Astronomy is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of one- or two-semester introductory astronomy courses. The book begins with relevant scientific fundamentals and progresses through an exploration of the solar system, stars, galaxies and cosmology. The Astronomy textbook builds student understanding through the use of relevant analogies, clear and non-technical explanations, and rich illustrations. Mathematics is included in a flexible manner to meet the needs of individual instructors.

1 Science and the Universe: A Brief Tour

2 Observing the Sky: The Birth of Astronomy

3 Orbits and Gravity

4 Earth, Moon, and Sky

5 Radiation and Spectra

6 Astronomical Instruments

7 Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System

8 Earth as a Planet

9 Cratered Worlds

10 Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars

11 The Giant Planets

12 Rings, Moons, and Pluto

13 Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System

14 Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System

15 The Sun: A Garden-Variety Star

16 The Sun: A Nuclear Powerhouse

17 Analyzing Starlight

18 The Stars: A Celestial Census

19 Celestial Distances

20 Between the Stars: Gas and Dust in Space

21 The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System

22 Stars from Adolescence to Old Age

23 The Death of Stars

24 Black Holes and Curved Spacetime

25 The Milky Way Galaxy

26 Galaxies

27 Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes

28 The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies

29 The Big Bang

30 Life in the Univers