Description
This book on astronomical measurement takes a fresh approach to teaching the subject. After discussing some general principles, it follows the chain of measurement through atmosphere, imaging, detection, spectroscopy, timing, and hypothesis testing. The various wavelength regimes are covered in each section, emphasising what is the same, and what is different. The author concentrates on the physics of detection and the principles of measurement, aiming to make this logically coherent. The book is based on a short self contained lecture course for advanced undergraduate students developed and taught by the author over several years. Andy Lawrence is the Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests are in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), observational cosmology, survey astronomy, and e-science (the Virtual Observatory). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Preface.- Acknowledgements.- Signal, Distortion, and Noise.- The atmosphere and how to avoid it.- Mapping the Sky.- Detection of Light.- Spectroscopy.- Overview of Statistics.- Basic orbital mechanics.- References.- Glossary.- Solutions.- Index.
