Astronomy in Minutes The Night Sky Explained in an Instant

About this book

What happens when a star dies? How many asteroids are in our solar system? Can galaxies collide? What is dark energy? Astronomy in Minutes answers all these questions and more as it condenses 200 key concepts into easily digestible essays. From Trojan asteroids to stellar black holes, and from superclusters to cosmic microwave background, Astronomy in Minutes will take you on an essential tour around the universe. Beginning with the specks and constellations that we see in the night sky, and then zooming in on the objects and 'matter' beyond the naked eye,

Astronomy in Minutes draws on established theories and recent research. Each essay is accompanied by an image or a clear diagram to help unravel complex ideas. Beginning with the constellations and finishing with the latest cosmological theories, this is the perfect reference guide to this fascinating subject.

Contents

Contents include: The celestial sphere, Piscis Austrinus, the Earth-Moon system, Io and Ganymede, Kuiper Belt Objects, Measuring stellar properties, Nuclear fusion, Red and orange dwarfs, Open star clusters, Planetary nebulae, Supernova remnants, Cosmic expansion, Quasars and blazars, Nature of spacetime, Nucleosynthesis and the Anthropic Principle.

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Biography

Giles Sparrow studied Astronomy at University College London, and Science Communication at Imperial College, before embarking on a career in publishing. He has acted as author, consultant and contributor on numerous bestselling astronomy and popular science books for Quercus, including Cosmos, The Stargazer's Handbook and Hubble: Window on the Universe.