Astronomical Optics, Second Edition (Hardcover)

by Daniel J. Schroeder (Author) "The increasing rate of growth in astronomical knowledge during the past few decades is a direct consequence of the increase in the number and size..." (more)
Key Phrases: encircled energy fraction, orthogonal aberrations, wavefront retardation, New York, Hubble Space Telescope, Academic Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Provides a unified treatment of the characteristics of telescopes of all types, including telescopes whose performance is set by geometrical aberrations and the effect of the atmosphere, and those diffraction-limited telescopes designed for observations from above the atmosphere.

From the Back Cover
This book provides a unified treatment of the characteristics of telescopes of all types, including telescopes whose performance is set by geometrical aberrations and the effect of the atmosphere, and those diffraction-limited telescopes designed for observations from above the atmosphere. The emphasis throughout is on basic principles, such as Fermat's principle, and their application to optical systems specifically designed to image distant celestial sources. Astronomical Optics, Second Edition also contains thorough discussions of the principles underlying all spectroscopic instrumentation, giving special emphasis to grating instruments used with telescopes. An introduction to adaptive optics provides the needed background for further inquiry into this rapidly developing area.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 2 edition (September 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0126298106
• ISBN-13: 978-0126298109
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book that allows one to understand optical aberrations., March 22, 2006

By	Olaf Morawski "Olaf" (Warsaw, Poland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Good, comprehensive book that explains both basics and advanced aspects of optics used in telescopes. Most of the book focuses on optical aberrations and shows how to construct various telescopes and other optical devices like spectrographs with minimized coma, astigmatizm or spherical aberration. The book has chapters about spectrographs, CCDs and active optics which may be helpful to anyone who considers to add such elements to his/her telescope.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for Spectrometer Optics, August 11, 2000

By	Mark King (Melbourne, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This book has some unique features. It treats the subject matter carefully, and in detail. The content is very useful. The treatment of spectrometer optics is particularly useful. The weakness of the book is that the diagrams are not well done, and the notation can be confusing. Overall, a useful book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, September 12, 2005

By	HULI (LC,NM USA) - See all my reviews

Talk a lot about instrument. I think it's very helpful for those who want to know how telescope work. But little about data processing.