A Modern Introduction to Astrophysics : From Gravitational Waves and Exoplanets to Dark Energy
Overview
Astrophysics has been rebuilt in a single generation. Gravitational waves are detected routinely, thousands of exoplanets are catalogued, a black hole has been photographed, and the expansion of the universe is known to be accelerating. A Modern Introduction to Astrophysics is a rigorous, readable, single volume course that carries you from the physics of starlight to the research frontier, deriving every result from first principles instead of quoting it.
Sixteen chapters build the subject in logical order: radiation and spectra, celestial mechanics, stellar structure and death, nucleosynthesis, black holes and accretion, gravitational wave and multimessenger astronomy, exoplanets, the interstellar medium, the Milky Way, galaxies and active nuclei, and the hot Big Bang through dark matter and dark energy.
What sets this book apart is that it teaches you to calculate. Every chapter is anchored by worked examples built on real astronomical data: the chirp mass of GW150914, the transit of HD 209458 b, the mass of Sgr A*, the dark matter content of the Coma cluster. More than 200 precise technical diagrams and sixteen photorealistic plates turn abstract relations into physical intuition.
What's inside
- Sixteen build in order chapters covering the cosmic distance ladder, radiative transfer, stellar structure and evolution, nucleosynthesis, and the physics of light and matter.
- A compact object and strong gravity core: white dwarfs and the Chandrasekhar limit, supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, accretion disks, and the Event Horizon Telescope.
- The modern frontier in depth: gravitational waves and multimessenger astronomy (LIGO, Virgo, GW170817, standard sirens) and exoplanets (radial velocity, transits, microlensing, atmospheres, habitability).
- Galaxies and the universe: the interstellar medium, Milky Way dynamics, galaxy formation and AGN, FLRW cosmology, the CMB, dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic dawn.
- 200+ custom diagrams, each machine checked for legibility, plus 16 photorealistic plates.
- 80+ worked examples with real data, callout boxes, and 150+ chapter problems with full solutions.
- Formula appendix, glossary, and complete index.
Why this book
- Full derivations at the Carroll and Ostlie, Maoz, and Ryden level, in one affordable volume.
- Genuinely current: the black hole shadow, JWST era high redshift galaxies, the radius valley, and the Hubble tension sit alongside the classical core.
- Every concept is pinned to a numerical example with real units and real objects, then reinforced by solved problems.
- Complete solutions mean you can check every step without an instructor.
- One book covers stars, galaxies, cosmology, and the frontier, so you do not need three separate texts.
Who it's for
- Advanced undergraduates taking a first serious astrophysics course.
- Graduate students wanting a quantitative refresher across the whole field before qualifying exams.
- Physics majors and self learners with calculus and mechanics who want to derive, not just read.
- Instructors seeking a single modern text with problem sets and ready solutions.
- Researchers and engineers moving into gravitational wave, exoplanet, or cosmology work.
This item is Non-Returnable
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9798190718171
- ISBN-10: 9798190718171
- Publisher: Independently Published
- Publish Date: August 2026
- Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.99 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.48 pounds
- Page Count: 490
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