Scientific Astrophotography is intended for those amateur astronomers who are looking for new challenges, once they have mastered visual observing and the basic imaging of various astronomical objects. It will also be a useful reference for scientifically inclined observers who want to learn the fundamentals of astrophotography with a firm emphasis on the discipline of scientific imaging. This books is not about making beautiful astronomical images; it is about recording astronomical images that are scientifically rigorous and from which accurate data can be extracted.
This book is unique in that it gives readers the skills necessary for obtaining excellent images for scientific purposes in a concise and procedurally oriented manner. This not only gets the reader used to a disciplined approach to imaging to maximize quality, but also to maximize the success (and minimize the frustration ) inherent in the pursuit of astrophotography. The knowledge and skills imparted to the reader of this handbook also provide an excellent basis for beautiful picture astrophotography
There is a wealth of information in this book a distillation of ideas and data presented by a diverse set of sources and based on the most recent techniques, equipment, and data available to the amateur astronomer. There are also numerous practical exercises. Scientific Astrophotography is perfect for any amateur astronomer who wants to go beyond just astrophotography and actually contribute to the science of astronomy."

The second edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004) is the definitive book for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment (you can start modestly with commercial or even home-made instruments), observing methods using binoculars upwards to advanced instrumentation and techniques, including speckle interferometry. The astronomy of double stars, including orbital calculation, is given its own section. This second edition of this popular book contains a significant amount of completely new material, inspired by the work done by observers - particularly in the USA - since the first edition was published. This includes the use of the Internet to carry out astrometry (precise astronomical measurement) using existing survey plates and films. The new edition contains an excellent guide to sketching double stars, a topic not previously covered. In addition, there is information about how to image double stars of unequal brightness, always a difficult matter but now somewhat easier because of advances in hardware and image-processing software. Nearly all of the chapters and tables have been updated. The CD-ROM that accompanied the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars is replaced by access to the Springer Extras web site. The extra information includes the complete Washington Double Star and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric, double-and multiple-star formation, including positions, orbits, separations, and magnitudes, and a software suite that implements many of the calculations and equations featured in the book.

Classic telescopes are of interest to amateur astronomers for a variety of reasons. There are the dedicated collectors, but there are also many amateurs who love the nostalgia they inspire. These telescopes "feel" different from any contemporary telescope and perhaps have a unique ability to reconnect the owner to a bygone age of craftmanship. This book takes a look at traditional telescopes built by the great instrument makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the dynastic telescope makers, including Dollond, Alvan Clark, Thomas Cooke & Sons, and Carl Zeiss. Also included are lesser luminaries such as John Brashear, John Calver, William Wray, Henry Fitz, and William Henry Mogey. 'Classic Telescopes' covers the key features of the telescopes designed by these manufacturers, and shows how a heady combination of market trends, instrument condition, and pedigree will dictate their prices at auction. 'Classic Telescopes' also shows the reader how to find real bargains! Interviews with top classic telescope collectors (and users) provide the best tips of prospecting for a genuine acquisition.

Riccardo Giacconi Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics The meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 28- 30, 1980, marks the coming of age of X-ray astronomy. In the 18 years since the discovery of the first extrasolar X-ray source, Sco X-l, the field has experienced an extremely rapid instrumentation development culminating with the launch on November 13, 1978 of the Einstein Ob servatory (HEAO-2) which first introduced the use of high resolution imaging telescopes to the study of galactic and extragalactic X-ray sources. The Einstein Observatory instruments can detect sources as faint as 10-7 Sco X-lor about 17 magnitudes fainter. The technological developments in the field have been paralleled by a host of new discoveries: in the early 1960's the detection of 9 "X-ray stars," objects 10 times more luminous in X-rays than the Sun and among the brightest stellar objects at all wavelengths; in the late 1960's and early 1970's the discovery of the nature of such systems which were identified as collapsed stars (neutron stars and black holes) in mass exchange binary systems, and the detection of the first few extragalactic sources."

