This textbook presents a comprehensive and didactic discussion of the observations of stars and planetary systems. Aimed at upper-undergraduate and graduate students of astrophysics and scientists and researchers, alike, this textbook brings together the clarity of a traditional teaching approach with the excitement of today’s scientific discoveries.

Over the past decade, large surveys that measure the positions, motions, spectra, and images of stars—together with new spacecraft exploring the Solar System and major advances in exoplanet research—have greatly deepened our understanding of the universe. These rapid developments highlight the need for a book that draws on real observations and explains what they reveal about the physical world.

The book starts with fundamental concepts and develops them to the graduate-level detail. The reader is encouraged to delve deeper into the covered material independently. Numerous figures, illustrations and analogies will be especially valuable to students as they develop curriculum assignments or prepare visual materials for their own projects. Suggested discussion topics at the end of each chapter and over 650 cited references contribute to the same goal.