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                     ​ ASTRONOMY & NATURAL HISTORY CONNECTIONS: FROM DARWIN TO EINSTEIN
 
                                                                         TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
I- GETTING CONNECTED -   In the opening chapter,  the author is conducting an astronomy tour to a university outreach group and establishes a teaching system that is easy to learn, fun, and  connects the audience (both the tour group and the reader) to the Cosmos, which is the goal. 
II - EARLY CONNECTIONS  -   Chapter II introduces the outliers throughout history that were  one step ahead in “getting it”. 

• Prehistory, Mesopotamia, China, Anasazi 
• Classical Greek Period  – Includes narrative sketches of Pythagoras, Socrates, Hippocrates, Plato Aristotle, and Euclid. 
• Hellenistic Greek Period  – Includes narrative sketches of Alexander the Great, Eratosthenes, Aristarchus, Archimedes, Hipparchus, Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy, and Galen.
• The Dark Ages   
• Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler  
• Galileo Galilei 
• Sir Isaac Newton  
• The Transit of Venus and The Lighting of the Standard Candle  – An introduction to of the history of distance measurement  in the Universe, including parallax. 

III - NATURAL CONNECTIONS  -   Chapter III introduces and greatly simplifies the fundamentals of evolutionary biology, beginning with what Darwin said and didn’t say. 

• Evolution and Natural Selection  – It’s much simpler than you think.
• What is a Species? – It’s more complex than you think.
• Exaptation – What in the World is That? 
• Why do Animals Migrate?  -  It’s one strategy, but not the only one.

• Is there Disharmony on these Islands?  - It’s a good story.

IV - STARLIGHT CONNECTIONS  -  In Chapter IV, we’re back in the astronomy classroom learning the complexities that go into being a Star, from birth inside a stellar nursery to its final days. 

• Nucleosynthesis  – The chemistry of nuclear fusion is explained in an easy-to-understand manner. 
• Nebulae – Emission, Reflection, and Dark Nebulae are discussed as well as Planetary Nebulae. 
• Red Giants – The fate of our Sun 
• White Dwarfs and Planetary Nebulae – Old age was never more beautiful.
• Type 1A Supernovae  – Explosive but useful.
• Neutron Stars and Pulsars - The odd couple.
• Heavy Metal  – No elements heavier than iron can be formed by nucleosynthesis.
•  Black Holes  - Everybody loves Black Holes.
• Star Clusters–  There’s more than one kind.
• Galaxies  – Billions and billions. 

• Groups and Clusters of Galaxies  – Way, way out there.
• Filaments, Walls, and Voids  – The structure of the Universe.

 
V – RELATIVELY RECENT CONNECTIONS  -   This Chapter takes us through the 20thCentury developments in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology. 

• The Theory of Special Relativity 
• The Theory of General Relativity 
• Einstein – The Last Thirty Years  
• Quantum Mechanics
• Hubble’s Law and our Expanding Universe 
• The Big Bang 

 
VI - WONDROUS CONNECTIONS -  In this Chapter, I share some moments and concepts that were epiphanies.

• What Exactly is Life?   
• Putting Life on Hold 
• Cold Water on the Equator? 

• When the North Pole Becomes the South Pole 
• Growing by Shrinking 
• Wandering Eyes and Sex Changes . . . In Fish 
• Incredible Breakthrough in Solar Energy – Photosynthesis 
• Survival of the Fittest Bacteria 
• Endosymbiosis Theory 

VII – FUTURE CONNECTIONS   -  We are on the verge of a lot of new discoveries.

• Dark Matter 
• Dark Energy
• Exoplanets 
• The Search for Life in the Universe  
• Genetic Switches   

·     The Next Generation of Telescopes  

• The Future of Manned and Robotic Missions Outside the Solar System.
• The Colonization of Mars – “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly”. 
• Staying Connected –The message is to maintain your curiosity, keep learning and enjoy being connected. 

 
                       

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