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The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies is a concise introduction to this fascinating subject providing the reader with the fundamentals in a clear and accessible style. The book assumes some prerequisite knowledge of astronomy, with the necessary mathematics kept to a minimum. Beginning with an introduction to the existence of our own and external galaxies, the book moves on to discuss how perceptions of galaxy development have changed over time. The three categories of galaxies are then considered with later chapters considering their formation and evolution. The book concludes with a discussion on both current developments in the field and considers the direction that future research is moving towards.
Preface. 1 Galaxies in the universe. 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 A brief history of galaxies. 1.3 Distance measurements. 1.4 Redshifts, distances and dynamics. 1.5 Expansion of the universe. 1.6 Hubble s constant and the distance scale. 1.7 The observable universe. 2 A galaxy menagerie. 2.1 Morphological types. 2.2 Luminosities and sizes. 2.3 Surface brightness. 2.4 Surface brightness profiles. 2.5 Apparent sizes. 2.6 The luminosity function. 2.7 Redshift surveys. 2.8 Galaxies at all wavelengths. 2.9 Active galaxies. 2.10 Galaxy environments. 3 Elliptical and lenticular galaxies. 3.1 Numbers 3.2 Surface brightness laws. 3.3 Shapes. 3.4 Stellar proportions. 3.5 Metallicity. 3.6 Globular clusters. 3.7 Hot gas. 3.8 Dynamics. 3.9 The Faber Jackson relation and the fundamental plane. 3.10 Mergers. 3.11 Elliptical galaxy masses. 3.12 Massive black holes. 4 Spiral galaxies. 4.1 Shapes and sizes. 4.2 Vertical structure. 4.3 Rotation. 4.4 Stellar populations. 4.5 The interstellar medium. 4.6 Neutral gas. 4.7 Ionise dgas. 4.8 ISM structure. 4.9 Dust. 4.10 Spiral structure. 4.11 Star formation. 4.12 Global star formation. 4.13 Chemical evolution. 4.14 Rotation of the gas. 4.15 The Tully Fisher ratio. 4.16 The Galactic halo. 4.17 The Galactic Centre. 5 Irregulars, dwarfs and LSBGs. 5.1 Local group members. 5.2 Irregulars. 5.3 Early type dwarfs. 5.4 Star formation histories (SFHs). 5.5 Interactions. 5.6 Interconnections. 5.7 Low surface brightness discs. 5.8 Number and selection effects. 5.9 Dwarf galaxies in the past. 6 Active galaxies. 6.1 The discovery of active galaxies. 6.2 AGH structure. 6.3 Radio galaxies. 6.4 Synchrotron emission. 6.5 Jets and superluminal motion. 6.6 Unification. 7 Clusters and clustering. 7.1 The distribution of galaxies. 7.2 Rich clusters. 7.3 Cluster masses. 7.4 Cluster searches. 7.5 Galaxy groups. 7.6 Intergalactic matter. 7.7 Large scale structure. 7.8 Clustering statistics. 7.9 Velocities. 8 Galaxy evolution. 8.1 Looking back. 8.2 Redshift and distance. 8.3 Cosmological models. 8.4 The Hubble diagram. 8.5 Galaxy colours, photometric redshifts and LBGs. 8.6 Number counts. 8.7 The night sky brightness, 8.8 The star formation history of the universe. 8.9 Reionisation and the first stars. 8.10 Galaxy formation theory. 8.11 Further developments. Appendix: The magnitude system. Bibliography. Index.
