Astronomy, book by book

Each book follows one part of astronomy from what you can see on a clear night to the questions astronomers are still working on. Read a book in order: every chapter needs only the ones before it. The physics behind the sky (gravity, light, heat, radiation) is taught step by step on physics.akadian.ca, and the books link to those lessons instead of repeating them.

How a chapter works

• It opens with a box saying what you will learn, which chapters you need first, and which sections are beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert. Skip the harder sections on a first read and come back later.
• Every idea comes with its reason: how it was measured, and by whom.
• Worked examples show every step.
• Check yourself ends each chapter: questions from easy to hard, each with a full answer folded under it. Try first, then open it.
• Sources sit in a closed box at the end of each section. Open it to see where a fact comes from.

The books

Book	From	To
History of astronomy	Stone circles and notched bones	Space telescopes, gravitational waves and the first picture of a black hole