Description
Springer Space Invaders by Michel Van Pelt
Manned space programs attract the most media attention, and it is not hard to understand why: the danger, the heroism, the sheer adventure we as earthbound observers can imagine when humans are involved. But robotic missions deserve a respectful and detailed history and analysis of their own, and this book provides it. Instead of describing one specific spacecraft or mission, Michel van Pelt offers a "behind the scenes" look at the life of a space probe from its first conceptual design to the analysis of the scientific data returned by the spacecraft. Introduction - What is a galaxy? - Galaxies in general - the difference between 'ordinary' and active galaxies.The panoply of active galaxies: (Quasars, QSOs, Radio galaxies, BL Lacs, Blazars, LINERS, ULIRGS, Seyfert galaxies, Starburst galaxies, N galaxies, etc.) - what they are and what they do. (The images of many active galaxies are beautiful and spectacular, and the inclusion of a significant number of colour photographs is essential to the book.).Active galaxies across the spectrum (activities and behaviours at radio, infrared, ultra-violet, x-ray and gamma ray wavelengths) Explosions and jets - Multiple jets and why there is sometimes only one jet.Faster than light - superluminal motions and how they occur.The central black holes - Evidence for their existence - nature and properties of super-massive BHs - Jets and accretion disks - Energy sources - how BHs produce the features of active galaxies - how the BHs form.Could the Milky Way become an Active galaxy? - and what would happen to life on Earth? - What will happen when the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy collide in 3,000 million years?Observing active galaxies using small telescopes.Observing data (positions, magnitudes etc.) for the brighter active galaxies.Bibliography / web site list