Getting started in amateur astronomy can be frustrating. Without a helpful friend to lend advice, choosing a telescope, learning the buzzwords, or viewing the deep sky season by season can seem daunting. Now amateur astronomers can turn to The Guide to Amateur Astronomy to get started or, if they are more advanced, to learn all the techniques of serious telescopic observing. The authors begin by showing readers how to find their way about the night sky with little or no equipment. For the stargazer who becomes addicted they include a complete catalog of the night sky's most intriguing star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. More advanced projects include astrophotography, telescope construction, planetary observing, comet hunting, variable star recording, and nova discovery. The new edition covers the exciting developments in the world of astro-software for the home computer and the techniques of electronic imaging or charged-coupled devices (CCDs).
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"...an excellent work that all amateur astronomers will find useful and informative. The Guide to Amateur Astronomy may well become the standard by which all introductory books will be measured." Mark J. Coco, Astronomy
"The Guide to Amateur Astronomy^ leads the new observer step by step from the easy stellar and planetary objects to the more difficult sight-seeing. The book bubbles with enthusiasm; the authors have clearly enjoyed every hour they have spent at the telescope and their astronomical excitement is infectious. The reader is introduced to such topics as the joys of solar eclipses and comet searching, the challenge of sketching planetary surface details and estimating the varying brightnesses of eclipsing stars and the skills of nebulae hunting and astrophotography. The authors even go so far as to discuss the building of simple observatories, the making of one's own telescope, essential darkroom techniques and the choice of software for one's home computer." David Hughes, Nature
"...incorporates the latest in observing techniques, most notably electronic CCD imaging, that have revolutionised astronomy...The DIY enthusiast is well catered for..." Adrian Ashford, New Scientist
"...covers a lot of ground...gives budding amateurs enough material on most subjects to get them started, as well as ample resources for jumping into advanced projects." Scoot Kardel, Mercury
"...a good general overview of [the] hobby, now brought up to date with expanded sections on some of today's latest areas of interest. Novice stargazres will enjoy its friendly stule and broad coverage." Philip Harrington, Sky & Telescope
"The Guide to Amateur Astronomy^ leads the new observer step by step from the easy stellar and planetary objects to the more difficult sight-seeing. The book bubbles with enthusiasm; the authors have clearly enjoyed every hour they have spent at the telescope and their astronomical excitement is infectious. The reader is introduced to such topics as the joys of solar eclipses and comet searching, the challenge of sketching planetary surface details and estimating the varying brightnesses of eclipsing stars and the skills of nebulae hunting and astrophotography. The authors even go so far as to discuss the building of simple observatories, the making of one's own telescope, essential darkroom techniques and the choice of software for one's home computer." David Hughes, Nature
"...incorporates the latest in observing techniques, most notably electronic CCD imaging, that have revolutionised astronomy...The DIY enthusiast is well catered for..." Adrian Ashford, New Scientist
"...covers a lot of ground...gives budding amateurs enough material on most subjects to get them started, as well as ample resources for jumping into advanced projects." Scoot Kardel, Mercury
"...a good general overview of [the] hobby, now brought up to date with expanded sections on some of today's latest areas of interest. Novice stargazres will enjoy its friendly stule and broad coverage." Philip Harrington, Sky & Telescope
Book Description
How do you choose your first telescope? Or build one from first principles? What can the deep sky offer you season-by-season? How do you get started in astrophotography? And progress to CCD imaging? The Guide to Amateur Astronomy answers the questions of the novice and the experienced amateur astronomer in one easy-to-use and comprehensive account. Throughout the emphasis is on practical methods to get you started and then develop your skills; with lavish illustrations to show you just what is possible. This second edition of the highly successful Guide has been fully revised and updated. It now takes you from basic 'piggyback' astrophotography, through the use of a cold camera to state-of- the-art CCD imaging; from studies of the planets to the most distant objects in the Universe. From guidelines for the care and adjustment of your telescope through to lists of the spectral classification of stars, amateur astronomy societies and clubs, all the information you need for your voyage of discovery and revelation is provided in this self-contained, helpful guide.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Good Book,
By Geoffrey Nash (Gahanna,Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Guide to Amateur Astronomy (Hardcover)
I first saw this book at my local library and this book is very good. There are some out dated items in the book such as cold cameras, but the ccd parts we well written. The book is well written and both authors I feel have done an excellent job.
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
A schoolboy once stood in a cornfield at dusk, watching excitedly for the earliest stars to emerge in the evening twilight. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mag globular cluster, optical plug, telescopic field, cold camera, planetary photographs, ascension axis, eyepiece projection, pitch lap, welding glass, eyepiece holder, shutter assembly, main telescope, declination axis, photoelectric photometer, guide telescope, star atlas, guide scope, polar alignment, equatorial mount, amateur astronomy, star drifts, guide star, focal ratio, amateur telescopes, eclipsing binary Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Milky Way, Jack Newton, Ursa Major, George Ball, Summer Triangle, Canes Venatici, Ben Mayer, British Columbia, Comet Halley, North America Nebula, Richard Berry, Andromeda Galaxy, Big Dipper, Leslie Peltier, Syrtis Major, Burnham's Celestial Handbook, John Dobson, Universal Time, University of Victoria New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
A schoolboy once stood in a cornfield at dusk, watching excitedly for the earliest stars to emerge in the evening twilight. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mag globular cluster, optical plug, telescopic field, cold camera, planetary photographs, ascension axis, eyepiece projection, pitch lap, welding glass, eyepiece holder, shutter assembly, main telescope, declination axis, photoelectric photometer, guide telescope, star atlas, guide scope, polar alignment, equatorial mount, amateur astronomy, star drifts, guide star, focal ratio, amateur telescopes, eclipsing binary Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Milky Way, Jack Newton, Ursa Major, George Ball, Summer Triangle, Canes Venatici, Ben Mayer, British Columbia, Comet Halley, North America Nebula, Richard Berry, Andromeda Galaxy, Big Dipper, Leslie Peltier, Syrtis Major, Burnham's Celestial Handbook, John Dobson, Universal Time, University of Victoria New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 27
books:
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8
books
cite this book:
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- How to Make a Telescope ( Second English Edition) by Jean Texereau on page 285, and Back Matter
- The Solar System (with AceAstronomy™, Virtual Astronomy Labs Printed Access Card) by Michael A. Seeds in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Solar System (3 Vol Set) (Magill's Choice) by Roger Smith in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Star Atlas by Rh Value Publishing on page 18, and Back Matter
- Cambridge Astronomy Guide by William Liller on page 313, and Back Matter
See all 27 books this book cites
- Touring the Universe through Binoculars: A Complete Astronomer's Guidebook (Wiley Science Editions) by Philip S. Harrington in Back Matter
- Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - and How to Find Them by Guy Consolmagno on page 211
- Summer Stargazing: A Practical Guide for Recreational Astronomers by Terence Dickinson in Back Matter
- Explorations: An Introduction to Astronomy by Thomas T. Arny on page 70
- The Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide: How and Where to Observe and Photograph Solar and Lunar Eclipses by Jay M. Pasachoff in Back Matter
See all 8 books citing this book
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