Observing the Messier Objects with a Small Telescope contains descriptions and photographs of the 103 Messier objects, with instructions on how to find them without a computerized telescope or even setting circles. The photographs show how the objects appear through a 127mm Maksutov (and other instruments, where applicable). The visual appearance of a Messier object is often very different from what can be imaged with the same telescope, and a special feature of this book is that it shows what you can see with a small telescope. It will also contain binocular descriptions of some objects. Messier published the final version of his catalog in 1781 (it contains 103 different objects), a catalog so good that it is still in common use today, well over two centuries later. In making a catalog of all the 'fixed' deep-sky objects that observers might confuse with comets, Messier had succeeded in listing all the major interesting deep-sky objects that today are targets for amateur astronomers. Messier's telescope (thought to be a 4-inch) was, by today's amateur standards, small. It also had rather poor optics by modern standards. Thus - and despite the fact that he was a master observer - all the things Messier saw can be found and observed by any observer using a commercial 127 mm (5-inch) telescope. Observing the Messier Objects with a Small Telescope lets the reader follow in Messier's footsteps by observing the Messier objects more or less as the great man saw them himself!

Algol is a triple system containing a 70 hr eclipsing binary (K IV and B8 V) in a 694 day orbit with an A V star. The X-ray emission from this system (Schnopper et al 1976) is thought to be associated with a corona surrounding the lobe filling and synchron ously rotating K IV star. This is based on the similarity of the X-ray spectrum and luminosity of this system to that of the RS CVn binaries which also contain K sub-giants with similar rotation periods and the fact that the luminosity of any coronae surrounding the B8 V and AV companion stars should not be enhanced by rapid rotation (Pallavicini et al 1980, White et al 1980). The Einstein SSS measurement showed the X-ray spectrum to be two component with 6 7 temperatures of 7. 10 K and 3. 10 K (White et al. 1980). As dis cussed by Swank et al. (1981), the problem in understanding stellar coronae in general is how to scale up the solar model to account for the enhanced luminosities. The close to 900 inclination and similar sizes for the Band K stars of 3. 6 and 3. 8 R0 respectively make Algol an ideal candidate for an X-ray eclipse measurement wherein the size of the X-ray emitting coronal structures can be directly measured. In this paper we report a continuous observation through the secondary eclipse of Algol using the EXOSAT Observatory. 2."

This volume contains a series of lectures presented at the 5th Course of the International School of Astrophysics held in Erice (Sicily) from July 1st to July 14, 1979 at the "E. l1ajorana" Centre for Scientific Culture. The course was fully supported by a grant from the NATO Advanced Institute Programme. It was attended by about one hundred participants from ten countries. Since the discovery of the first extra-solar X-ray source in the early 1960's, X-ray astronomy has played an increasingly im portant role in the study of the Universe, bringing new insight to almost every field of modern astrophysics from stellar evolution to cosmology. Generally speaking, this branch of astronomy is concerned with the discovery, classification and study of "hot matter" in the universe, including high energy non-thermal pheno mena. In particular, X-ray observations appear to provide the main, if not the only, probe to inspect regions where collapsed objects are formed, such as the environment of neutron stars and of black holes in the presence of matter accretion onto the ob jects themselves. It is significant that the first candidate black hole (Cyg X-I) has been primarily singled out by its X-ray emission. In the same context, it is well known that one of the fundamental problems in modern astrophysics is the understanding of the strong activity taking place in galactic nuclei."

