Galactic Astronomy

This is the definitive treatment of the phenomenology of galaxies--a
clear and comprehensive volume that takes full account of the
extraordinary recent advances in the field. The book supersedes the
classic text Galactic Astronomy that James Binney wrote with Dimitri
Mihalas, and complements Galactic Dynamics by Binney and Scott
Tremaine. It will be invaluable to researchers and is accessible to
any student who has a background in undergraduate physics.

The
book draws on observations both of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and
of external galaxies. The two sources are complementary, since the
former tends to be highly detailed but difficult to interpret, while
the latter is typically poorer in quality but conceptually simpler to
understand. Binney and Merrifield introduce all astronomical concepts
necessary to understand the properties of galaxies, including
coordinate systems, magnitudes and colors, the phenomenology of stars,
the theory of stellar and chemical evolution, and the measurement of
astronomical distances. The book's core covers the phenomenology of
external galaxies, star clusters in the Milky Way, the interstellar
media of external galaxies, gas in the Milky Way, the structure and
kinematics of the stellar components of the Milky Way, and the
kinematics of external galaxies.

Throughout, the book emphasizes
the observational basis for current understanding of galactic
astronomy, with references to the original literature. Offering both
new information and a comprehensive view of its subject, it will be an
indispensable source for professionals, as well as for graduate
students and advanced undergraduates.