Galaxies are the fundamental units of cosmic matter that make up the universe and they change in remarkable ways over 13.7 billion years of cosmic time. We are just now discovering how galaxies we can see over these billions of years are evolving from small, star forming systems to larger, more massive and passive systems at later times. This book explains the structural evolution of galaxies, how we measure it, how these measurements change with time, and how observing this reveals important information about galaxy formation and evolution. It also explains the future of the field through the use of machine learning tools, and how galaxy structure can be used as a new approach to measure unique features of the universe, such as cosmological properties and parameters.

Galaxies are the fundamental units of cosmic matter that make up the universe and they change in remarkable ways over 13.7 billion years of cosmic time. We are just now discovering how galaxies we can see over these billions of years are evolving from small, star forming systems to larger, more massive and passive systems at later times. This book explains the structural evolution of galaxies, how we measure it, how these measurements change with time, and how observing this reveals important information about galaxy formation and evolution. It also explains the future of the field through the use of machine learning tools, and how galaxy structure can be used as a new approach to measure unique features of the universe, such as cosmological properties and parameters.

The Structure and Evolution of Galaxies is a concise introduction to this fascinating subject providing the reader with the fundamentals in a clear and accessible style. This user-friendly text assumes some prerequisite knowledge of astronomy, with the necessary mathematics kept to a minimum. Beginning with an introduction to the existence of our own external galaxies, the book moves on to discuss how perceptions of galaxy development have changed over time. The three categories of galaxies are then discussed with later chapters considering their formation and evolution. The book concludes with an overview of both current developments in the field and considers the direction of future research. Clear and accessible introduction to this dynamic subject Introduces definitions of key terms and puts them in context Includes current research and future developments in the field Appendix of basic definitions to clarify key concepts An invaluable text for students of astronomy and physics

A coherent introduction for researchers in astronomy, particle physics, and cosmology on the formation and evolution of galaxies.

Chaisson addresses some of the most basic issues we can contemplate: the origin of matter and the origin of life, and the ways matter, life, and radiation interact and change with time. He designs for us an expansive yet intricate model depicting the origin and evolution of all material structures.

Galaxies are large systems of stars, some of which contain interstellar gas and dust. They also contain much invisible matter, which may be in the form of weakly interacting elementary particles. In this introductory textbook, the first chapter introduces the study of galaxies. This is followed by two chapters on observations of galaxies, including our own. There are then three chapters on galactic structure: the manner in which motions of stars determine galactic shape, the determination of galactic masses, and the structure of discs in spirals. Galactic evolution, especially changes in chemical composition over time, is covered. The book concludes with a discussion of the origin of galaxies and their relation to more general questions in cosmology. The book includes mathematical presentation where this enables the discussion to be quantitative.