Discovering the Universe

Discovering the Universeis the bestselling brief text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme, "the process of scientific discovery," the Ninth Edition furthers the book's legacy for presenting concepts clearly and accurately while providing all the pedagogical tools to make the learning process memorable.

Preface
 Part I Understanding Astronomy
1.Discovering the Night Sky
2. Gravitation and the Motion of the Planets
3. Light and Telescopes
4. Atomic Physics and Spectra Part II Understanding the Solar System
5. Formation of the Solar System and Other Planetary Systems
6. Earth and Moon
7. The Other Terrestrial Planets
8. The Outer Planet
9. Vagabonds of the Solar System
10. The Sun: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Star
 Part III Understanding the Stars
11. Characterizing Stars
12. The Lives of Stars from Birth Through Middle Age
13. The Deaths of Stars
14. Black Holes: Matters of Gravity
 Part IV  Understanding the Universe
15. The Milky Way Galaxy
16. Galaxies
17. Quasars and Other Active Galaxies
18. Cosmology
19. Astrobiology Appendices
Glossary
Answers to Margin Questions and Computational Questions
Index