Second Edition.
Revised and fully updated by a team of professional astronomers, this new edition of the 'Collins Dictionary of Astronomy' is now more than ever the essential guide for students, teachers and all those interested in astronomy. This dictionary includes over 3,500 entries and 100 line drawings. The book describes all major telescopes, including ground-based and space observatories, together with their instrumentation and observational techniques. Full explanations are given of the latest theories on the origin and evolution of the universe, the formation and distribution of the galaxies, and the birth and death of stars.