The Chemically Controlled Cosmos
The Chemically Controlled Cosmos
D. A. Williams, University College London
£42.00
GBPMolecules in the early Universe acted as natural temperature regulators, keeping the primordial gas cool and, in turn, allowing galaxies and stars to be born. Even now, such similarly simple chemistry continues to control a wide variety of the exotic objects that populate our cosmos. What are the tools of the trade for the cosmic chemist? What can they teach us about the Universe we live in? These are the questions answered in this engaging and informative guide, The Chemically Controlled Cosmos. In clear, non-technical terms, and without formal mathematics, we learn how to study and understand the behaviour of molecules in a host of astronomical situations. We study the secretive formation of stars deep within interstellar clouds, the origin of our own Solar System, the cataclysmic deaths of many massive stars that explode as supernovae, and the hearts of active galactic nuclei, the most powerful objects in the Universe. We are given an accessible introduction to a wealth of astrophysics, and an understanding of how cosmic chemistry facilitates the investigation of many of the most exciting questions concerning astronomy today.
- The first book for non-specialists on molecules in the Cosmos (at the level of New Scientist, Scientific American and popular astronomy magazines)
- No formal mathematics required
- Suitable for students in non-science subjects taking a non-mathematical course in astronomy
- An introduction to the tools of the cosmic chemist, and how they can be used to understand a host of objects in the Universe
Reviews & endorsements
'There is no doubt that in The Chemically Controlled Cosmos Hartquist and Williams have produced an extremely valuable synthesis of our present knowledge of the important chemical processes in space.' New Scientist 'In this excellent and remarkable book, compressing a dozen learned textbooks into 160 ebullient pages, Hartquist and Williams endeavour to tell how the chemistry and physics of space are intimately entwined, one dictating the other. To achieve this, some fundamental chemistry and physics is outlined in chapters one to three, without using any mathematics. Readers who are unversed in physical science may fail to understand a great deal of this, but persevere, for you may still acquire insight into the way in which chemistry controls the cosmos.' Chemistry in Britain
Product details
March 2008Paperback
9780521056373
188 pages
244 × 170 × 10 mm
0.314kg
64 b/w illus. 5 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. A brief history
- 2. Setting the astronomical scene
- 3. The tools of the trade
- 4. Chemistry after the Big Bang
- 5. Interstellar clouds - the birth places of stars
- 6. Star formation
- 7. The solar system at birth
- 8. Stellar winds and outflows
- 9. Astronomical masers near bright stars
- 10. Supernovae: fairly big bang
- 11. Active galaxies
- 12. Epilogue
- Index.
