A Visual Guide to the Universe

Dazzling new images from scores of the latest planetary probes and observatories are providing a new perspective on our dynamic universe, including views such as solar magnetic storms, runaway stars, and dark matter. And thatÍs only the beginning. The fantastic scientific story behind these remarkable images is yours in these 18 lectures produced in partnership with the Smithsonian. Professor Meyer takes you from our neighborhood of the solar system to the farthest reaches of space and time, covering a wide range of telling phenomena that have made our era a golden age of astronomical discovery. As he discusses different images, youÍll learn background ideas such as the electromagnetic spectrum and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram for charting stellar evolution. YouÍll also hear about techniques for finding extrasolar planets in the glare of faraway stars and the breakthroughs that make todayÍs cutting-edge space probes and observatories possible. Among your many adventures, youÍll explore the red planet with the Mars rovers, orbit an asteroid with the Dawn space probe, solve the mystery of gamma-ray bursts with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and take an extraordinary ñbaby pictureî of the early universe with the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. In case after case, youÍll use multiple instruments to view the same object at different wavelengths, learning how each portion of the electromagnetic spectrum contains clues that let you assemble a remarkably complete picture of events happening up to billions of light-years away. With these lectures, youÍll finally have an opportunity to embark on our eraÍs greatest voyages of discovery _ all without leaving home.