人類は有史以来、宇宙の謎を解き明かそうとしてきました。たった数十年前まで観測には可視光のみが使用されてきましたが、電波、赤外線、紫外線、X線、ガンマ線など電磁波のあらゆる波長が用いられるようになり、宇宙に対する理解は大きく進展しました。そして今、光を超えた新しい方法での研究が進められています。『Telescopes』から書名を改めた改訂版は、ニュートリノと重力波の情報がもたらした変革や、観測への物理学の法則の応用が重要性、また観測データがどのように知識化され、その理論がいかに新たな観測へとつなげられているかを解説します。
  

• Up-to-date introduction to observing the cosmos, including the most recent scientific results and techniques for detecting neutrinos and gravitational waves
• Explains the underlying physical principles, highlighting the intimate relationship between observation and theory
• Describes the evidence we have gleaned about the Universe, the prospects for future discoveries, and how these relate to the remaining key unsolved problems

        
Almost everything we know about the Universe has come from studying the messages carried by light from outer space. Until only a handful of decades ago, this meant observing optical photons in the narrow visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, recent technological developments have now enabled us to extend this range and explore the Universe at radio, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths. The observations reveal a plethora of exotic phenomena such as young galaxies at the edge of the visible Universe, quasars, pulsars, colliding galaxies, and exploding stars, often at great distances. We have discovered that the Universe is expanding and that the expansion itself is accelerating. Closer to our home planet, we track killer asteroids and comets. Working closely together, observational astronomy and astrophysics have shown us how stars produce their energy, where the chemical elements come from, how black holes form, and how the giant supermassive black holes lurking in the hearts of galaxies spew immensely powerful jets of particles and energy thousands of light years out into space.
    
And we now have new ways beyond light to probe the mysteries of the Universe. This Very Short Introduction describes how neutrinos and gravitational waves are revolutionizing our knowledge. How do we know all this? Advances in telescope technologies offer a partial explanation, but technology alone is not enough. Unlocking the secrets of the Universe also involves the critical application of the laws of physics to the observations. Cottrell describes how we are turning observations into knowledge and how theory, in turn, is inspiring new observations.