This introduction to the night sky is for amateur astronomers who desire a deeper understanding of the principles and observations of naked-eye astronomy. It covers topics such as terrestrial and astronomical coordinate systems, stars and constellations, the relative motions of the sky, sun, moon and earth leading to an understanding of the seasons, phases of the moon, and eclipses. Topics are discussed and compared for observers located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Written in a conversational style, only addition and subtraction are needed to understand the basic principles and a more advanced mathematical treatment is available in the appendices. Each chapter contains a set of review questions and simple exercises to reinforce the reader's understanding of the material. The last chapter is a set of self-contained observation projects to get readers started with making observations about the concepts they have learned. William Charles Millar, currently Professor of Astronomy at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, has been teaching the subject for almost twenty years and is very involved with local amateur astronomy groups. Millar also belongs to The Planetary Society and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and has traveled to Europe and South America to observe solar eclipses. Millar holds a Masters degree in Physics from Western Michigan University.
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"...perfect for those who desire a deeper understanding of the principles of naked-eye astronomy...if you want to know why the night sky changes, this book is for you." --BBC Sky at Night
Book Description
An introduction to the night sky for amateur astronomers who desire a deeper understanding of the principles of naked-eye astronomy. It covers topics such as terrestrial and astronomical coordinate systems, stars and constellations, and the relative motions of the sky, Sun, Moon and Earth, for observers in both northern and southern hemispheres. Written in a conversational style, using only elementary mathematics to understand the basic principles, each chapter contains review questions and exercises to reinforce the reader's understanding and the last chapter contains a set of practical observation projects.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
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This review is from: The Amateur Astronomer's Introduction to the Celestial Sphere (Paperback)
This book goes over the science of how things work. It tells why summer days are long and winter days are short. Also why things appear to move as they do, stars, some constellations. Great read if you want to know the science behind it all. Simple enough to browse, but with great details if you want to get more involved.
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Celestial Sphere,
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This review is from: The Amateur Astronomer's Introduction to the Celestial Sphere (Paperback)
This book was exactly what I was looking for. It is a reasonably thorough and accurate presentation of the basic astronomy of the sky. It explains why we see the apparent motion of sun, stars, moon, and it gives a good account of the seasons and their causes.
It is readable and straightforward without being "dumbed down." It requires some work to fully grasp all the concepts the author presents, but the reward is well worth the effort. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in really coming to grips with the celestial sphere and its motions.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent inspiring book!,
This review is from: The Amateur Astronomer's Introduction to the Celestial Sphere (Paperback)
I was always fascinated by the stars and having taken the astronomy class with the author, I knew I had to add this book to my collection. It is amazing how the knowledge of the stars can change the way you view life on earth and beyond. Completely amazing.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
A dark, clear evening sky is one of the most alluring sights - inciting wonder and sparking the imagination. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Big Dipper, Equatorial Chart, Antarctic Circle, Southern Cross, Ursa Major, North Star, Julian Day, Tropic of Cancer, Meteor Crater, Tropic of Capricorn, Harvest Moon, International Date Line, North East Figure, South-polar Chart, Ursa Minor, Naval Observatory, North Figure, Summer Triangle, Alpha Centauri, Daylight Savings Time, East South, Observation Project, Groundhog's Day, Julius Caesar, Milky Way New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
A dark, clear evening sky is one of the most alluring sights - inciting wonder and sparking the imagination. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Big Dipper, Equatorial Chart, Antarctic Circle, Southern Cross, Ursa Major, North Star, Julian Day, Tropic of Cancer, Meteor Crater, Tropic of Capricorn, Harvest Moon, International Date Line, North East Figure, South-polar Chart, Ursa Minor, Naval Observatory, North Figure, Summer Triangle, Alpha Centauri, Daylight Savings Time, East South, Observation Project, Groundhog's Day, Julius Caesar, Milky Way New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 65
books:
See all 65 books this book cites
- Practical Astronomy by Storm Dunlop in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Night Sky (Exploring the Universe (Raintree Steck-Vaughn)) by Robin Kerrod in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- How Many? (Slide and See Books) by Rh Value Publishing on page 58
- Atlas of the Night Sky (Smithsonian Institution) by Dunlop Storm in Back Matter
- The Cambridge Guide to the Constellations by Michael E. Bakich in Back Matter
See all 65 books this book cites
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