Celestial and Stellar Dynamics

An accessible starting graduate textbook for a 1-semester astrophysical dynamics course, emphasizing the most important physical principles.

Barbara Ryden (Author)

9781108836432, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 January 2025

244 pages
24.9 x 17.3 x 1.4 cm, 0.62 kg

'The book is outstanding text on dynamics of stars and planetary systems. It is an outstanding precursor text to any galaxy dynamics course and text.' Benne Holwerda, University of Louisville

Although the field of celestial dynamics – the application of Newtonian dynamics to systems with a relatively small number of celestial bodies – is centuries old, it has been reinvigorated by the discovery of thousands of exoplanetary systems orbiting other stars. This textbook uses the properties of planetary systems, including own Solar System, to illustrate the rich variety of behavior permitted by Newton's law of gravity. The textbook then expands its view to examine stellar dynamics – the study of systems containing a very large number of stars or other celestial bodies. The different techniques used for celestial dynamics and stellar dynamics are compared and contrasted. However, throughout the text, emphasis is placed on the underlying physics that applies on scales as small as the Earth–Moon system and as large as a cluster of galaxies. It is ideal for a 1-semester astrophysical dynamics course for upper-level undergraduates and starting graduate students.

Preface
1. Newtonian Dynamics
2. Three-body Systems
3. Resonances and Chaos
4. Tides
5. Exoplanetary Systems
6. Many-Body Systems
7. Orbits
8. Collisionless Stellar Systems
9. Encounters Between Stellar Systems
10. Relaxation and Collisional Systems
Appendix A: Constants and Units
Further Reading
References
Figure Credits
Index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB]