Cosmology is the study of nature on the grandest scale we know: that of the Universe itself. This successful and class-tested textbook covers all the essentials: galaxies, their formation, morphology, dynamics, stellar and gaseous structure, and interactions; radio sources, quasars, and other galactic nuclei and their spectra and absorption-line systems; and the interstellar medium and the Universe on a large scale -- in short, all of extragalactic astronomy. The emphasis throughout is on data acquired at all wavelengths, thanks to modern observational techniques, and on the concepts relevant to each type of object. The authors present the thinking that lies at the heart of the newest theories and developments, including the formation of stars and spiral and barred structures, the origin of absorption lines, the properties of galaxies, and recent inflationary theories in cosmology.
Thanks to considerable progress in telescope technology in recent years, galaxies are now observed with an enlarged look-back time, and astronomers have begun recently to trace the history of star formation. These major advances are included in this revised and updated edition, together with further updates in critical areas of galactic astronomy and cosmology.

Unique in its breadth of coverage and level of presentation, this textbook provides more on the nature of galaxies, extragalactic objects, the large-scale structure of the Universe, and cosmology than is available in general textbooks on astronomy. It remains, however, accessible to advanced undergraduate students. One or more chapters are devoted to each of the following: the classification and morphology of galaxies; the galactic interstellar medium; galactic kinematics; elliptical, spiral, and barred spiral galaxies; the interactions between galaxies; extragalactic radio sources, quasars and their line spectra, and other active galactic nuclei; the formation of galaxies; the Universe as a whole; and cosmology. Thanks to considerable progress in telescopes in recent years, galaxies are now observed with an enlarged look-back time, and astronomers have begun recently to trace the history of star formation. These major advances are included in this revised edition.