The Casual Sky Observer's Pocket Guide offers an observing program for occasional amateur observers looking for some quick, fun astronomy adventures under the stars. In the real world, where time for observing is limited, the weather is seldom perfect, and expensive equipment is not an option, amateur astronomy may not be seen as a worthwhile activity. However, portable and quick-to-set-up instruments are available. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope fills the bill. And the way to make the most of these instruments is described in the Casual Sky Observer's Pocket Guide. Not only does the book feature the best and brightest showpieces of the heavens; it also provides a great deal of physical and environmental data as well as lots of fascinating information and beautiful illustrations that provide a unique perspective on the many treasures within and beyond our home galaxy, the Milky Way - stars, star clusters, other galaxies, and nebulae, all within reach of binoculars or a small telescope.

Although astronomical CCD cameras can be very costly, digital cameras the kind you use on holiday on the other hand, are relatively inexpensive. Moreover, their technology especially thermal noise, sensitivity (ISO number) and resolution has progressed to a point where such cameras are more than capable of photographing the brighter astronomical objects.

Now Tony Buick has teamed up with fellow author and astro imager Phil Pugh, to produce a completely revised, updated, and extended second edition to How to Photograph the Moon and Planets with your Digital Camera, first published in 2006. The revisions take into account changing (and improving) camera technology, and some items which are now available commercially but which previously had to be home-made. The section of solar observing has been expanded to include observing by H-alpha light, and among the many additional sections are photographing the constellations, aurorae, and basic post-imaging processing.

This second edition has been entirely restructured and almost doubled in size, in order to improve clarity and account for the great progress achieved in the field over the last 15 years.
"This is not a handbook for observers. It is a broader reference for students, active researchers, and anyone who wants a detailed look at the tools of modern astronomy..." -PHYSICS TODAY

Three eminent scientists, each well known for the clarity of their writing, present for students and researchers what is known about the internal structure, origin and evolution of White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars and Black Holes, all objects at the final stage of stellar evolution. They cover fascinating topics such as pulsation of white dwarfs, millisecond pulsars or the dynamics around black holes. The book is written for graduate students in astrophysics, but is also of interest to professional astronomers and physicists.

In 1609 Galileo first used his telescope to kickstart the science of observational astronomy - an event that proved to be of enormous historic, scientific, and cultural importance. Galileo and 400 Years of Telescopic Astronomy will feature the life and achievements of Galileo, around which has pivoted the story of four centuries of telescopic astronomy. The book will detail how astronomy has progressed through four centuries and contain glimpses of future space research and astronomy goals. Uniquely, interwoven with the text will be a range of practical projects for backyard astronomers in which to participate, projects that serve to illustrate many of Galileo's scientific discoveries. The year 2009 not only marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's initial telescopic discoveries, but it has also been chosen as the International Year of Astronomy, perfect timing for the reader to see for him or herself the way Galileo worked and thought.

Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs is a complete guide for amateur astronomers, both novice and experienced, who want to do something more than "run of the mill" astrophotography and are looking for a new challenge. The book is broadly divided into three parts.

First, there is a brief overview of the history and development of the spectroscope. This is followed by a short introduction to the theory of stellar spectra. The final parts of this section provide details of the necessary reference spectra required for instrument testing and spectral comparison. It concludes with a chapter covering the various types of spectroscopes available to the amateur.

Next, there is a series of "How to " sections. These cover all aspects of setting up and using various types of commercially available and home-built spectroscopes. Transmission gratings are covered first, and then more complex models, all the way to the sophisticated Littrow design.

The final part of Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs is about practical spectroscope design and construction. It contains a collection of detailed instructions covering the design and building of three different types of spectroscope, along with the necessary design theory (with minimal math). Developing an instrument in simple steps from the basic grating spectroscope, using standard "off the shelf" adaptors, the author describes how to build spectroscopes equal in performance to the better commercial units, constructed using basic hand tools for a fraction of the cost

This is the only up-to-date practical spectroscopy book available to amateurs. For the first time, it also brings together an invaluable user knowledge base a collection of observing, analyzing, and processing hints and tips that will allow the amateur to build up and develop important skills in preparing scientifically acceptable spectral data, which can make a valuable contribution to ProAm (professional/amateur) projects. It covers in detail all aspects of the design, construction techniques, testing, calibrating, and using a spectroscope enough detail to enable the average amateur astronomer to successfully build and use his own spectroscope for a fraction of the current commercial cost.

