Synopses & Reviews
Serious amateur astronomers often wonder how to find new minor planets, comets and novae and would like to know how to use photoelectric detectors to derive the temperatures of stars. These issues along with predicting future eclipses and the occultations of stars by minor planets are topics covered in this authoritative and wide-ranging guide. For each topic, sound practical methods of observation and the scientific background are given to facilitate better observations. Guidelines also show how to record and catalog observations using the recognized professional terminology and classification schemes. From the simplest pencil drawings of the moon to observations of the most distant galaxies with state-of-the-art CCD cameras and photoelectric photometers, this guide is packed with practical tips for all types of amateur observations. Volume 2 covers aurorae, meteors, double and multiple stars, variable stars, deep sky objects, novae, and supernovae.
Review
"This is a gem of a book...it is a grand smorgasbord of material for the advanced amateur astronomer who hungers for more than just cosmic sight-seeing and souvenir astrophotos of celestial places visited...Each of the ten chapters is meant to stand alone as an independent unit...This way the reader does not have to digest the entire bood in order to get what he/she needs to observe...The book is quite irresistible...The Observer's Guide to Astronomy, Volume 2, is well written, well-organized, and nicely cross-referenced...I highly recommend this book to any serious observer. It was worth the pain of writing the review just to to get my hands on a copy of it!" Mary Lou Whitehorne, Canadian Jjournal
Synopsis
How can you find new minor planets, comets and novae? How do you use photoelectric detectors to derive the temperatures of stars? These and many more of the questions asked by serious amateur astronomers are answered in this authoritative and wide-ranging guide. For each topic, sound practical methods of observation are given together with the scientific background. From pencil drawings of the moon to observations with CCD cameras and photoelectric photometers of the most distant galaxies, this guide is packed with practical tips for amateur astronomers of all interests.
Table of Contents
Volume 1: Contents (Volumes 1 &2); The contributors; Summary (Volumes 1 &2); Preface; Translator's preface; 1. The Sun; 2. Observing the Sun with a coronograph; 3. Solar eclipses; 4. The Moon; 5. Planetary surfaces; 6. Planetary satellites; 7. The minor planets; 8. Comets; 9. Occultations; 10. Artificial satellites; Notes, references and bibliography - Volume 1; Volume 2: Contents (Volumes 1 &2); The contributors; Summary (Volumes 1 &2); 11. Aurorae; 12. Meteors; 13. Double and multiple stars; 14. Variable stars; 15. Deep sky novae and supernovae; 16. Plate comparisons; 17. Astrometry; 18. Spectroscopy; 19. Photoelectric photometry; 20. Image-intensifiers and CCDs; Appendices: 1. Time scales; 2. The T60 Association; Notes, references and bibliography - Volume 2.