Expert TA Astronomy eBook Offerings
Not all Introductory Astronomy textbooks or courses present material in exactly the same way. Expert TA’s editorial team began by doing a survey of different approaches and then modified the OpenStax Astronomy text into a form that worked for those approaches. The major efforts were to reorder the material in original text and often group material in different ways.
Interactive Simulations: In the Expert TA Alternate versions, dozens of interactive simulations have been incorporated. These simulations, generously provided by the Astronomy Education group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have been embedded throughout the texts.
Below are short overviews of the original OpenStax textbook, as well as our six alternate versions. If you would like access to any of these, in order to do a full review, please use the contact form to request a review copy.
Need an assessment component for your course? Explore the Expert TA Astronomy online homework platform and the interactive and engaging exercises available in our large library of questions.
OpenStax Astronomy
Expert TA, as a proud partner of OpenStax, is able to provide instructors with any edition of the original introductory Astronomy eBook. Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, Astronomy 2e is written in clear non-technical language, with the occasional touch of humor and a wide range of clarifying illustrations. It has many analogies drawn from everyday life to help non-science majors appreciate, on their own terms, what our modern exploration of the universe is revealing. The book can be used for either a one-semester or two-semester introductory course.
Astronomy by Expert TA
Based on the Astronomy textbook produced by OpenStax, Astronomy by Expert TA is a comprehensive introductory astronomy textbook written at a level optimal for students and readers with non-science backgrounds. Subjects covered within the book span the full range of topics covered in typical introductory astronomy courses, reorganized to create a more consolidated approach than the original OpenStax title. Interactive simulations produced by the Astronomy Education group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been integrated throughout, along with updated imagery from the James Webb Space Telescope and other missions at the forefront of space exploration. Each chapter is further supplemented with even more links to engaging external resources and additional helpful quantitative example problems to provide support for the novice student. This textbook is suitable for a one-semester course or a two-semester introductory sequence for non-science majors.
Astronomy Essentials
Astronomy Essentials is a streamlined one-semester introductory astronomy textbook written at a level optimal for students and readers with non-science backgrounds. This text provides an emphasis on clarity and brevity while still addressing all key topics covered in typical introductory astronomy courses. Interactive simulations produced by the Astronomy Education group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been integrated throughout, along with updated imagery from the James Webb Space Telescope and supplemented with additional links to engaging external resources for the student who is interested in discovering more beyond the book.
Planets Near and Far
Planets Near and Far introduces the student to Earth as a member of a planetary system orbiting a star. Topics covered begin with Earth’s view of the celestial sphere, ancient astronomy, essential foundational concepts about orbits and gravity, light, and observing equipment. Our solar system, as the most well-studied example of a planetary system, is comprehensively discussed. The reader will learn about how exoplanets are discovered, how those discoveries inform astronomers’ understanding about our own solar system’s formation and evolution, and what prospects exist for identifying life beyond our own world. This textbook is suitable for a one-semester course for non-science majors.
Planets and Their Stars
Planets and Their Stars introduces the student to Earth as a member of a planetary system orbiting a star. Topics covered include essential foundational concepts about orbits and gravity, light, and observing equipment. Our solar system, as the most well-studied example of a planetary system, is comprehensively discussed, along with the techniques, results, and insights from the past 30+ years of exoplanet hunting. Because planets arise as an outcome of star formation, the final portion of the book covers the study of stars and what we have learned about star formation, evolution, and demise. This textbook is suitable for a one-semester course for non-science majors.
A Universe of Stars and Galaxies
A Universe of Stars and Galaxies provides a comprehensive encounter with the processes of star formation and evolution, drawing on our understanding of the Sun – our nearest star. The sequence of topics begins with essential foundational concepts about orbits and gravity, light, and observing equipment to justify how astronomers have come to learn so much about stars throughout the Milky Way, and then builds upon this to illuminate how doing so has allowed astronomers to learn more about the Milky Way itself. Using our own Galaxy as a launching point, the final portion of the book examines what we have learned about galaxies near and far – and what this reveals about the history of our universe. This textbook is suitable for a one-semester course for non-science majors.
Galaxies and Cosmology
Galaxies and Cosmology takes a broad but detailed look across the Universe. The sequence of topics begins with essential foundational concepts about orbits and gravity, light, and observing equipment to justify how astronomers have come to learn so much about our own Galaxy. This is then used to reveal how understanding the Milky Way sheds light on other galaxies as well, whether they are in our own cosmic neighborhood or across the most distant reaches of space. Discoveries about these distant galaxies have provided great insights into the evolution of the Universe itself, and this book concludes with a detailed description of what astronomers believe this process has been like. This textbook is suitable for a one-semester course for non-science majors.