Theoretical Textbooks
Astronomy: Principles and Practice
by A.E. Roy and D. Clarke.
The book provides several straightforward mathematical tools, and
discusses some simple physical processes that are either involved in the
astronomer's tools of trade or concerned in the mechanisms associated with astronomical bodies.
The first six chapters introduce the simple observations that can be
made by the eye as well as discuss how such observations were
interpreted by previous civilizations. The next several chapters examine
the interpretation of positional measurements and the basic principles
of celestial mechanics. The authors then explore radiation, optical
telescopes, and radio and high-energy technologies.
To download the book, Click here.
An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics
by Bradley W. Carroll, Dale A. Ostlie.
An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics reflects the dramatic changes and advancements in astrophysics that have occurred over the past decade. This is an excellent text book introducing all the essentials of modern astrophysics, in a clear and systematic way. The book is much more theoretical, and full to the brim with useful equations, facts, theorems, definitions, lots of worked examples, plenty of problems to challenge you. An excellent book to prepare for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA).
To download the book, Click here.
Fundamental Astronomy
by H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, K. Donner.
Fundamental Astronomy is a well-balanced, comprehensive introduction to classical and modern astronomy.
While emphasizing both the astronomical concepts and the underlying
physical principles, the text provides a sound basis for more profound
studies in the astronomical sciences. Long considered a standard text
for physical science majors, Fundamental Astronomy is also an excellent
reference work for dedicated amateur astronomers. The exercises of this book are really helpful for astronomy olympiad.
To download the book, Click here.
Schaum's Outline of Astronomy
by Stacey Palen.
This book is for the beginners of astronomy, but it will give you
hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test
your skills. I'll suggest this book to
those kids who are really interested to take part in the Astronomy Olympiad but haven't read any astronomy textbook before. Although the difficulty level of the problems is easy, it'll help you to have a good starting.
To download the book, Click here.
A Problem Book in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Editor: Aniket Sule.
This book contains a compilation of problems and solutions from
International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (2007-2012). The
problems are decorated topic wise, i.e.
Celestial Mechanics, Optics and Detectors, Galactic Astrophysics, etc.
This book is highly recommended for those who are aspiring to
participate in the National Astronomy Olympiad or IOAA. You need to have a clear idea about the astrophysical concepts, then this book
will come in handy.
Astronomy: A Physical Perspective
by Marc L. Kutner
Starting with the simplest objects, Astronomy: A Physical Perspective contains explanations of
how and why astronomical phenomena occur, and how astronomers collect
and interpret information about stars, galaxies and the solar system.
The text looks at the properties of stars, star formation and evolution;
neutron stars and black holes; the nature of galaxies; and the
structure of the universe. It examines the past, present and future
states of the universe; and final chapters use the concepts that have
been developed to study the solar system, its formation; the possibility
of finding other planetary systems; and the search for extraterrestrial
life. This comprehensive text contains useful equations, chapter
summaries, worked examples and end-of-chapter problem sets.
To download the book, Click here.
Astrophysical Concepts
by Martin Harwit
This classic text presents a quantitative understanding of a range of
astrophysical concepts. Emphasizing physical concepts, the book outlines
cosmic events but does not portray them in detail. Instead, it provides
a series of astrophysical sketches showing how to obtain quantitative
insights into the structure and evolution of stars, the dynamics of
cosmic gases, the large-scale behavior of the universe, and the origins
of life. This book strikes a nice balance between mathematical sophistication
and generality, but it can be a little difficult to read in places,
particularly for someone without a strong physics background.
To download the book, Click here.
Astronomy: Structure of the Universe
by A. E. Roy and D. Clarke
Astronomy: Structure of the Universe is the second textbook
written by Roy and Clarke. The
introductory companion volume of this book is Astronomy: Principles and Practice. This volume, Astronomy: Structure of the Universe describes the observable features
of the universe. The first part describes our Solar System and its
members, giving special attention to the Sun, Earth and Moon. The second
part treats the nature of matter and its behavior in stellar bodies
and interstellar matter under a wide range of physical conditions. The
third part discusses our Galaxy in detail before considering external
galaxies and ending with questions of cosmology and cosmogony.
To buy the book, click here.
An Introduction to Mechanics
by Daniel Kleppner and Robert Kolenkow
This is a classic text on the principles of classical mechanics. The
explanations are clear, concise and the examples are illuminating. For 40 years, Kleppner and Kolenkow's text has introduced
students to the principles of mechanics.
To download the book, click
here.
A Student's Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy
by Daniel Fleisch and Julia Kregenow
This is another book for the the beginners of Astronomy. The authors address topics that students find most troublesome, on
subjects ranging from stars and light to gravity and black holes. Dozens
of fully worked examples and over 150 exercises and homework problems
help readers get to grips with the concepts in each chapter. An
accompanying website features a host of supporting materials, including
interactive solutions for every exercise and problem in the text and a
series of video podcasts in which the authors explain the important
concepts of every section of the book.
To download the book, click
here.
Observational Textbooks
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
by Roger W. Sinnott
Perfect for experienced stargazers and
beginners alike, Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas will have you exploring
the heavens in no time. Sky & Telescope’s celestial atlases are the
standard by which all other star atlases have been judged for a half century.
This is the handiest detailed atlas around.
To download the book, click
here.
To get more Astronomy Olympiad preparatory materials, CLICK HERE.
Course Notes
Introduction to Astronomy
by Professor Ronen PlesserIntroduction to Astronomy is an amazing astronomy course by Professor Ronen Plesser of Duke University. The course is offered through Coursera, an online learning platform. This is an ideal course for the students who are preparing for astronomy Olympiad.
Here are the notes from Olivier Henry (henry@alumni.caltech.edu), based on Introduction to Astronomy course. These notes cover most of the topics needed to learn for astronomy olympiad. I hope it'll help most of you.