This book is an ideal complement to Robinson s Spectroscopy: the Key to the Stars (Springer 2007) and Martin s Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars (Springer, due 2009). Together, the three books form a complete package for all amateur astronomers who are interested in practical spectroscopy.

As Professor Chris Kitchin said, "If optical spectroscopy had not been invented then fully 75 percent of all astronomical knowledge would be unknown today, and yet the subject itself receives scant attention in astronomical texts." Olivier Thizy (of Shelyak Instruments, the builder of the LiHiResIII commercial spectroscope) writes on an Internet forum; "What is missing is tutorial books and "how to" books with amateur equipment? I believe spectroscopy is in general moving from builders to users (as CCD cameras did in the 1990's) literature is following but slowly."

This is the practical spectroscopy book that amateur astronomers have been waiting for

Of all the many things we can look at in the night sky, the Moon is one of the richest in its ever-changing detail, as changes in light and shadow daily transform what you can see of every feature. Whether you use binoculars, a small telescope or a large one, you will find the Moon offers new horizons rich in exploration opportunities.

Moonwalk with Your Eyes guides the reader quickly through lunar basics: how to determine the lunar day and what lunar terminology you might encounter here and in other books. From there you ll be taken on a guided visual journey that encompasses what can be seen at any given time for all levels of observers.

Moonwalk with Your Eyes features high-quality annotated photographs and solid background information to help the reader understand many lunar phenomena. Here is a guide that allows those who simply gaze at the Moon to find a deeper appreciation of it; for those who use binoculars and small telescopes, this is a comprehensive guide to identifying what can be seen; and advanced observers will be challenged with a rare quality look at areas of the Moon that are not covered by other lunar guide books."

The genesis of modern searches for observable meteoritic phenomena on the Moon is the paper by Lincoln La Paz in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1938. In it he argued that the absence of observed fashes of meteoritic impacts on the Moon might be interpreted to mean that these bodies are destroyed as luminous meteors in an extremely rarefed lunar atmosphere. The paper suggested the possibility of systematic searches for such possible lunar meteors. With these concepts in mind, I was surprised to note a transient moving bright speck on the Moon on July 10, 1941. It appeared to behave very much as a lunar meteor would - except that the poorly estimated duration would lead to a strongly hyperbolic heliocentric velocity. Thus, the idea of systematic searches for both p- sible lunar meteors and meteoritic impact fashes was born. It was appreciated that much time might need to be expended to achieve any positive results. Systematic searches were carried out by others and myself chiefy in the years 1945-1965 and became a regular program at the newly founded Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, or ALPO.

Computers and Astronomy Perhaps every generation of astronomers believes that their telescopes are the best that have ever been. They are surely all correct! The great leap of our time is that computer-designed and machined parts have led to more accurately made com- nents that give the astronomer ever better views. The manual skills of the craftsman mirror grinder have been transformed into the new-age skills of the programmer and the machine maker. (The new products did not end the work of craftsman te- scope makers, though. Many highly skilled amateur/professional opticians cont- ued to produce good-quality mirrors that are still seen today. ) Amateur-priced telescopes are now capable of highly accurate tracking and computer control that were once only the province of professionals. This has greatly increased the p- sibilities of serious astronomy projects for which tailor-made software has been developed. Add a CCD camera to these improved telescopes (see Chap. 3), and you bring a whole new dimension to your astronomy (see Fig. 1. 1). Look Before You Leap! But first, a word of caution. Unless you are already familiar with astronomy and basic telescopes, it is not wise to start spending large amounts of money on a we- featured telescope. Such an instrument might otherwise be subsequently abandoned due to a perceived overcomplexity coupled with a waning interest.

