Astronomy Today

*The"Process of Science" is integrated into the text narrative. In particular the focus on scientific discovery and scientific method, or "how we know what we know", is now a much more integral part of the text (e.g. p. 6-8, 121-22, 160-65, 596-97, 611-12).*Part-opening essays emphasize the human endeavor aspect of science. Each part opener introduces a discovery and provides a historical context to the chapters that follow (e.g. p. 1, 140, 402, 600). "What role does your textbook play in your course?"*Student perspective--For this revision, the text's development editor read the text from a student perspective, helping the authors identify places they could clarify or simplify an explanation, better define a term, and discuss the process used in making a discovery. The result is a text that is truly accessible and useful resource for all students. *Expanded Glossary--200+ terms added, including definitions of words students may not know, but are not necessarily "scientific" terms (e.g. "flyby" now defined within chapter 6 Mariner 10 discussion on p. 152). "How can you involve your students in class and make large lectures more interactive?"*Lecture Tutorials -- Developed by Jeffrey Adams, Edward Prather, Timothy Slater and the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) team, class-tested lecture tutorials challenge students with thought-provoking questions that spark classroom discussion. Designed for large classes (300+) and scaleable for smaller sections. *Classroom Response Systems enhances the interactivity of a lecture course by asking students questions and providing instant feedback on key concepts from the chapter. "Do you have an observation component in your course?"*Starry Night Pro 4.0.5 provides everything the amateur astronomer or hobbyist needs to explore the heavens. Content Changes: *Thoroughly updated Chapter 5-- Reflects recent discoveries and innovations, such as Telescope Design in Section 5.1 *Introduction to solar system formation added to Chapter 6--Sets the stage for the planetary chapters (p. 144-45). *Reorganized Chapter 22--Expands the historical development of Special and General Relativity. *More contemporary coverage in Chapters 24 and 25--Reorganizes material to emphasize the connection between normal and active galaxies, and expands the discussion of black holes in galactic nuclei. *Updates include new discoveries and data, including: *New material in Chapter 7 on the Ozone Hole and Global Warming. *Expanded coverage in Chapters 6 and 10 of the most recent missions to Mars. *Updates in Chapter 10 on Martian oppositions, gullies, oceans, and ice. *Final update on the Galileo/GEM mission in Chapter 11. *Updated discussion of solar system formation in Chapter 15; expanded coverage of competing theories, planet migration, planetesimal ejection, plutinos, and the angular momentum problem. *Latest results in Chapter 23 on Sgr A* and the Galaxy's central black hole. This chapter also includes a new discussion of the Shapley-Curtis debate giving historical context to the "Measuring the Milky Way" section. *Extensive revision of Chapters 26 and 27 to include the most recent observations of cosmic acceleration and discussion of "dark energy" *Revised discussions of the cosmological constant and the age of the universe; results from the CBI and WMAP experiments suggesting a flat universe. *Updated coverage of Europa, Mars, interstellar organic molecules, extra solar planets, and SETI in Chapter 28.