The State of the Universe annuals provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science-level reader. The 2008 annual covers the year's astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System, placing them in the context of the longer-term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The book also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites.

Zusammenfassung

The aim of the State of the Universe annuals is to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every September. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The aim is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. This section also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites.

The invited contributions which make up the second half of the annual each year will cover a variety of topics and are written to appeal to a wide readership. These are written by leading astronomers or science writers.

Inhalt
A year in News... ...and Pictures: April 2006 March 2007.- A year in News... ...and Pictures: April 2006 March 2007.- Astronomers Gather in Seattle... ...The 209th American Astronomical Society Meeting.- Astronomers Gather in Seattle... ...The 209th American Astronomical Society Meeting.- Features.- The State of the Universe... ...New Steps in Expanding our Knowledge.- High-Stakes Astronomy at Low Frequencies... ...Opening Up a New Wavelength Frontier.- Where Do All the Stars Come from?... ...New Views of Star Formation with the Spitzer Space Telescope.- Chips off the Planetary Block... ...Building Planetary Debris Disks.- High-Energy Vision... ...The Chandra X-ray Observatory.- Surfing Long Waves of the Universe... ...The National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the 21st Century.- Through the Eyes of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey... ...Probing Deeper into the Milky Way Galaxy.- Reinventing the Hubble Space Telescope... ...The Next Hubble Servicing Mission.- The History and Future of Telescopes... ...400 Years from Galileo to Keck and Beyond.- Chasing a Runaway Universe... ...Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe.