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.

What do we understand of the birth and death of stars? What is the nature of the tiny dust grains that permeate our Galaxy and other galaxies? And how likely is the existence of brown dwarfs, extrasolar planets or other sub-stellar mass objects? These are just a few of the questions that can now be addressed in a new era of infrared observations. IR astronomy has been revolutionised over the past few years by the widespread availability of large, very sensitive IR arrays and the success of IR satellites (IRAS in particular). Several IR space missions due for launch over the next few years promise an exciting future too. For these reasons, the IV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics was dedicated to this burgeoning field. Its primary goal was to introduce graduate students and researchers from other areas to the important new observations and physical ideas that are emerging in this wide-ranging field of research. Lectures from nine leading researchers, renowned for their teaching abilities, are gathered in this volume. These nine chapters provide an excellent introduction as well as a thorough and up-to-date review of developments - essential reading for graduate students entering IR astronomy, and professionals from other areas who realise the importance that IR astronomy may have on their research.

This introduction to basic practical tools, methods and phenomena in quantitative astronomy covers topics across a wide range of areas, from radio to gamma-ray wavelengths. Clear presentations of the topics are accompanied by diagrams and problem sets. Written for undergraduates and graduate students, the book will introduce them to the practice and study of quantitative and analytical astronomy and astrophysics.

Electromagnetic scintillation describes the phase and amplitude fluctuations imposed on signals that travel through the atmosphere. Providing a modern reference and comprehensive tutorial for this subject, two volumes cover optical and microwave propagation, integrating measurements and predictions at each step of development. The first volume (published September 2001) dealt with phase and angle-of-arrival measurement errors, which are accurately described by geometrical optics. This second volume concentrates on amplitude and intensity fluctuations of the received signal. Also available...Volume I 0-521-80198-2 Hardback $110.00 C

David Levy has held a lifelong passion for comets, and is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. In this book he describes the observing techniques that have been developed over the years--from visual observations and searching, to photography, through to electronic charge-coupled devices (CCDs). He combines the history of comet hunting with the latest techniques, showing how our understanding of comets has evolved over time. This practical handbook is suitable for amateur astronomers, from those who are casually interested in comets and how to observe them, to those who want to begin and expand an observing program of their own. Drawing widely from his own extensive experience, Levy describes how enthusiastic amateurs can observe comets and try to make new discoveries themselves. David H. Levy is one of the word's foremost amateur astronomers. He has discovered seventeen comets, seven using a telescope in his own backyard, and had a minor planet, Asteroid 3673 Levy named in his honor. He is best known as the co-discoverer of the famous 1994 Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet. Levy is frequently interviewed in the media and succeeded Carl Sagan as science columnist for Parade magazine. He has written and contributed to a number of books, most recently David Levy's Guide to the Night Sky (Cambridge, 2001).

This book describes the development of astronomy in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength range, from the first rocket-based experiments in the late 1960s through to the latest satellite missions. It provides detailed material on the tools of EUV astronomy, dealing with the instrumentation, observational techniques, and modelling tools for the interpretation of data. Prospects for future EUV missions are discussed, and a catalog of known EUV sources is included.

This is a remarkable story of the building of the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton in California. Helen Wright's informative account vividly describes the founding of the observatory by the millionaire James Lick, as well as the pioneering role that Captain Richard Floyd played in its eight-year construction. The author details the personalities, the many unique circumstances, and the extraordinary production obstacles that were involved in the building of the first high-altitude astronomical observatory, which was finally opened as part of the University of California on June 1, 1888. Based on exhaustive research, this work makes a valuable contribution to the history of astronomy. The volume is enhanced by a fascinating collection of original photographs from the period that are of great historical interest. James Lick's Monument will appeal to a wide audience, including professional and amateur astronomers, historians of science, and all other readers interested in astronomy and its history.

This volume is, first and foremost, a story of the relations between space, time and navigation, from the rise of the chronometer in the U.S. to the Global Positioning System of satellites, for which the Naval Observatory provides the time to a billionth of a second per day. It is a story of the history of technology, in the form of telescopes, lenses, detectors, calculators, clocks and computers over 170 years. It describes how one scientific institution under government and military patronage has contributed, through all the vagaries of history, to almost two centuries of unparalleled progress in astronomy.

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.

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.

This introduction to the use of radar for remote sensing of natural surfaces provides the reader with a thorough grounding in practical applications, focusing particularly on terrestrial studies that may be extended to other planets. An historical overview of the subject is followed by an introduction to the nomenclature and methodology pertaining to radar data collection, image interpretation and surface roughness analysis. The author presents a summary (illustrated with examples from the natural environment) of theoretical explanations for the backscatter properties of continuous rough surfaces, collections of discrete objects, and layered terrain.

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.

Here is a one-volume guide to just about everything computer-related for amateur astronomers

Today's amateur astronomy is inextricably linked to personal computers. Computer-controlled "go-to" telescopes are inexpensive. CCD and webcam imaging make intensive use of the technology for capturing and processing images. Planetarium software provides information and an easy interface for telescopes. The Internet offers links to other astronomers, information, and software. The list goes on and on.

Find out here how to choose the best planetarium program: are commercial versions really better than freeware? Learn how to optimise a go-to telescope, or connect it to a lap-top. Discover how to choose the best webcam and use it with your telescope. Create a mosaic of the Moon, or high-resolution images of the planets...

Astronomy with a Home Computer is designed for every amateur astronomer who owns a home computer, whether it is running Microsoft Windows, Mac O/S or Linux. It doesn't matter what kind of telescope you own either - a small refractor is just as useful as a big "go-to" SCT for most of the projects in this book.

Commercially-made astronomical telescopes are better and less expensive than ever before, and their optical and mechanical performance can be superb. When a good-quality telescope fails to perform as well as it might, the reason is quite probably that it needs a little care and attention! Here is a complete guide for anyone who wants to understand more than just the basics of astronomical telescopes and accessories, and how to maintain them in the peak of condition. The latest on safely adjusting, cleaning, and maintaining your equipment is combined with thoroughly updated methods from the old masters. Here, too, are details of choosing new and used optics and accessories, along with enhancements you can make to extend their versatility and useful lifetime. This book is for you. Really. Looking after an astronomical telescope isna (TM)t only for the experts - although there are some things that only an expert should attempt - and every serious amateur astronomer will find invaluable information here, gleaned from Barlow Pepin's many yearsa (TM) experience working with optical instruments.

The 20-cm (8-in) Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope is the most popular telescope in the world. This compact instrument revolutionized amateur astronomy and astrophotography, and more than ten thousand are purchased each year. Manly, a devotee and keen user of the Schmidt-Cassegrain, takes the telescope owner, in easy stages, through all aspects of using the telescope. He starts with techniques for viewing the Moon, then takes the observer through our planetary system, and on to the deep sky, where nebulae and galaxies are treated extensively. There are interesting projects to try, such as observing the nearest star and chasing eclipses. The book describes a full range of telescope accessories and detectors together with advice on their use. The 40-page appendix is packed with hard-to-find practical information. Peter Manly is the author of Unusual Telescopes (CUP, 1992).

Infrared astronomy is a dynamic area of current research. It has been revolutionized in the past few years by the advent of large, sensitive, infrared arrays, and the success of several infrared satellites. This handbook provides a clear, concise and accessible reference on all aspects of infrared astronomy. Throughout, the emphasis is on fundamental concepts, practical considerations and useful data. Starting with a review of the basic infrared emission mechanisms, we are shown how the earth's atmosphere affects and limits observations from ground-based telescopes. The important systematics of photometric accuracy are treated in detail. Spectroscopy--both stellar and otherwise--is explained, and illustrated with useful examples. An important chapter is devoted to dust, which plays such a central role. Finally, the technical background to infrared instrumentation is covered to help the reader develop a proper understanding of the capabilities and limitations of infrared observations. This volume provides both an essential introduction for graduate students making infrared observations or reducing infrared data for the first time, and a convenient reference for more experienced researchers.

If you have ever watched shooting stars graze the sky or wondered about a particularly bright point of light near the horizon, then this is the book for you. A Skywatcher's Year is the authoritative guide to visible bodies in the night sky throughout the year. Through fifty-two essays, Jeff Kanipe guides you to celestial events and phenomena that occur or are visible with the naked eye and binoculars for each week of the year. He acquaints you not only with up-to-date astronomical information on stars, nebulae, meteors, the Milky Way, and galaxies, but also conveys the beauty and wonder of the night sky. Covering both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, A Skywatcher's Year helps readers find prominent stars and constellations, bright star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, and explains how and when to observe prominent annual meteor showers. Kanipe also examines the most frequently-observed celestial body, the Moon, and the intriguing lore surrounding it. A rich and jargon-free look at the sky through the four seasons, this engaging book will give new dimensions to backyard star-gazing.