This textbook describes the equipment, observational techniques, and analysis used in the investigation of stellar photospheres. Now in its fourth edition, the text has been thoroughly updated and revised to be more accessible to students. New figures have been added to illustrate key concepts, while diagrams have been redrawn and refreshed throughout. The book starts by developing the tools of analysis, and then demonstrates how they can be applied. Topics covered include radiation transfer, models of stellar photospheres, spectroscopic equipment, how to observe stellar spectra, and techniques for measuring stellar temperatures, radii, surface gravities, chemical composition, velocity fields, and rotation rates. Up-to-date results for real stars are included. Written for starting graduate students or advanced undergraduates, this textbook also includes a wealth of reference material useful to researchers. eBook formats include color imagery while print formats are greyscale only; a wide selection of the color images are available online.

Recombination lines at radio wavelengths have been - and still are - a p- erful tool for modern astronomy. For more than 30years, they have allowed astronomers to probe the gases from which stars form. They have even been detected in the Sun. In addition, observations of these spectral lines facilitate basic research into the atom, in forms and environments that can only exist in the huge dimensions and extreme conditions of cosmic laboratories. We intend this book to serve as a tourist's guide to the world of Radio Recombination Lines. It contains three divisions: a history of their discovery, the physics of how they form and how their voyage to us in?uences their spectral pro?les, and a description of their many astronomical contributions todate.Theappendixincludessupplementarycalculationsthatmaybeuseful to some astronomers. This material also includes tables of line frequencies from 12MHz to 30THz (?=10?m) as well as FORTRAN computer code to calculate the ?ne-structure components of the lines, to evaluate radial matrix integrals, and to calculate the departure coe?cients of hydrogen in a cosmic environment. It also describes how to convert observational to astrophysical units.The textincludes extensive referencestothe literature toassistreaders who want more details. We appreciate the help of L.W. Avery, D.S. Balser, T.M. Bania, T. Bastian, J.H. Bieging, H.J.J. Blom, N.G. Bochkarev, R.L. Brown, L.A. Bureeva (Minaeva), W.B. Burton, T. Alan Clark, Z.F. Dravskikh, W.C.

My Heavens! charts the progress of the authora (TM)s own substantial observatory (with additional material from amateur constructors of large observatories elsewhere) from conception, through design, planning and construction, to using an observatory of the kind that all amateur astronomers would aspire to own.

This book tells the a oewarts and alla story of small beginnings in amateur astronomy, leading to the construction of a a oetop of the rangea observatory at a house on the edge of a country village between Oxford and London. The author is a qualified building surveyor, and looks at building the observatory from his own professional perspective. There were of course many errors, problems, technical and organizational difficulties along the way, and the author never shies away from admitting his mistakes a" and in doing so he reduces the chances of others falling into the same traps. Comparisons are made with similar large projects in the USA, taking a look at the differences and similarities in planning and building regulations, and in construction methods on both sides of the Atlantic.

Eventually an observatory materialized, set up to facilitate the taking of very high quality images of the deep sky on those special days of best seeing.

The story doesna (TM)t end with the construction of the observatory, but goes on to describe the authora (TM)s choice of equipment, setting it up, and his own techniques for obtaining superb astronomical images like the ones he shows in his book.

Many lights and other objects in the sky go unrecognised, or at least are little understood by those observing them. Such things range from the commonplace like rainbows and meteors, to the distinctly unusual like the green flash and ball lightning. And there is still a residuum of objects that remain unidentified by the watcher - classed generally as 'UFOs', a description which today has connotations of the mysterious, even of extraterrestrial visitors. The first part of this book is an identification guide, very much like the "plant identifier" sections found in a good gardening or botany book. It allows quick (and structured) identification of known aerial phenomena, whether at night or during the day. The objects thus found are referenced to the second part of the book... The second part gives a full description, physical explanation, and where relevant notes on observing and photographing the various phenomena. Some will need optical aids such as binoculars or telescopes, but the main thrust of the book is identification and explanation rather than imaging. The final chapter approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint, particularly the way in which human perception and often preconception affects the outcome. It does however finish with a short section on "extraterrestrial UFOs", emphasising the burden of proof aspect and touching on the scientific theories of life on other worlds and the improbability of visitors.

