Observational astronomy: a very short introduction

Until only a few decades ago, our knowledge about the Universe came entirely from observing visible light. Since then, the dramatic expansion of observable wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays, as well as neutrino and gravitational waves detectors, are revealing exploding stars, pulsars, quasars, colliding galaxies, merging black holes, extrasolar planets, and the cosmic web. New telescopes are probing into deep space and time, enabling us to glimpse the first stars and galaxies in the Universe. In this Very Short Introduction, Geoff Cottrell explores how modern observational astronomy is unlocking the mysteries of the Universe and how the close relationship it enjoys with theory, in turn, inspires new observations--back cover.