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.

A masterly survey of the last 13 years of Very Long Baseline Interferometry, reviewed in light of the most advanced astronomical observations. Topics covered include: Nonthermal emission from extragalactic radio sources; Principles of synchrotron emission in relation to astrophysics; Theory of relativistic jets; Young, powerful radio sources and their evolution; Scintillation in extragalactic radio sources; Radio and optical interferometry; Radio polarimetry; Unified schemes; Deep fields; Tropospheric and ionospheric phase calibration; Supernovae; VLBI for geodesy and geodynamics.

High-performance CCD cameras have opened up an exciting new window on the Universe for amateur astronomers. This book provides a complete, self-contained guide to choosing and using CCD cameras. We start with a no-nonsense introduction to how a CCD camera works and just what determines its performance. We are then shown how to use a CCD camera and calibrate accurately the images we obtain. A clear review is then provided of the software available for visualising, analysing and processing digital images. Finally, we are guided through a series of key areas in astronomy where we can make the best use of our CCD cameras. This handy volume is packed with practical tips. It provides a clear introduction to CCD astronomy for novices and an indispensable reference for more experienced amateur astronomers.

High-performance CCD cameras have opened up an exciting new window on the Universe for amateur astronomers. This book provides a complete, self-contained guide to choosing and using CCD cameras. We start with a no-nonsense introduction to how a CCD camera works and just what determines its performance. We are then shown how to use a CCD camera and calibrate accurately the images we obtain. A clear review is then provided of the software available for visualising, analysing and processing digital images. Finally, we are guided through a series of key areas in astronomy where we can make the best use of our CCD cameras. This handy volume is packed with practical tips. It provides a clear introduction to CCD astronomy for novices and an indispensable reference for more experienced amateur astronomers.

Written by an accomplished amateur astronomer and available for the first time in North America, this advanced guide is designed to take your evening explorations to new heights. Beginning with an explanation of the fundamental principles of practical astronomy, author North provides essential information on telescope optics, the atmosphere, astrophotography, electronic imaging, and telescope hardware (including how to select equipment and diagnose faulty telescopes). This knowledge is then applied to the full range of celestial bodies accessible by telescope: the solar system, stars and galaxies. For those amateur astronomers who are bored with making simple observations, chapters on photometry, spectroscopy and radio astronomy bring observational astronomy to a level where data of real scientific value can be acquired. This book is a must for any amateur astronomer wanting a new way to look at the sky.

A new source of funding for astronomy stemmed from the creation of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1950. Astronomers were quick to take advantage of the opportunities this provided to found new observatories. In this 1997 book, the science and politics of the establishment, funding, construction and operation of the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) are seen from the unique perspective of Frank K. Edmondson, a former member of the AURA board of directors. AURA was asked to manage the Sacramento Peak Observatory (SPO) in 1976, and in 1983 the National Solar Observatory (NSO) was formed by merging the SPO and the KPNO solar programs. In 1981 NASA chose AURA to establish and operate the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). This is a personal account of a period of major innovation in American optical astronomy.

A Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion is an essential read for deep-sky observers, whether they are interested in imaging or just sightseeing. This beautiful large-format full-colour book is designed to be taken out into the field during observing to provide all the information necessary for finding and imaging interesting deep-sky objects. There is a vast amount of information packed into each spread - photographs, position, maps, recommended exposure times, and much, much more. Every amateur astronomer will want a copy of this! -The only book to provide all the observational information needed for field use by deep-sky observers! -Large-format, full-colour spreads for ease of use. -Images as well as data for all the most interesting deep-sky objects. -Finder maps for all objects. -Recommended exposure times for imaging. -Organised by constellation.

Gravitational waves were predicted 100 years ago by Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity. This volume contains the exciting results presented at IAU Symposium 338, following the announcement of the first results of the observation of the collision of neutron stars by the LIGO and Virgo Advanced detectors, and follow-up observations by many ground-based and space telescopes. These observations provided an incredible context for the talks, posters and discussions at the meeting, fostering new interactions and collaborations between physicists and astronomers in an exciting new era of multimessenger astrophysics. For the first time, space-time messengers (gravitational waves) and electromagnetic ones (visible, infrared and ultraviolet light, x-rays, gamma-rays, radio waves) can be correlated, to increase our understanding of binary systems of compact objects, rotating or exploding stars and other astrophysical phenomena. A new window has opened through which we can view the cosmos.