This book brings the challenge and fun back to a hobby that goes stale far too quickly for many budding amateur astronomers. The book begins with teaching astronomers to use their most important astronomy tool, their eyes. It discusses how to select the right telescope, and subsequent chapters take the readers on a tour of the solar system as they have never viewed it before... through their own eyes. Each chapter includes a series of observing challenges that will entertain and push the reader to continually higher levels of achievement.

Not all amateur astronomers who live in a suburban location realize just how very effective a a ~chilled-chipa (TM) astronomical CCD-camera and software can be at cutting through seemingly impenetrable light-pollution. CCD Astrophotography from the Suburbs details one mana (TM)s approach to the problem of getting high-quality astronomical images under light-polluted conditions. Adam Stuart has written this reference book for all amateur astronomers who are interested in CCD imaging, especially those who have to work under suburban conditions. The book outlines the materials and (commercially-available) equipment used for high-quality imaging. The many wonderful images Dr. Stuart has produced allow the reader to see the product of a" initially a" a fellow beginnera (TM)s efforts. The glorious images found in numerous books, and especially those seen in Sky and Telescope magazine a" might seem out of reach. But this is not really the case. Respectable images are attainable with modest equipment. This book outlines a complete and thoroughly tested working program for every beginner to achieve high-quality digital imaging.

Astrophysics is facing challenging aims such as deep cosmology at redshift higher than 10 to constrain cosmology models, or the detection of exoplanets, and possibly terrestrial exoplanets, and several others. It requires unprecedented ambitious R&D programs, which have definitely to rely on a tight cooperation between astrophysics and optics communities. The book addresses most of the most critical interdisciplinary domains where they interact, or where they will do. A first need is to collect more light, i.e. telescopes still larger than the current 8-10 meter class ones. Decametric, and even hectometric, optical (from UV to IR wavelengths) telescopes are being studied. Whereas up to now the light collecting surface of new telescopes was approximately 4 times that of the previous generation, now this factor is growing to 10 to 100. This quantum leap urges to implement new methods or technologies developed in the optics community, both in academic labs and in the industry. Given the astrophysical goals and technological constraints, new generation adaptive optics with a huge number of actuators and laser guide stars devices have to be developed, from theoretical bases to experimental works. Two other newcomers in observational astrophysics are interferometric arrays of optical telescopes and gravitational wave detectors. Up-to-date reviews of detectors and of spectrographs are given, as well as forefront R&D in the field of optical coatings and of guided optics. Possible new ways to handle photons are also addressed, based on quantum physics. More and more signal processing algorithms are a part and parcel of any modern instrumentation. Thus finally the book gives two reviews about wavefront processing and about image restoration and deconvolution algorithms for ill conditioned cases.

Modern astronomical telescopes, along with other advances in technology, have brought the deep sky - star clusters, nebulae and the galaxies - within reach of amateur astronomers. And it isn't even necessary to image many of these deep-sky objects in order to see them; they are within reach of visual observers using modern techniques and enhancement technology.

The first requirement is truly dark skies; if you are observing from a light-polluted environment you need Tony Cooke's book, Visual Astronomy in the Suburbs. Given a site with clear, dark night skies everything else follows... this book will provide the reader with everything he needs to know about what to observe, and using some of today's state-of-the-art technique and commercial equipment, how to get superb views of faint and distant astronomical objects.

This useful resource deals with satellite orbits, showing how the wide range of available orbits can be used in communications, positioning, remote-sensing, meteorology, and astronomy. An accompanying CD-ROM determines the orbit and sampling of a satellite.