Bücher der Reihe Astronomers' Observing Guides

OK, the book is far too heavy for the binding and after a few trips outside half the pages in my copy fell out, but apart from that it is an excellent book and surely impossible to improve upon, or even equal, especially in a smaller format book with only half the pages available;

Dwarf planets (which were formerly called asteroids except for the planet Pluto), and the smaller Solar System bodies still called asteroids today, are making front page news, particularly those that are newly discovered and those that might present a hazard to life on Earth by impacting our planet. In this age of giant telescopes and space probes, these small Solar System bodies have advanced from being tiny points of light to bodies worthy of widespread study. This book describes the dwarf planets and asteroids themselves, their origins, orbits, and composition, and at how amateur astronomers can play a part in their detection, tracking, and imaging. The book is divided into two parts. Part I describes physical properties (including taxonomic types) of dwarf planets and asteroids, how they formed in the early life of the Solar System, and how they evolved to their present positions, groups, and families. It also covers the properties used to define these small Solar System bodies: magnitude, rotation rates (described by their light-curves), and orbital characteristics. Part II opens with a description of the hardware and software an amateur or practical astronomer needs to observe and also to image asteroids. Then numerous observing techniques are covered in depth. Finally, there are lists of relevant amateur and professional organizations and how to submit your own observations to them.

In the Victorian era - or for non-British readers, the mid-to-late nineteenth century - amateur astronomy tended to center on Solar System objects. The Moon and planets, as well as bright comets, were the key objects of interest. The brighter variable stars were monitored, but photography was in its infancy and digital imaging lay a century in the future. Today, at the start of the twenty-first century, amateurs are better equipped than any professionals of the mid-twentieth century, let alone the nineteenth. An amateur equipped with a 30-cm telescope and a CCD camera can easily image objects below magnitude 20 and, from very dark sites, 22 or 23. Such limits would have been within the realm of the 100- and 200-inch reflectors on Mount Wilson and Mount Palomar in the 1950s, but no other observatories. However, even those telescopes took hours to reach such limits, and then the photographic plates had to be developed, fixed, and examined by eye. In the modern era digital images can be obtained in minutes and analyzed 'on the fly' while more images are being downloaded. Developments can be e-mailed to other interested amateurs in real time, during an observing session, so that when a cataclysmic event takes place amateurs worldwide know about it. As recently as the 1980s, even professional astronomers could only dream of such instantaneous communication and proc- sing ability.

Written specially for practical amateur astronomers who not only want to observe, but want to know and understand the details of exactly what they are looking at. Presents an up-to-date detailed description of the objects, their physics and their evolution (part one);

This is the ultimate, easy-to-read guide for "eclipse-chasers" which includes everything an eclipse chaser needs. The book provides "eclipse virgins" with a good feeling for what a trip abroad to an eclipse is like - including a humorous look at all the things that can and have gone wrong.

This book details how amateur and practical astronomers can successfully observe Mars. It uses recent imagery and data to present an up-to-date guide to Mars' geological history and contains a unique set of maps that cover the entire Martian surface.

Planetary Nebulae and How to Observe Them is for amateur astronomers who want to go beyond the Messier objects, concentrating on one of the most beautiful classes of astronomical objects in the sky. Planetary nebulae are not visible to the naked eye, but they are a fascinating group of telescope objects.

This book presents an up-to-date detailed description and categorisation of the large range of astronomical objects that fall under the general heading of nebulae, and then instructs the reader in the best ways to successfully observe and record them.

Radio astronomy is far from being beyond the scope of amateurs astronomers, and this practical, self-contained guide for the newcomer to practical radio astronomey is an ideal introduction.

This is a completely up-to-date solar observing book, which, while providing the science background necessary for an understanding of the observations with the latest equipment, also features the most complete solar observing and imaging guide available.

Venus and Mercury have long been regarded as difficult targets for amateur observers, but advances in commercially-made telescopes have brought them within the skills of observers of only moderate experience.

This book is intended for amateur astronomers who are readers of Sky & Telescope magazine or similar astronomy periodicals - or are at least at the same level of knowledge and enthusiasm. Supernovae are often discovered by amateur astronomers, and the book describes the best strategies for discovering and observing them.

Amateur astronomers are always on the lookout for new observing challenges. This is a practical guide to locating and viewing the most impressive of Herschel's star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, cataloging more than 600 of the brightest objects, and offering detailed descriptions and images of 150 to 200 of the best.

This book is a unique work satisfying the need for a modern, comprehensive review of all major aspects of galaxy observation.

This revolutionary new book is written for practical amateur astronomers who not only want to observe, but want to know the details of exactly what they are looking at. The Moon and How to Observe It is a mine of information for all levels of amateur observers, from the beginner to the experienced

In this era of high-tech instruments, meteor observing is the one facet of astr- omy that needs nothing more than your naked eye. Today, a serious meteor observing session entails organizing an outing to a country site where the stars can be seen in all their glory and meteors of all magnitudes can be viewed.

Comets, and How to Observe Them gives a summary of our current knowledge and describes how amateur astronomers can contribute to the body of scientific knowledge of comets.