A Sample List of Reference Texts Appropriate for Phys 1053: Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology

 

There are a multitude of astronomy textbooks all covering the same core material in very similar ways, and each re-published every few years, sometimes with multimedia components.  (One I saw on Amazon comes with 3-D glasses!)  Many are also published in two versions: a complete edition, and a pair of volumes separated into Solar System and Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology topics.  For this course, either the complete volume or the SGC part is equally good.  There is no need to shell out for the latest versions – anything published in this millennium will be fine, and those published in the late 20th century will cover all the core material equally well but may be a little out of date regarding the latest results in extra-solar planets and the current cutting edge of cosmology.  Here is a list of many common texts to help you search.  While making this list I’ve seen used prices as low as $2 and as high as $70.  If you can’t find anything reasonably priced, keep in mind that there are also ten copies of similar texts on reserve at Briggs Library for your use.

 

Stars and Galaxies
by Michael A. Seeds

 

Universe: Stars and Galaxies
by Roger Freedman, William J. Kaufmann

 

Stars, Galaxies, And Cosmology: The Cosmic Perspective
by Jeffrey Bennett, Megan Donahue, Nicholas Schneider, Mark Voit

 

Astronomy Today, Volume 2: Stars and Galaxies

by Eric Chaisson, Steve McMillan

 

Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies
by Andrew Fraknoi, David Morrison, Sidney C. Wolff

 

Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy
by Thomas T. Arny

 

The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium
by Jay M. Pasachoff, Alex Filippenko

 

Astronomy Volume II: Stars & Galaxies
by John D. Fix

 

21st Century Astronomy (Paperback)
by Jeff Hester, David Burstein, George Blumenthal, Ronald Greeley, Bradford Smith

 

Discovering the Universe
by Thomas Krause, Neil F. Comins, Timothy F. Slater

 

Discovering the Universe
by Neil F. Comins, William J. Kaufmann

 

In Quest of the Universe
by Karl F. Kuhn, Theo Koupelis