Fundamentals of Astrophysics

This concise textbook, designed specifically for a one-semester course in astrophysics, introduces astrophysical concepts to undergraduate science and engineering students with a background in college-level, calculus-based physics. The text is organized into five parts covering: stellar properties; stellar structure and evolution; the interstellar medium and star/planet formation; the Milky Way and other galaxies; and cosmology. Structured around short easily digestible chapters, instructors have flexibility to adjust their course’s emphasis as it suits them. Exposition drawn from the author’s decade of teaching his course guides students toward a basic but quantitative understanding, with ‘quick questions’ to spur practice in basic computations, together with more challenging multi-part exercises at the end of each chapter. Advanced concepts like the quantum nature of energy and radiation are developed as needed. The text’s approach and level bridge the wide gap between introductory astronomy texts for non-science majors and advanced undergraduate texts for astrophysics majors.

Author Biography

Stan Owocki is a professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware, following positions at Harvard and U.C. San Diego. He has co-authored more than 300 scientific papers, with his research focussing on mass loss from luminous, massive stars. His teaching at undergraduate to graduate levels includes the development of his flagship ‘Fundamental of Astrophysics’ course, which form the basis for this textbook.