Martin Beech: 9 books
The Pillars of Creation
Giant Molecular Clouds, Star Formation, and Cosmic Recycling
Language: English
Release Date: December 28, 2016
This book explores the mechanics of star formation, the process by which matter pulls together and creates new structures. Written for science enthusiasts, the author presents an accessible explanation of how stars are born from the interstellar medium and giant molecular clouds. Stars produce the...
The Large Hadron Collider
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe
Language: English
Release Date: July 29, 2010
It may at first seem that the world of subatomic physics is far removed from our every day lives. Isn’t it all just a waste of time and taxpayers' money? Hopefully, all who read this book will come to a different conclusion. Collider physics is all about our origins, and this aspect alone makes...
Alpha Centauri
Unveiling the Secrets of Our Nearest Stellar Neighbor
Language: English
Release Date: October 15, 2014
As our closest stellar companion and composed of two Sun-like stars and a third small dwarf star, Alpha Centauri is an ideal testing ground of astrophysical models and has played a central role in the history and development of modern astronomy—from the first guesses at stellar distances to understanding...
Wayward Comet:
A Descriptive History of Cometary Orbits, Kepler's Problem and the Cometarium
Language: English
Release Date: January 1, 2016
Comets have not only blazed across the celestial vault throughout human history, they have embellished the night sky since the Earth itself formed some 4.5 billion years ago. Comets were among the first-born solid bodies in the solar system, and their frozen nuclei tell of the primordial chemistry...
by Martin Beech
Language: English
Release Date: April 21, 2009
Language: English
Release Date: April 21, 2009
The word ‘‘terraforming’’ conjures up many exotic images and p- hapsevenwildemotions,butatitscoreitencapsulatestheideathat worldscanbechangedbydirecthumanaction.Theultimateaimof terraforming is to alter a hostile planetary environment into one that is Earth-like, and eventually upon the surface...
Going Underground
The Science and History of Falling through the Earth
Language: English
Release Date: March 7, 2019
This book follows the historical trail by which humanity has determined the shape and internal structure of the Earth. It is a story that bears on aspects of the history of science, the history of philosophy and the history of mathematics. At the heart of the narrative is the important philosophical...
Introducing the Stars
Formation, Structure and Evolution
Language: English
Release Date: March 28, 2019
This textbook introduces the reader to the basic concepts and equations that describe stellar structure. Various approximation techniques are used to solve equations, and an intuitive rather than rigorous approach is employed to interpret the properties of the stars. The book provides step-by-step...
The Physics of Invisibility
A Story of Light and Deception
Language: English
Release Date: October 27, 2011
The ability is see is fundamental to our very existence. How true our perceptions really are depends upon many factors, and not least is our understanding of what light is and how it interacts with matter. It was said that the camera, the icon of light recording instruments, never lies, and in the...
Reflections From the Wrong Side of the Tracks
Class, Identity, and the Working Class Experience in Academe
Language: English
Release Date: November 28, 2005
In this edited collection of narrative-based, critically situated essays, each contributor explores how class has affected his/her personal and academic lives. The collection is divided into three sections: i) narratives that critique the meritocracy; ii) narratives that trace the effects of middle...