Observing Variable Stars, Novae, and Supernovae [Hardcover]

Gerald North (Author), Nick James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0521820472 | ISBN-13: 978-0521820479

Gerald North's complete practical guide and resource package instructs amateur astronomers in observing and monitoring variable stars and other objects of variable brightness. Descriptions of the objects are accompanied by explanations of the background astrophysics, providing readers with real insight into what they are observing at the telescope. The main instrumental requirements for observing and estimating the brightness of objects by visual means and by CCD photometry are detailed, and there is advice on the selection of equipment. The book contains a CD-ROM packed with resources, including hundreds of light-curves and over 600 printable finder charts. Containing extensive practical advice, this comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for amateur astronomers of all levels, from novices to more advanced observers. Gerald North is a lifelong amateur astronomer. In addition to being a member of the British Astronomical Association since 1977, he is also the author of many books, including Advanced Amateur Astronomy (Cambridge, 1997) and Observing the Moon (Cambridge, 2000).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A good overview of essentials such as telescopes, detectors, observing techniques, charts, and references. Highly recommended." Choice

"Here's a rare book that teaches readers why variable stars vary." Sky and Telescope, John Isles

Book Description

This complete practical guide and resource package instructs amateur astronomers in observing and monitoring variable stars and other objects of variable brightness. Descriptions of the objects are accompanied by explanations of the background astrophysics, providing readers with a real insight into what they are observing at the telescope. The book contains a CD-ROM packed with resources, including hundreds of light-curves and over 600 printable finder charts. Containing extensive practical advice, this comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for amateur astronomers of all levels, from complete beginners to more advanced observers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521820472
• ISBN-13: 978-0521820479
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place for Amateurs to Consentrate, February 3, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Observing Variable Stars, Novae, and Supernovae (Hardcover)

When I saw the title of this book I wondered why something like this would have any appeal to the amateur. The author immediately made this clear, these things have gotten boring to the professional so it is an area where the amateur can still do significant work.

After this, Mr. North spends the rest of the book on equipment, observing, and reporting your results. It's interesting that for this kind of work you don't need the biggest possible scope, in fact he says that you may have to stop down a larger scope to keep from overloading the image.

This book clearly lays out an observation program that just might appeal to a wide range of amateur observers. Within its area, it speaks with authority.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primer on Variable Stars, March 24, 2006

By 

Dean Zak - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Observing Variable Stars, Novae, and Supernovae (Hardcover)

I first heard about this book from a good review article in Sky and Telescope magazine and thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall, this book succeeds as a primer on Variable Star observing. And, for variable star observers, this is definitely a must-have book.

Although the beginning of the book provides in-depth information on how to do variable star observing, the real strength of this book comes later when the authors explain what is going on inside the stars which cause the observed variability. Again, the authors are very thorough in providing explanations for all of the different types of variable stars. The book also comes with an easy to use CD containing star charts and variable light curves which supplement the book very well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Scientific Background Information, October 21, 2005

By 

Jeffrey M. Thibodeau (Edmond, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Observing Variable Stars, Novae, and Supernovae (Hardcover)

As an avid variable star observer myself, I found this book to be of great value. The first half of the book describes the process of observation in some detail. This detail includes a good deal of information about how the process should be done using CCD technology which I found quite interesting in it's own right as I am a visual observer and have not done any CCD observations yet. I do note the one weakness in the book is that the author brushes off the use of photometers in recording this data even though the AAVSO (the world's leading organization in variable star research) has a very lively group of photometric enthusiasts.

The real strength of the book in my opinion is in the second half. North goes into good detail discussing the science behind each of the various types of variables and why we believe they act as they do. This is information that I have found difficult to come by. It is especially useful, as it is quite readable and easy to reference.

All in all I recommend this book highly to anyone doing variable star observing, and I also recommend it in general to any amateur astronomer or arm chair scientist as a good source of information about a branch of science where it is the amateur who contributes the overwhelming amount of data to the field of study.