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Astronomy Textbook Recommendations
Contents
High School
Prerequisites: Intro Physics and Calculus
- Carroll and Ostlie - An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics
Undergraduate
Stellar Physics
- Phillips - The Physics of Stars
- Clayton - Principles of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis
- Schwarzschild - Structure and Evolution of the Stars
- Hansen, Kawaler, and Trimble - Stellar Interiors: Physical Principles, Structure, and Evolution
- Jean-Louis & Monique Tassoul - A Concise History of Solar and Stellar Physics (Interesting read to gain insight into how the field developed into its modern form)
Compact Objects
- Shapiro and Teukolsky - Black Holes, White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars: The Physics of Compact Objects
- Glendenning - Compact Stars: Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, and General Relativity
High Energy Astrophysics
- Rosswog and Brüggen - Introduction to High Energy Astrophysics
- Melia - High-Energy Astrophysics
- Peterson - An Introduction to Active Galactic Nuclei
- Frank, King, and Raine - Accretion Power in Astrophysics
Cosmology
- Ryden - Introduction to Cosmology
- Dodelson - Modern Cosmology
- Weinberg - Cosmology
- Peacock - Cosmological Physics
- Kolb & Turner - The Early Universe
Galaxies
- Sparke and Gallagher - Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction [Errata]
- Mo, van den Bosch, and White - Galaxy Formation and Evolution [Errata]
- Binney and Tremaine - Galactic Dynamics
Radiative Processes
- Rybicki and Lightman - Radiative Processes in Astrophysics
- Chandrasekhar - Radiative Transfer (Dover Books)
Interstellar Matter
- Draine - Physics of the Interstellar and Intergalactic Medium
- Osterbrock and Ferland - Astrophysics Of Gaseous Nebulae And Active Galactic Nuclei
- Tielens - The Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium
Observational Astronomy
- Chromey - To Measure the Sky: An Introduction to Observational Astronomy
- Birney, Gonzalez, and Oesper - Observational Astronomy
Radio Astronomy
- Kraus - Radio Astronomy
- Burke and Graham-Smith - An introduction to Radio Astronomy
- Rohlfs - Tools of Radio Astronomy (reference)
- Thompson, Moran and Swenson Jr. - Interferometry and Synthesis in Radio Astronomy (advanced)
Celestial Mechanics and Planetary Dynamics
- Moulton - An Introduction to Celestial Mechanics (Dover Books on Astronomy) (Dated from 1914 but still a good read)
- Murray and Dermott - Solar System Dynamics [Errata]
See also the MAE's Orbital Mechanics books
General Relativity
- Hartle - Gravity: An Introduction to Einstein's General Relativity
- Schutz - A First Course in General Relativity
- d'Inverno - Introducing Einstein's Relativity
- Carroll - Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity (Intermediate level)
- Wald - General Relativity (Advanced)
- Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (MTW) - Gravitation (Bible)