The Power of Stars
Completely revised and updated, this new edition provides a readable, beautifully illustrated journey through world cultures and the vibrant array of sky mythology, creation stories, models of the universe, temples and skyscrapers that each culture has cr
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The Power of Stars Second Edition
The Power of Stars
Bryan E. Penprase
The Power of Stars Second Edition
Bryan E. Penprase Division of Science Yale-NUS College Singapore, Singapore
ISBN 978-3-319-52595-2 ISBN 978-3-319-52597-6 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-52597-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017935713 © Springer International Publishing AG 2011, 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Foreword to the Second Edition
This new edition of The Power of Stars benefits from a large number of people who have kindly offered their comments, donated photographs, and most importantly shared their impressions of the earlier draft as it has been read across the earth and used in many university courses as a textbook. Since the first edition, science and technology has also marched forward and is rapidly transforming our knowledge of the universe with new telescopes, dark matter experiments, and discoveries peering into the cosmic past and refining our understanding of our physical origins. Equally impressive progress in our study of the human past has enabled new X-ray techniques peering deep inside ancient artifacts and documents and new radars and lidar devices peering beneath the earth and penetrating jungle canopies. Since the publication of the first edition, there have been several major discoveries such as the first detection of gravitational radiation with LIGO, the measurement of cosmic background radiation with the Planck satellite, and ever-larger and more sophisticated telescopes and instruments studying supernovae, gamma ray bursts, and other mysterious sources in the night sky. These new tools have added immensely t
