A Question and Answer Guide to Astronomy

Carol Christian is a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), Baltimore. She is the Hubble Space Telescope Outreach Project Scientist, supporting the Hubble Space Telescope mission in all things regarding information for the media, educators and the general public. She also is a co-host of the Hubble Hangouts series held weekly and participates in a number of podcasts on iTunes. In previous years she was the Head of the Office of Public Outreach at STScI and established a number of internet educational and outreach initiatives. Jean-René Roy is a retired astronomer who was professor at Université Laval, Québec from 1977 to 2000. Since then he has served as Deputy Director and Head of Science at the Gemini Observatory in Hawai'i and Chile, worked at the Large Facilities Office of the US National Science Foundation and finally at the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore. He has carried out research on the Sun, the interstellar medium, and the evolution of gas-rich galaxies.

Preface; 1. The sky viewed from Earth; 2. The Earth and Moon system; 3. The Solar System; 4. Stars and stellar systems; 5. Galaxies and the Universe; 6. Life in the Universe; 7. Amateur astronomy; 8. Telescopes and instruments; Unit conversion and basic physical and astronomical measurements; References; Bibliography; Index.