Product Description: Black holes, once considered to be of purely theoretical interest, play an important role in observational astronomy and a range of astrophysical phenomena. This volume is based on a meeting held at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which explored the many aspects of black hole astrophysics...read more

Product Description: This 2006 book acknowledges the importance of identifying the most crucial science to be performed by the superb Hubble Telescope. With this goal in mind, the book presents a review of some of the most important open questions in astronomy...read more

Product Description: The Local Group of galaxies consists of the Milky Way and all of its neighbors. The proximity of these galaxies allows for detailed studies of the processes that have led to their formation, structures, and evolution. In particular, studies of the Local Group can test predictions of structure formation that are based on dark energy and cold dark matter...read more

Product Description: This volume, based on a meeting held at the Space Telescope Science Institute, lays the astrophysical groundwork for locating habitable places in the Universe. Written by leading scientists in the field, it covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the universe, including extrasolar planet searches and properties; the history of the solar system; star and planet formation; the habitability of planets and search strategies...read more

Product Description: Humans have long thought that planetary systems similar to our own should exist around stars other than the Sun, yet the search for planets outside our Solar System has had a dismal history of discoveries that could not be confirmed...read more

Product Description: Mexico's greatest living sculptor, Sebastian (born 1947) is internationally renowned for his ability to transform mathematical abstractions into enthralling three-dimensional works of art. His monumental works, some of which are up to 130 feet tall, can be found in international cities from San Antonio to Osaka...read more

Product Description: Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner once wondered about "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in the formulation of the laws of nature. Is God a Mathematician? investigates why mathematics is as powerful as it is. From ancient times to the present, scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline could so perfectly explain the natural world...read more

Product Description: This collection of papers from the Space Telescope Science Institute Symposium on massive stars addresses the many aspects of astrophysics in which these stars play an important role. Review papers are presented from both observational and theoretical work by world experts in the study of these rare stars...read more

Offers a look at phi, or 'the golden ratio,' discovered by Euclid more than two thousand years ago, examining the meaning of this remarkable mathematical proportion in terms of science, biology, philosophy, and other fields.

Traces the four-thousand-year-old mathematical effort to discover and define the laws of symmetry in nature and the arts, citing the achievements of doomed geniuses Niels Henrick Abel and Evariste Galois to solve the quintic equation and give birth to group theory. By the author of The Golden Ratio. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Product Description: This timely volume presents specially written articles by world experts at an international conference at the Space Telescope Science Institute. The goal of the meeting was to assemble physicists and astronomers working on all aspects of dark matter and theories of gravity...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: The Hubble Space Telescope has made some of the most dramatic discoveries in the history of astronomy. From its vantage point 600km above the Earth, Hubble is able to capture images and spectra that would be difficult or impossible to obtain from the ground...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Advance Praise for The Accelerating Universe"The Accelerating Universe is not only an informative book about modern cosmology. It is rich storytelling and, above all, a celebration of the human mind in its quest for beauty in all things."—Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's Dreams"This is a wonderfully lucid account of the extraordinary discoveries that have made the last years a golden period for observational cosmology. But Mario Livio has not only given the reader one clear explanation after another of what astronomers are up to, he has used them to construct a provocative argument for the importance of aesthetics in the development of science and for the inseparability of science, art, and culture."—Lee Smolin, author of The Life of the Cosmos"What a pleasure to read! An exciting, simple account of the universe revealed by modern astronomy. Beautifully written, clearly presented, informed by scientific and philosophical insights."—John Bahcall, Institute for Advanced Study"A book with charm, beauty, elegance, and importance. As authoritative a journey as can be taken through modern cosmology."—Allan Sandage, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington (view table of contents)

Product Description: Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the Universe. Since their discovery in the early 1970s, they have been the subject of intense study but have defied detailed explanation. It is believed that supernovae and gamma-ray bursts may be related phenomena...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: This timely volume reviews recent progress in our understanding of all aspects of stellar structure and evolution, with special emphasis on currently unsolved problems. It covers every stage in the life of a star, from birth to death, as well as the fundamental processes that affect stellar evolution...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is the deepest optical image of the Universe ever obtained. It provides a unique resource for researchers studying the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific impact of the HDF on cosmology...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: What can emission lines tell us about an astrophysical object? This book answers that question for a host of objects, including supernovae and active galactic nuclei, across a broad range of wavelengths. The editors present sixteen review articles from internationally renowned experts in a coherent overview of the latest data, techniques and applications of the study of emission lines...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: The extragalactic background radiation, from gamma-rays to radio waves, tells us a great deal about the formation and evolution of structure in the universe. A workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute addressed this radiation, providing a unique opportunity for observational astronomers and theorists to share their expertise and to help synthesize a new understanding...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Though they differ vastly in scale and energy, protostars and extragalactic radio sources show a remarkable similarity in their morphology. What physics do they share? As the first of its kind, a workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute provided a unique forum for astronomers from the fields of extragalactic and galactic/stellar jets to share their expertise and synthesize astrophysical links...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)