Description:

This invaluable book, now in its second edition, covers a wide range of topics appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in astrophysics. The book conveys a deep and coherent understanding of the stellar phenomena, and basic astrophysics of stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and other heavenly bodies of interest.

Since the first appearance of the book in 1997, significant progress has been made in different branches of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The second edition takes into account the developments of the subject which have taken place in the last decade. It discusses the latest introduction of L and T dwarfs in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram (or H-R diagram). Other developments discussed pertain to standard solar model, solar neutrino puzzle, cosmic microwave background radiation, Drake equation, dwarf galaxies, ultra compact dwarf galaxies, compact groups and cluster of galaxies.

Problems at the end of each chapter motivate the students to go deeper into the topics. Suggested readings at the end of each chapter have been complemented.

Contents:
Foreword • Preface • Preface to the First Edition
1. ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS
2. BASIC PHYSICS
3. MAGNITUDES, MOTIONS AND DISTANCES OF STARS
4. SPECTRAL CLASSIFICATION OF STARS
5. THE SUN
6. ATMOSPHERE OF STARS
7. BINARY AND MULTIPLE STARS
8. VARIABLE STARS
9. ERUPTING AND EXPLODING STARS
10. MORE STARS OF INTEREST
11. CLUSTERS AND ASSOCIATIONS OF STARS
12. GALACTIC NEBULAE
13. INTERSTELLAR MATTER
14. STRUCTURE AND EVOLUTION OF STARS
15. NEUTRON STARS AND BLACK HOLES
16. OUR GALAXY
17. EXTERNAL GALAXIES
18. CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES
19. RADIO GALAXIES
20. QUASARS
21. COSMOLOGY
22. BIOASTRONOMY