Customer Reviews

Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a amateur asteroid hunter for a few years but lately my interest switch to double stars. I found that information found on the web is too "bits and pieces". This book give me (an beginner) all the information I need. It is the best $30 I have spent.

Argyle's book is useful for the amateur astronomer. Showing how even in these days of multimillion dollar observatories, you can still make a meaningful contribution to astronomy with quite affordable and modest equipment.

The text goes through elementary optics, that can be found in such standard texts as Hecht and Zajac. But it quickly specialises in details specific to observing binaries in the visual spectrum. With simple measurement techniques whose geometry you can readily grasp and apply.

This is a great book for double star observers. Very comprehensive but at the same time quite clear for beginners.
The CD doesn't come with the book any more but it can be downloaded from springer.com
The only drawback is that pictures are not as crispy as they were on glossy paper.

new books generally please by how far they exceed expectations: bob argyle's edited volume on double star observing pleased me quite a lot. it is really a symposium volume of chapters by a dozen amateur expert observers, each chapter brimming with historical, technical (mathematical, theoretical, computational) and instrumental (telescopes, interferometers, measurement and photography) information. other chapters discuss observing methods, how to record and publish results, star viewing projects, and contact addresses for binary star societies and clearinghouses worldwide. all the chapters have been intelligently edited and present the information clearly and efficiently. and if that isn't enough, extra materials are available from the publisher's web site ([...]).

i have many of the patrick moore practical astronomy titles and find the content quality from one book to the next to be somewhat uneven; argyle's compact reference is in my view among the best in the series. highly recommended.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in studying double stars. Not only does it provide some history on the study of doubles going back 100's of years, but it brings you up to date with the lastest information and methods for measuring double stars.