Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics (Saunders golden sunburst series) [Hardcover]

Michael Zeilik (Author), Stephen A. Gregory (Author), Elske V. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0030316979 | ISBN-13: 978-0030316975 | Edition: 3rd

This focused, advanced undergraduate text provides broad coverage of astronomy and astrophysics with a strong emphasis on physics. Many researchers, faculty, and graduate students use this book as a reference. This text has an algebra and trigonometry prerequisite, but calculus is preferred. Features: * "Concept Applications" are fully worked-out, in-chapter problems that focus on an important concept found within that chapter. * "Key Equations and Concepts" neatly summarize the important equations and concepts found in each chapter. New to this edition: * Many new problems have been added, most 3rd Edition problems remain. * Physics Prelude serves as preview and preorganizer of the physics at a level appropriate to the book and the course. * Reorganization of Part 3--Chapters on stellar evolution are now consecutive. * Key new astronomical material further enhances the text. * "Hale-Bopp Comet Update" has been added after Chapter 26.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 520 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt School; 3rd edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030316979
• ISBN-13: 978-0030316975
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,171,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a worthy investment, November 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

Don't bother with this book. I used it for an intro-level astro course, along with Frank Shu's Physical Universe. In the exact words of my professor, the only reason we even had to buy this book was because Shu's was written 20 years ago and is slightly out of date.... we used Shu for important concepts and this for basically nothing other than revising what is in Shu with more up-to-date information. This book is kind of expensive to be simply a tool for updating Shu (which, btw, is a great book)... also, the high number of errors and typos really make this book a "don't bother"

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good, general overview for a survey class, April 26, 2002

By 

Carey Allen (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics (Saunders golden sunburst series) (Hardcover)

This is not a MEATY text. It is a good INTRODUCTORY text that provides a decent overview of general astronomy, including: basic celestial mechanics, the solar system, absorption/emission, stars, H-R diagram, galaxies, interstellar medium, evolution, Hubble's law, active galaxies, cosmology. The level of detail seems appropriate for a survey course. For example, the authors do a good job of describing basic spectral issues (absorption, emission, line broadening, Boltzmann, the Saha equation, optical depth, etc), but they do not provide a detailed discussion of stellar atmospheres. If you have had an introduction to astronomy and want more depth, then look at Bohm-Vitense's books, Elmgreen's Galaxies & Galactic Structure, etc.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introductory book in astronomy/astrophysics, December 10, 2003

By 

K B (KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

I used this book in an independent study class in astronomy and astrophysics while I was an undergraduate. With the exception of the some errors in the equations in the opacity section I found this book to be clearly written and not too difficult. You will need to know your college physics and some math but that should be expected since this is not a descriptive text. If you want a descriptive astronomy text search elsewhere, if you want an introductory astrophysics text this is a good choice.