Reddit mentions of An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics

The textbooks recommended in the intro Astronomy class here are An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by Carroll & Ostlie and Foundations of Astrophysics. I've never read through either, but apparently the first one is much more detailed.

The older edition of Modern Astrophysics is significantly cheaper and will fit your purposes just as well: 1st Edition Carroll

Astronomy is actually a subject where if you have some math background, a few physics classes, and a real outward passion, a grad program can craft you into a pretty competent researcher. Look into graduate programs in astronomy; I've known multiple graduate students who started off in electrical engineering or psychology, and then changed their mind and came over to grad school. If you start taking night courses in some basic college math (multi-variate calculate, linear algebra, differential equations), you'll show the grad student acceptance committee that you care about this. Start learning on your own - I recommend picking up Carroll & Ostlie's "Modern Astrophysics," which you can find used for around 20 to 30 dollars on amazon, if not cheaper. Yes, you can be an astronomer, but it'll take hard work and a little bit of luck with the committees.

There's an excellent foundational book for the physics involved if you're interested.

An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by B.W.Carroll and D.A.Ostlie, otherwise known as the BOB (Big Orange Book), covers just about everything you might want to know, from our first looks skyward, through kepler and newton, on to relativity and on into the details of various astronomical phenomena and the techniques used to detect and measure them. It's not completely up to date (the latest revision was in 1995) but it'll get you up to the point where you can surf through arXiv with all the background you'll need to understand what's been said over the last 17 years.

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Modern-Astrophysics-Bradley-Carroll/dp/0201547309

Astronomy, not astrology! :P

Anyway, our "Bible" is Carroll & Ostlie, it's solid and covers everything. You'll need to have probably finished 1st year physics first though.

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Modern-Astrophysics-Bradley-Carroll/dp/0201547309

I'm using this book for a project at the moment. It's heavy on physical elements in space rather than just facts about stars, planets, etc. but it's been informative so far. You'd probably do best with an entry level physics course before reading this book (and I'd recommend trying to find it in a school/library rather than buying it straight out because you might just not like it).

Good luck with this though, space is really cool and filled with fun stuff to see and puzzles to unravel.

As /u/UltraVioletCatastro mentioned, the Big Orange Book (BOB) is the de facto undergraduate text for introductory astronomy (at least from a physics perspective). As others have pointed out, it is ridiculously expensive. There is a first edition on Amazon as well. For a purely introductory first-read, it will suffice. If you are interested in specific numbers about the Milky Way (e.g., its stellar mass, how many arms it has, etc.) or our current measurements on cosmology, you will need a more modern book. The BOB contains a nice historical perspective on astronomy and its chapters on stellar evolution are very much what is taught today.

I definitely recommend checking out your local used book stores (I like Half Price Books and Powell's) for excellent treasures!

Clear skies.