3C36: COSMOLOGY AND EXTRAGALACTIC ASTRONOMY


There are no required books for the course, and the lectures are based on a wide range of source material. Among others, I made use of the following books (Jan 2004 "Amazon" prices in brackets).

  • An Introduction to Modern Cosmology by Andrew Liddle (Wiley). First-rate volume covering the cosmological topics in out course at exactly our (non-GR) level. (£17.99; Don Davis has substantially discounted copies.)
  • An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei (Bradley M. Peterson; CUP, paperback, £25.56). If you're going to buy a book, and only one book, then this is the one I'd go for. Comprehensive and readable account of AGN from an observer's viewpoint, but includes a concise and clear review of basic cosmological issues (using slightly different terminology from that adopted in lectures). Good value for money.
    N.B. There are several books with titles very similar to this one. Be sure to get Peterson!

  • Physical Cosmology (P.J.E. Peebles; Princeton, 1971) is an excellent standard work in the field, and is at just the right level for our course. Out of print, but available in the library. I'm in the market for a second-hand copy if you find one!
  • Principles of Physical Cosmology (P.J.E. Peebles; Princeton University Press, paperback, £25.93) is the follow-up to 'Physical Cosmology.' The source book for advanced topics in cosmology. Too technical to form a basis for this course (lots of GR!), but worth browsing as background reading.
  • Cosmology, 3rd edition (M. Rowan-Robinson; OUP, paperback, £22.99). A handy little book, useful for our course, although it needlessly spends the first quarter of its pages on very elementary general-astronomy topics.
  • Introduction to Cosmology, 2nd edition (M. Roos; Wiley, £34.95) is intermediate between Peebles and Rowan-Robinson; a slightly different (more mathematical) treatment than ours, but a very nice text.

    Remarkably, there is a dearth of good, up-to-date books on the structure and properties of galaxies. A very recent addition to the market (and one which looks to be very good) is
    Galaxies in the Universe (Sparke & Galagher, CUP; £23.95).

    Two excellent `classics' are:

  • Galactic Astronomy, Structure and Kinematics (Mihalas & Binney; Freeman), and
  • Galactic Dynamics (Binney & Tremaine; Princeton).
    These rather old books are being replaced by revised editions; so far the only volume available is Galactic Astronomy (Binney & Merrifield; Princeton £32.95).
    There is also
  • Galaxies: Structure and Evolution (R.J. Tayler). Although available in a 1996 edition, this book is nonetheless slightly dated out of print?); it's also written for a slightly less sophisticated readership than 3rd-year undergraduates, but still has some useful stuff.

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