealed from blobs of gas and dark matter into a spinning starry abode brimming with diverse planetary systems—some of which may be hosting myriad life forms and perhaps even other technologically communicative species. William Waller vividly describes the Milky Way as it appears in the night sky, acquainting readers with its key components and telling the history of our changing galactic perceptions. The ancients believed the Milky Way was a home for the gods. Today we know it is but one galaxy among billions of others in the observable universe. Within the Milky Way, ground-based and space-borne telescopes have revealed that our Solar System is not alone. Hundreds of other planetary systems share our tiny part of the vast Galaxy. We reside within a galactic ecosystem that is driven by the theatrics of the most massive stars as they blaze through their brilliant lives and dramatic deaths. Similarly effervescent ecosystems of hot young stars and fluorescing nebulae delineate the graceful spiral arms in our Galaxy's swirling disk. Beyond the disk, the spheroidal halo hosts the ponderous—and still mysterious—dark matter that outweighs everything else. Another dark mystery lurks deep in the heart of the Milky Way, where a supermassive black hole has produced bizarre phenomena seen at multiple wavelengths. Waller makes the case that our very existence is inextricably linked to the Galaxy that spawned us. Through this book, readers can become well-informed galactic "insiders"—ready to imagine humanity's next steps as fully engaged citizens of the Milky Way.


The Milky Way

The Milky Way

Author: Moiya McTier

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2022-08-16

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1538754177

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this approachable and fascinating biography of the galaxy, an astrophysicist and folklorist details everything humans have discovered—from the Milky Way's formation to its eventual death, and what else there is to learn about the universe we call home. After a few billion years of bearing witness to life on Earth, of watching one hundred billion humans go about their day-to-day lives, of feeling unbelievably lonely, and of hearing its own story told by others, The Milky Way would like a chance to speak for itself. All one hundred billion stars and fifty undecillion tons of gas of it. It all began some thirteen billion years ago, when clouds of gas scattered through the universe's primordial plasma just could not keep their metaphorical hands off each other. They succumbed to their gravitational attraction, and the galaxy we know as the Milky Way was born. Since then, the galaxy has watched as dark energy pushed away its first friends, as humans mythologized its name and purpose, and as galactic archaeologists have worked to determine its true age (rude). The Milky Way has absorbed supermassive (an actual technical term) black holes, made enemies of a few galactic neighbors, and mourned the deaths of countless stars. Our home galaxy has even fallen in love. After all this time, the Milky Way finally feels that it's amassed enough experience for the juicy tell-all we've all been waiting for. Its fascinating autobiography recounts the history and future of the universe in accessible but scientific detail, presenting a summary of human astronomical knowledge thus far that is unquestionably out of this world. NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND SCIENCENET NAMED A BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2022 BY BOOKPAGE


The Milky Way and Beyond

The Milky Way and Beyond

Author: Erik Gregersen Associate Editor, Astronomy and Space Exploration

Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

Published: 2009-12-20

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 1615300244

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Provides information on the properties and behavior of the spiral galaxy known as the Milky Way; discusses the origin and evolution of stars, nebulae, and other galaxies; and offers an historical survey of the study of galaxies.


Astronomy of the Milky Way

Astronomy of the Milky Way

Author: Mike Inglis

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2004-01-30

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9781852337421

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the wonders of the universe we live in is the Milky Way. It spans the entire sky and can be seen every night of the year from anywhere on Earth. This is the first book that deals specifically with what can be seen within the Milky Way from a practical observer's point of view. Astronomy of the Milky Way covers every constellation that the Milky Way passes through, and describes in detail the many objects that can be found therein, including stars, double and multiple stars, emission nebulae, planetary nebulae, dark nebulae and supernovae remnants, open and galactic clusters, and galaxies. It also describes the one thing that is often left out of observing guides - the amazing star clouds of the Milky Way itself. It is one of a two-volume set that deal with the entire Milky Way - this second volume looks at what can be seen predominantly from the Southern skies In addition to the descriptive text there are many star charts and maps, as well as the latest up-to-date images made by observatories around the world and in space, as well as images taken by amateur astronomers. Equipped with this book, an amateur astronomer can go out on any clear night of the year and observe the galaxy we live in - The Milky Way.


Coming of Age in the Milky Way

Coming of Age in the Milky Way

Author: Timothy Ferris

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2010-06-18

Total Pages: 575

ISBN-13: 0062006541

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An eloquent and accessible journey through our evolving notions of the cosmos from “the best science writer of his generation” (Washington Post). From the second-century celestial models of Ptolemy to modern-day research institutes and quantum theory, our perception of the universe—and out place in it—has changed drastically. This classic book offers a breathtaking tour of astronomy and the brilliant, eccentric personalities who have shaped it through the ages. From the first time mankind had an inkling of the vast space that surrounds us, those who study the universe have had to struggle against political and religious preconceptions. They have included some of the most charismatic, courageous, and idiosyncratic thinkers of all time. In Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris uses his unique blend of rigorous research and captivating narrative skill to draw us into the lives and minds of these extraordinary figures, creating a landmark work of scientific history.


Beyond the Galaxy

Beyond the Galaxy

Author: Ethan Siegel

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2015-11-26

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 981466717X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"A look up at the night sky reveals a treasury of wonders. Even to the naked eye, the Moon, stars, planets, the Milky Way and even a few star clusters and nebulae illuminate the heavens. For millennia, humans struggled to make sense of what's out there in the Universe, from all we can see to that which lies beyond the limits of even our most powerful telescopes. Beyond the Galaxy traces our journey from an ancient, Earth-centered Universe all the way to our modern, 21st century understanding of the cosmos. Touching on not only what we know but also how we know it, Ethan Siegel takes us to the very frontiers of modern astrophysics and cosmology, from the birth of our Universe to its ultimate fate, and everything in between."--


The Scale of the Universe

The Scale of the Universe

Author: Heber Doust Curtis

Publisher: Franklin Classics

Published: 2018-10-15

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9780343257026

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.


Minding the Heavens

Minding the Heavens

Author: Leila Belkora

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2002-12-01

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1420033921

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Today, we accept that we live on a planet circling the sun, that our sun is just one of billions of stars in the galaxy we call the Milky Way, and that our galaxy is but one of billions born out of the big bang. Yet as recently as the early twentieth century, the general public and even astronomers had vague and confused notions about what lay beyo


Finding Our Place in the Universe

Finding Our Place in the Universe

Author: Helene Courtois

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-05-28

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 0262353393

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An astrophysicist recounts how her team of researchers surfed the cosmos to map our local universe—and discovered the Laniakea supercluster, home of the Milky Way. You are here: on Earth, which is part of the solar system, which is in the Milky Way galaxy, which itself is within the extragalactic supercluster Laniakea. And how can we pinpoint our location so precisely? For 20 years, astrophysicist Hélène Courtois surfed the cosmos with international teams of researchers, working to map our local universe. In this book, Courtois describes this quest and the discovery of our home supercluster. Courtois explains that Laniakea (which means “immense heaven” in Hawaiian) is the largest galaxy structure known to which we belong; it is huge, almost too large to comprehend—about 500 million light-years in diameter. It contains about 100,000 large galaxies like our own, and a million smaller ones. Writing accessibly for nonspecialists, Courtois describes the visualization and analysis that allowed her team to map such large structures of the universe. She highlights the work of individual researchers, including portraits of several exceptional women astrophysicists—presenting another side of astronomy. Key ideas are highlighted in text insets; illustrations accompany the main text. The French edition of this book was named the Best Astronomy Book of 2017 by the astronomy magazine Ciel et espace. For this MIT Press English-language edition, Courtois has added descriptions of discoveries made after Laniakea: the cosmic velocity web and the Dipole and Cold Spot repellers. An engaging account of one of the most important discoveries in astrophysics in recent years, her story is a tribute to teamwork and international collaboration.