Fully updated and including data from space-based observations, this Third Edition is a comprehensive compilation of the facts and figures relevant to astronomy and astrophysics. As well as a vast number of tables, graphs, diagrams and formulae it also includes a comprehensive index and bibliography, allowing readers to easily find the information they require. The book contains information covering a diverse range of topics in addition to astronomy and astrophysics, including atomic physics, nuclear physics, relativity, plasma physics, electromagnetism, mathematics, probability and statistics, and geophysics. This handbook contains the most frequently used information in modern astrophysics, and will be an essential reference for graduate students, researchers and professionals working in astronomy and the space sciences. A website with links to extensive supplementary information and databases can be found at www.cambridge.org/9780521782425.
• Contains a comprehensive index and bibliographies to allow readers to easily find the information they require • Each chapter has a comprehensive contents list allowing readers to find topics more easily
Contents
Foreword; Preface; 1. General data; 2. Astronomy and astrophysics; 3. Radio astronomy; 4. Infrared and submillimeter astronomy; 5. Ultraviolet astronomy; 6. X-ray astronomy; 7. Gamma-ray astronomy; 8. Cosmic rays; 9. Earth’s atmosphere and environment; 10. Relativity and cosmology; 11. Atomic physics; 12. Electromagnetic radiation; 13. Plamsa physics; 14. Experimental astronomy and astrophysics; 15. Astronautics; 16. Mathematics; 17. Probability and statistics; 18. Radiation safety; 19. Astronomical catalogs; 20. Computer science; 21. Glossary of abbreviations and symbols; Appendices; Index.
Review
'In its various incarnations it has been a constant companion for my entire scientific career … Compared to the last edition, the new version of the handbook has almost double the number of pages and represents a considerable expansion of the content of each chapter. Examples of improvement include updated lists of Solar System natural satellites and high-redshift objects. There are also completely new sections such as the list of extra-solar planets, none of which had been detected when the last edition was produced. … there is a lot of material, particularly that pertaining to the basic tools of an instrument developer and observer in space astronomy, that, to my knowledge, is not usefully collected in any other single volume. It is certainly worth purchasing by anyone wanting a ready reference for basic instrumentation and observational techniques … I have no doubt that my copy of the 3rd edition will be as well-used as the previous one.' The Observatory
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