電磁波のスペクトル全体を見渡す望遠鏡が収集する膨大なデータと演算能力の向上により、効率的な数学モデリングが可能となって、急速な発展を遂げた天体物理学。ミリ秒パルサーや巨大な渦巻銀河の衝突などの現象を理解する上で、物理学の基本原理の応用、相対性物理学、量子力学はどのような手がかりを与えているのか。入門書ながら緻密な解説を提供する一冊です。
　

• Provides an authoritative introduction to astrophysics, demonstrating how the laws of physics we can observe here on Earth apply to our entire universe
• Introduces the physics of phenomena such as supernovae, accretion discs and jets, and planetary systems
• Provides a succinct account of the application of special and general relativity to astrophysics

  
Astrophysics is the physics of the stars, and more widely the physics of the Universe. It enables us to understand the structure and evolution of planetary systems, stars, galaxies, interstellar gas, and the cosmos as a whole. 

In this Very Short Introduction, the leading astrophysicist James Binney shows how the field of astrophysics has expanded rapidly in the past century, with vast quantities of data gathered by telescopes exploiting all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, combined with the rapid advance of computing power, which has allowed increasingly effective mathematical modelling. He illustrates how the application of fundamental principles of physics - the consideration of energy and mass, and momentum - and the two pillars of relativity and quantum mechanics, has provided insights into phenomena ranging from rapidly spinning millisecond pulsars to the collision of giant spiral galaxies. This is a clear, rigorous introduction to astrophysics for those keen to cut their teeth on a conceptual treatment involving some mathematics.