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Informationen zum Autor Steve Phillipps is the author of The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies, published by Wiley. Klappentext The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies is a concise introduction to this fascinating subject providing the reader with the fundamentals in a clear and accessible style. This user-friendly text assumes some prerequisite knowledge of astronomy, with the necessary mathematics kept to a minimum. Beginning with an introduction to the existence of our own external galaxies, the book moves on to discuss how perceptions of galaxy development have changed over time. The three categories of galaxies are then discussed with later chapters considering their formation and evolution. The book concludes with an overview of both current developments in the field and considers the direction of future research. * Clear and accessible introduction to this dynamic subject* Introduces definitions of key terms and puts them in context* Includes current research and future developments in the field* Appendix of basic definitions to clarify key concepts* An invaluable text for students of astronomy and physics Zusammenfassung The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies is a concise introduction to this fascinating subject providing the reader with the fundamentals in a clear and accessible style. The book assumes some prerequisite knowledge of astronomy, with the necessary mathematics kept to a minimum. Beginning with an introduction to the existence of our own and external galaxies, the book moves on to discuss how perceptions of galaxy development have changed over time. The three categories of galaxies are then considered with later chapters considering their formation and evolution. The book concludes with a discussion on both current developments in the field and considers the direction that future research is moving towards. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface ix 1 Galaxies in the universe 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 A brief history of galaxies 2 1.3 Distance measurements 5 1.4 Redshifts, distances and dynamics 9 1.5 Expansion of the universe 10 1.6 Hubble's constant and the distance scale 12 1.7 The observable universe 16 2 A galaxy menagerie 19 2.1 Morphological types 19 2.2 Luminosities and sizes 21 2.3 Surface brightness 24 2.4 Surface brightness profiles 26 2.5 Apparent sizes 28 2.6 The luminosity function 30 2.7 Redshift surveys 33 2.7.1 Galactic extinction 33 2.7.2 k-corrections 36 2.7.3 Volume densities 36 2.8 Galaxies at all wavelengths 39 2.9 Active galaxies 41 2.10 Galaxy environments 41 3 Elliptical and lenticular galaxies 45 3.1 Numbers 45 3.2 Surface brightness laws 47 3.3 Shapes 52 3.4 Stellar populations 55 3.4.1 Stellar lifetimes 57 3.4.2 Stellar population evolution 58 3.4.3 Surface brightness fluctuations 61 3.5 Metallicity 61 3.6 Globular clusters 64 3.7 Hot gas 64 3.8 Dynamics 66 3.8.1 Rotation 67 3.8.2 The virial theorem 69 3.9 The Faber-Jackson relation and the fundamental plane 71 3.9.1 Peculiar velocities 72 3.9.2 Mass-to-light ratios 73 3.10 Mergers 75 3.10.1 Gravitational interactions 78 3.10.2 Timescales 81 3.11 Elliptical galaxy masses 83 3.12 Massive black holes 86 4 Spiral galaxies 87 4.1 Shapes and sizes 87 4.1.1 Spiral arms 89 4.1.2 Surface brightnesses 91 4.1.3 Numbers 94 4.2 Vertical structure 95 4.2.1 Thin and thick discs 96 4.2.2 Surface densities 97 4.3 Rotation 98 4.3.1 Oort's constants 100 4.3.2 Epicyclic motions 102 4.3.3 The velocity ellipsoid 105 4.4 Stellar populations 105 4.4.1 Colours 108 4.4.2 The init...
