Preface
Acknowledgment
Author biography
1 Introduction
1.1 Stellar structure
1.1.1 Polytropic and isothermal gas spheres
1.2 Equations of stellar structure
1.3 Our Sun
1.4 Stellar atmospheres
1.5 Stellar evolution
1.6 Galaxies
References
2 The Milky Way Galaxy
2.1 Coordinate systems, parallax and radial velocities
2.2 The equatorial coordinate system
2.3 Rotational transformations
2.4 Stellar motions
2.5 Measuring stellar parallaxes
2.6 Hipparcos results
2.7 Time in astronomy
2.8 Inertial reference frames
2.9 Galactic structure
2.9.1 Space distribution of stars
2.10 The interstellar medium
2.11 Star counts
2.12 Initial stellar mass function
2.13 Stellar kinematics
2.14 Mass of the Galaxy
2.15 Milky Way formation
References
3 External galaxies
3.1 History
3.2 Elliptical galaxies
3.3 Spiral galaxies
3.4 The Tully-Fisher relationship for spiral galaxies
3.5 Spiral structures through stochastic star formation
3.6 The cosmic distance ladder
3.7 Dark matter
References
4 Active galaxies, quasars and supermassive black holes
4.1 Active galaxies
4.2 Classifications of active galaxies
4.3 Discovery and history of quasars
4.4 Synchrotron emission
4.5 Accreting black holes
4.6 Jet acceleration
4.7 Synchrotron-self-Compton jets
4.8 Unified model of quasars
4.9 Quasar variability
References
5 General relativity and cosmology
5.1 A brief history of cosmology
5.2 Newtonian derivation of the cosmological equations
5.3 General relativistic derivation of cosmology
5.4 Big Bang cosmology
5.5 Confirmation of the Big Bang
5.6 Problems with the Big Bang theory
5.7 The future evolution of the accelerating Universe
5.8 Finding mass in the Universe
5.9 WMAP results
5.10 Age of the Universe
5.11 Gravitational waves
References
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