Chapter-1 Sun and Heliosphere

I feel extremely happy in presenting first edition of Introductory Astrophysics and Space Science of this standard treatise to students and Professors. Physics is an indispensable part of training of our budding engineers and technologists. Each chapter has been completely written to reflect what I have learned in last few years of teaching the subject and research in this field. Simplified development of each topic to improve the subject understanding. Presentation of fundamental concepts in simplified language. Well illustrated diagrams. The book not only covers the entire scope of the subject but explains the philosophy of the subject. This makes the understanding of this subject clearer and makes it more interesting. The book will be very useful not only to the students but also to the subject teachers. The students have to omit nothing and possibly have to cover nothing more. We wish to express our profound thanks to all those who helped making this book a reality. Much needed moral support and encouragement is provided on numerous occasions by our whole family. We wish to thank the publisher and the entire team of Technical Publications who have taken immense pain to get this book in time and with quality printing. I am grateful to Professors and students for their valuable suggestions and favorable appreciations. In spite of my best efforts, some errors and omissions might have crept in such a volume. I shall feel obliged if they are brought in my notice and will be corrected in next edition. I hope that all its unique features, the book will definitely cater to the needs of students and professors.