21st Century Astronomy: The Solar System

With 21st Century Astronomy, students see the universe through the eyes of a scientist.

21st Century Astronomy’s distinctive writing style, superior art, and supporting media package all work together to teach students how science works, help students visualize basic concepts and physical processes, and keep students focused on the “big picture.”

For the Third Edition, the entire text has been reread from a student’s perspective and rewritten to eliminate jargon and ensure that the book’s hallmark tone resounds throughout every chapter. New Visual Analogy icons help students connect the textual analogies used to describe physical processes with the figures that illustrate them, and new AstroTour animations and simulations developed at the University of Nebraska provide students with opportunities for interactive learning.

Jeff Hester is professor of physics and astronomy at Arizona State University. He studies the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and external galaxies, the structure of the diffuse ISM, and supernova remnants.

Bradford Smith, who studies solar system cosmogony and stellar astronomy, is affiliated with the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.

George Blumenthal is professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He studies a wide range of topics including cosmology, dark matter, and the origin of structure in the Universe.

Laura Kay is Ann Whitney Olin professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College, where she has taught since 1991. She received a BS degree in physics from Stanford University, and MS and PhD degrees in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California– Santa Cruz. She studies active galactic nuclei, using ground-based and space telescopes. She teaches courses in astronomy, astrobiology, women and science, and polar exploration.

Howard Voss is professor of physics emeritus at Arizona State University and has been active in the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics.