Three eminent scientists, each well known for the clarity of their writing, present for students and researchers what is known about the internal structure, origin and evolution of White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes, all objects at the final stage of stellar evolution. They cover fascinating topics such as pulsation of white dwarfs, millisecond pulsars or the dynamics around black holes. The book is written for graduate students in astrophysics, but is also of interest to professional astronomers and physicists.

The visible universe is a small perturbation on the material universe. Zwicky and Sinclair Smith in the 1930s gave evidence of invisible mass in the Coma and Virgo Clusters of Galaxies. Better optical data has only served to confound their critics and the X-ray data confirms that the gravitational potentials are many times larger than those predicted on the basis of the observed stars. Dynamical analyses of individual galaxies have found that significant extra mass is needed to explain their rotational velocities. On much larger scales, tens of megaparsecs, there is suggestive evidence that there is even more mass per unit luminosity. What is this non-luminous stuff of which the universe is made'? How much of it is there? Need there be only one kind of stuff? There are three basic possi bili ties:- all of it is ordinary (baryonic) matter, all of it is some other kind of (non-baryonic) matter, or some of it is baryonic and some is non-baryonic.

IAU Symposium 101, Supernova Remnants and Their X-ray Emission, was held on the Island of San Giorgio, Venice, 30 August - 2 September 1982. It was co-sponsored by the National Research Council, Italy, the University of Padua, the Observatory of Padua, and the International Astronomical Union, and was hosted by the Cini Foundation. The contents of this volume show the wide range of disciplines that are involved in supernova remnant research. Many new results were presented, not only from the X-ray observations from the Einstein Observatory but also from observations at optical and radio wavelengths. This has led to the stimulation of theoretical work, much of which attempts to accommodate in a more unified way all of these observations. Research on supernova remnants of all ages was reported. Perhaps the most impressive part of all this work is the way in which observations at all wavelengths have extended well outside the Galaxy to other members of the Local Group and beyond. The Symposium was attended by scientists from 15 countries. Twenty five invited papers and sixty-eight shorter contributions were presented during the 4-day meeting. Thirty-three of these shorter contributions were presented in poster sessions. This volume contains almost all (89) of those contributions. They are followed by discussions which took place after each verbal presentation. Since the availability of the discussions was left to the individual contributors, they are not complete, but those contained in this volume convey some idea of the nature of the exchanges.

Stellar evolution refers to the process by which a star changes over the course of time. This field of astrophysics studies the formation, life, and death of stars, which involves a series of complex physical processes and transformations. Here, we outline the key stages and concepts in stellar evolution. Stars form from giant molecular clouds, regions rich in gas and dust. Under the influence of gravity, these clouds collapse and fragment, leading to the formation of dense cores. When a core reaches a critical density, nuclear fusion ignites in its center, giving birth to a protostar. Once nuclear fusion stabilizes, converting hydrogen into helium in the core, the star enters the main sequence phase. This is the longest stage in a star's life, where it remains in hydrostatic equilibrium, with gravitational forces balanced by radiation pressure from fusion. The duration of this phase depends on the star's mass. Low-mass stars, such as red dwarfs, can remain on the main sequence for tens to hundreds of billions of years. Intermediate-mass stars, like our Sun, stay on the main sequence for about 10 billion years. High-mass stars, such as blue giants, have much shorter main sequence lifespans, ranging from a few million to tens of millions of years.

Contains two reviews of astrophysical interest: Supernovae and Supernova Remnants, and Observations of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts. (NW) Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"This book: Provides extensive grounding in key issues of astrophysics, chemistry, biology and geophysics; over 150 images and illustrations; exercises for each chapter, ranging from straightforward calculation problems to more far-ranging research-oriented exercises; an online component for users that includes new exercises and a continually updated blog of late-breaking scientific news items, fully cross referenced with the book; and extensive bibliographies for each chapter."--BOOK JACKET.

Spectacular observational breakthroughs, particularly by the WMAP satellite, have led to a new epoch of CMB science long after its original discovery. Taking a physical approach, the authors of this volume probe the problem of the 'darkness' of the Universe: the origin and evolution of dark energy and matter in the cosmos. Starting with the observational background of modern cosmology, they provide an accessible review of this fascinating yet complex subject. Topics discussed include the kinetics of the electromagnetic radiation in the Universe, the ionization history of cosmic plamas, the origin of primordial perturbations in light of the inflation paradigm, and the formation of anisotropy and polarization of the CMB. This fascinating review will be valuable to advanced students and researchers in cosmology.

This authoritative textbook - the second volume of a comprehensive three-volume course on theoretical astrophysics - deals with stellar physics. Designed to help graduate students and researchers develop an understanding of the key physical processes governing stars and stellar systems, it teaches the fundamentals, and then builds on them to give the reader an in-depth understanding of advanced topics. The book's modular design allows the chapters to be approached individually, yet seamless transitions create a coherent and connected whole. It can be used alone or in conjunction with Volume I, which covers a wide range of astrophysical processes, and the forthcoming Volume III, on galaxies and cosmology. After reviewing the key observational results and nomenclature used in stellar astronomy, the book develops a solid understanding of central concepts including stellar structure and evolution, the physics of stellar remnants, pulsars, binary stars, the sun and planetary systems, interstellar medium and globular clusters. Throughout, the reader's comprehension is developed and tested with more than seventy-five exercises. This indispensable volume provides graduate students with a self-contained introduction to stellar physics, and will allow them to master the material sufficiently to read and engage in research with heightened understanding.

Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astronomy and astrophysics. It starts with a detailed discussion of our nearest star, the Sun, and describes how solar physicists have come to understand its internal workings. It then considers how astronomers go about studying the basic physical properties and life-cycles of more distant stars, and culminates with a discussion of the formation of exotic objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, and illustrated in colour throughout, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur astronomers as well as undergraduate students. It contains numerous helpful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. The book is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials.

The first of its kind, the Symposium on the Future of the Universe and the Future of our Civilization examined the current status and future evolution of the Universe, the Galaxy, the stars and the Sun. Among the major subjects of discussion were: (1) How was our Universe born? (2) How do the Sun and the stars evolve? (3) What is the destiny of the solar system and the Universe? (4) What are the origins and the future of the biosphere of the Earth? (5) What are the prospects of survival of human civilization?Special attention was devoted to analysis of humanitarian and philosophical problems of evolution of humankind on the planet Earth and in the Universe. Among them were methodological, economic, sociological and medical aspects of the progress of civilization. Scientists from different countries put forward some practical proposals, including those describing the possible ways out of the systemic crisis of our civilization.