This blog post was written by Ranessa Austin, UWI MLIS Intern.
Astronomy is the study of everything beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, including the Sun, Moon, stars, galaxies, planets far beyond our solar system, and other outer space components (Ology, n.d.). Regarded as one of the oldest scientific disciplines, astronomy has been used for centuries by various cultures to create calendars, for navigation by the stars, and to make predictions for agricultural practices. Many ancient civilisations relied on the position of the stars and planets as a basis for their religious and cultural beliefs, regarding these objects in the sky with great reverence. Many millennia after this, with the invention of the telescope and space travel, modern research studies the galaxies in new ways.
Building on the work of those that came before them and with the development of new technology, modern astronomers study four main classes of astronomy Astrophysics, Astrometry, Astrogeology and Astrobiology, which are broken down into up to seventeen branches of astronomy, including but not limited to, cosmology, asteroseismology, planetology, aerology, exobiology and astrochemistry. No longer are astronomers limited in their scope to use the stars and planets to influence what we do on Earth; now, they focus on understanding the complexities of other planets, stars, and galaxies beyond our own and our universe. Many discoveries have been made to form the basis for new ideas and technological advancements we see today.
The Staff of the Engineering Division at the Alma Jordan Library has mounted a display highlighting the study of astronomy and its modern-day applications. Stop by and browse the books on display, and remember... all the books on display are available for checkout.
Providing a broad overview of foundational concepts, this second edition of Fundamentals of Astronomy covers topics ranging from spherical astronomy to reference systems, and celestial mechanics to astronomical photometry and spectroscopy.
The decades ahead of us promise the enhancement of our understanding of the Sun, the planets, the stars, black holes, and all other astronomical objects in our universe. This book discusses such topics as extra-galactic radio sources, unified models of black hole accretion, wave propagation theory, cryovolcanism in the solar system, and the early oceans of Earth.
This unprecedented collection of 27,000 quotations is the most comprehensive and carefully researched of its kind, covering all fields of science and mathematics. With this vast compendium, you can readily conceptualise and embrace the written images of scientists, laymen, politicians, novelists, playwrights, and poets about humankind's scientific achievements.
This textbook details basic principles of planetary science that help to unify the study of the solar system. It is organized in a hierarchical manner so that every chapter builds upon preceding ones. Starting with historical perspectives on space exploration and the development of the scientific method, the book leads the reader through the solar system. Coverage explains that the origin and subsequent evolution of planets and their satellites can be explained by applications of certain basic principles of physics, chemistry, and celestial mechanics and that surface features of the solid bodies can be interpreted by principles of geology.
This comprehensive Encyclopedia covers the full history of astronomy from its ancient origins in Africa, South America, the Middle East and China to the latest developments in astrophysics and space-based research. The initial articles, which are largely organised chronologically, are followed by numerous thematic historical articles on the constituents of the Solar System, types of stars, stellar evolution, active galaxies, cosmology and much more.
Astrophysics is often - with some justification - regarded as incomprehensible without at least degree-level mathematics. Consequently, many amateur astronomers skip the math, and miss out on the fascinating fundamentals of the subject. In Astrophysics Is Easy Mike Inglis takes a quantitative approach to astrophysics that cuts through the incomprehensible mathematics, and explains the basics of astrophysics in accessible terms. The reader can view objects under discussion with commercial amateur equipment.
Astronomy needs statistical methods to interpret data, but statistics is a many-faceted subject that is difficult for non-specialists to access. This handbook helps astronomers analyze the complex data and models of modern astronomy. This second edition has been revised to feature many more examples using Monte Carlo simulations, and now also includes Bayesian inference, Bayes factors and Markov chain Monte Carlo integration. Chapters cover basic probability, correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, Bayesian modelling, time series analysis, luminosity functions and clustering. Exercises at the end of each chapter guide readers through the techniques and tests necessary for most observational investigations.
References
Earth How. 2022. “17 Branches of Astronomy.” Last updated May 12, 2022. https://earthhow.com/what-is-astronomy/.
National Geographic Society. 2021. “How Ancient Astronomy Mixed Science with Mythology.” Nat Geo Explores video, 7:36. February 10, 2021. www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-ancient-astronomy-mixed-science-with-mythology.
OLogy. n.d. “What Is Astronomy?” American Museum of Natural History. Accessed July 21, 2023. www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy/what-is-astronomy.
This blog post was written by Ranessa Austin, UWI MLIS Intern.
Astronomy is the study of everything beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, including the Sun, Moon, stars, galaxies, planets far beyond our solar system, and other outer space components (Ology, n.d.). Regarded as one of the oldest scientific disciplines, astronomy has been used for centuries by various cultures to create calendars, for navigation by the stars, and to make predictions for agricultural practices. Many ancient civilisations relied on the position of the stars and planets as a basis for their religious and cultural beliefs, regarding these objects in the sky with great reverence. Many millennia after this, with the invention of the telescope and space travel, modern research studies the galaxies in new ways.
Building on the work of those that came before them and with the development of new technology, modern astronomers study four main classes of astronomy Astrophysics, Astrometry, Astrogeology and Astrobiology, which are broken down into up to seventeen branches of astronomy, including but not limited to, cosmology, asteroseismology, planetology, aerology, exobiology and astrochemistry. No longer are astronomers limited in their scope to use the stars and planets to influence what we do on Earth; now, they focus on understanding the complexities of other planets, stars, and galaxies beyond our own and our universe. Many discoveries have been made to form the basis for new ideas and technological advancements we see today.
The Staff of the Engineering Division at the Alma Jordan Library has mounted a display highlighting the study of astronomy and its modern-day applications. Stop by and browse the books on display, and remember... all the books on display are available for checkout.
Selected E-books on Astronomy
References
Earth How. 2022. “17 Branches of Astronomy.” Last updated May 12, 2022. https://earthhow.com/what-is-astronomy/.
National Geographic Society. 2021. “How Ancient Astronomy Mixed Science with Mythology.” Nat Geo Explores video, 7:36. February 10, 2021. www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-ancient-astronomy-mixed-science-with-mythology.
OLogy. n.d. “What Is Astronomy?” American Museum of Natural History. Accessed July 21, 2023. www.amnh.org/explore/ology/astronomy/what-is-astronomy.