An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy

An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy delves into the physical processes and properties underlining the methods used for distance determinations, travelling from our local solar neighbourhood to the edge of the Universe and defining the milestones along the way. Accurate distance measurements are of prime importance to our understanding of the fundamental properties of not only the Universe as a whole, but also of the large variety of astrophysical objects contained within it. This book illustrates theinterdependence of measurements across radically different scales and provides a clear introductory overview of the many subfields of relevance to this topic. It outlines the links between distance determination techniques and many other areas of astrophysics and cosmology, including; ¿ stellar types, star clusters and their life cycles ¿ stellar content, dynamics and evolution of galaxies ¿ the expansion, geometry and history of the Universe The focus of this text is on the physics behind distance determination methods, highlighting the effectiveness of modern techniques including up-to-date results with accounts of recent progress and detailed discussions of the uncertainties and pitfalls associated with all methods. This enables the reader to build a framework for understanding how to place observations into an astrophysical context and recognize that some key issues are open-ended.This highly valuable and practical book is not only appropriate for undergraduate and postgraduate students but also includes technical and detailed material for the more advanced reader.