This comprehensive textbook for the two-term course focuses students on not only the foundational concepts of astronomy but on the process of scientific discovery itself--how we know what we know about the cosmos. Engagingly written and filled helpful pedagogical tools, the book also excels at dispelling widely held misconceptions and helping students avoid common pitfalls as they explore the heavens.
About the Author: Roger A. Freedman is a Lecturer in Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Freedman was an undergraduate at the University of California campuses in San Diego and Los Angeles, and did his doctoral research in theoretical nuclear physics at Stanford University under the direction of Professor J. Dirk Walecka. He came to UCSB in 1981 after three years teaching and doing research at the University of Washington.
At UCSB, Dr. Freedman has taught in both the Department of Physics and the College of Creative Studies, a branch of the university intended for highly gifted and motivated undergraduates. He has published research in nuclear physics, elementary particle physics, and laser physics. In recent years, he has helped to develop computer-based tools for learning introductory physics and astronomy and helped pioneer the use of classroom response systems and the "flipped" classroom model at UCSB. He is co-author of three introductory textbooks: University Physics (Pearson), Universe (Freeman), and Investigating Astronomy (Freeman).
Dr. Freedman holds a commercial pilot's license. He was one of the early organizers of the San Diego Comic-Con, now the world's largest popular culture convention. His likeness has appeared as a supervillian and mad scientist in both DC and Marvel Comics.
Robert M. Geller teaches and conducts research in astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he also obtained his Ph.D.
His doctoral research was in observational cosmology under Professor Robert Antonucci. Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, he is currently involved in a search for bursts of light that are predicted to occur when a supermassive black hole consumes a star. His other project, in biomedicine,
explores the use of magnetotactic bacteria to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy in treating cancer. Dr. Geller also has a strong emphasis on education, and he received the Distinguished Teaching Award at UCSB in 2003.
His hobbies include rock climbing, and he built an unusual telescope
with lenses made of water. William J. Kaufman III was author of the first four editions of "Universe." Born in New York City on December 27, 1942, he often visited the magnificent Hayden Planetarium as he was growing up. Dr. Kaufmann earned his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in physics from Adelphi University in 1963, a master's degree in physics from Rutgers in 1965, and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Indiana University in 1968. At 27 he became the youngest director of any major planetarium in the United States when he took the helm of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. During his career he also held positions at San Diego State University, UCLA, Caltech, and the University of Illinois. Throughout his professional life as a scientist and educator, Dr. Kaufmann worked to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public to help the public share in the advances of astronomy. A prolific author, his many books include "Black Holes and Warped Spacetime, Relativity and Cosmology, The Cosmic Frontiers of General Relativity, Exploration of the Solar System, Planets and Moons, Stars and Nebulas, Galaxies and Quasars," and "Supercomputing and the Transformation of Science." Dr. Kaufmann died in 1994."
