Over the last 50 years, a variety of techniques have been developed to add a third dimension to regular imaging, with an extended spectrum associated to every imaging pixel. Dubbed 3D spectroscopy from its data format, it is now widely used in the astrophysical domain, but also inter alia for atmospheric sciences and remote sensing purposes. This is the first book to comprehensively tackle these new capabilities. It starts with the fundamentals of spectroscopic instruments, in particular their potentials and limits. It then reviews the various known 3D techniques, with particular emphasis on pinpointing their different 'ecological? niches. Putative users are finally led through the whole observing process, from observation planning to the extensive ? and crucial - phase of data reduction. This book overall goal is to give the non-specialist enough hands-on knowledge to learn fast how to properly use and produce meaningful data when using such a 3D capability.

With the discovery of planets beyond our solar system 25 years ago, exoplanet research has expanded dramatically, with new state-of-the-art ground-based and space-based missions dedicated to their discovery and characterisation. With more than 3,500 exoplanets now known, the complexity of the discovery techniques, observations and physical characterisation have grown exponentially. This Handbook ties all these avenues of research together across a broad range of exoplanet science. Planet formation, exoplanet interiors and atmospheres, and habitability are discussed, providing in-depth coverage of our knowledge to date. Comprehensively updated from the first edition, it includes instrumental and observational developments, in-depth treatment of the new Kepler mission results and hot Jupiter atmospheric studies, and major updates on models of exoplanet formation. With extensive references to the research literature and appendices covering all individual exoplanet discoveries, it is a valuable reference to this exciting field for both incoming and established researchers.

If, as Immanuel Kant once said, we are guided by the starry sky above and the moral law within, then, thanks to David Levy, we can now conceptualize Kant's adage at least half-way. David Levy's Guide to the Night Sky is designed to satisfy observers who have just become interested in the sky and want to navigate their way around it. By stirring the imagination and putting observation in a framework of personal adventure, Levy explains how to discover the Moon, planets, comets, meteors, and distant galaxies through a small telescope. Fully updated, the new edition includes:

This is a centennial study of Yerkes Observatory, built a century ago by the University of Chicago as one of America's first big science centres. The text describes the changing fortunes of the Observatory under its first three directors, and is illustrated with many archival photographs. Under its founder and first director, George Ellery Hale, Yerkes pioneered the new science of astrophysics. E.B. Frost, Hale's successor, allowed Yerkes to decline from 1904 to 1932, although it still trained rising young astronomers such as Edward Hubble. Finally, with the support of Robert M. Hutchins, the University of Chicago's "boy president", the "boy director" Otto Struve presided over Yerkes' revitalization in the 1930s and 1940s.

Here is an informative, up-to-date and well-illustrated guide to planetary observations for amateurs. After chapters on the solar system and the celestial sphere, the text explains how to choose, test and use a telescope with various accessories and how to make observations and record results. For each planet and the asteroids, Price gives details of observational techniques, together with suggestions for how to make contributions of sound astronomical value. From a general description and detailed observational history of each planet, readers learn how to anticipate what they should see and assess their own observations. New to this edition is a chapter on planetary photography that includes the revolutionary use of videography, charge coupled devices and video-assisted drawing. Another new feature is a section on the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. Other chapters on making maps and planispheres and on photoelectric photometry round out the book's up-to-date treatment, making this indispensable reading for both casual and serious observer alike.

Star-gazing with binoculars is rewarding and, for many, a lifelong passion! Patrick Moore has painstakingly researched Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars to describe the optimal use of binoculars for astronomical observation. He explains basic astronomy and the selection of binoculars, then goes on to discuss the stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies that await the observer. He charts the sky seen from the northern and southern hemispheres season by season, providing detailed maps of all the constellations. In addition, the reader can also observe the Sun, Moon, planets, comets and meteors. New to this Fourth Edition are: An improved presentation of all star maps, rendering a clear impression of what the night sky really looks like; planetary data through 2010; and advice on eclipse watching, including total eclipses of the sun. With many beautiful illustrations, this handbook will be helpful and encouraging to casual observers and those cultivating a more serious interest. The enjoyment of amateur astronomy is now available to everybody!

On a clear night, the vastness and beauty of the star-filled sky is awe inspiring. In Stargazing: Astronomy without a Telescope Patrick Moore, Britain's best known astronomer, tells you all you need to know about the universe visible to the naked eye. With the aid of charts and illustrations, he explains how to "read" the stars, to know which constellations lie overhead, their trajectory throughout the seasons, and the legends ascribed to them. In a month-by-month guide he describes using detailed star maps of the night skies of both the northern and southern hemispheres. He also takes a look at the planets, the Sun and the Moon and their eclipses, comets, meteors, as well as aurorae and other celestial phenomena--all in accessible scientific detail. This captivating book shows how, even with just the naked eye, astronomy can be a fascinating and rewarding hobby--for life.

Three experts in the field of thin-film optics present a detailed and self-contained theoretical study of planar multilayers and how they can be effectively exploited in both traditional and modern applications. Starting with a discussion of the relevant electromagnetic optics, the fundamental optical properties of multilayers are introduced using an electromagnetic approach based on a direct solving of Maxwell's equations by Fourier transforms. This powerful approach is illustrated through the comprehensive description of two of the most important phenomena in multilayers, i.e. giant field enhancement in dielectric stacks and light scattering from thin-film optical filters. The same approach is extended to the description of the operation of planar microcavities and the balance of energy between radiated and trapped light. This book will be valuable to researchers, engineers and graduate students with interests in nanophotonics, optical telecommunications, observational astronomy and gravitational wave detection.

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.

With this extraordinary handbook, you, too, can frame the stars and have them hanging on your livingroom walls. Astrophotography for the Amateur provides a complete guide to taking pictures of stars, galaxies, the Moon, the Sun, comets, meteors and eclipses, using equipment and materials readily available to the hobbyist. Based on suggestions from readers of the first edition, the new edition has been completely updated and expanded to include new chapters on computer image processing and CCD imaging; expanded advice on choosing cameras and telescopes; completely updated information about films; a much larger bibliography; and hundreds of new photographs (in color and black and white) demonstrating the latest equipment and techniques. Astrophotography for the Amateur has become the standard handbook for all amateur astronomers. This new edition provides an ideal introduction for beginners and a complete handbook for advanced amateurs. It will also appeal to photography enthusiasts who will discover how to take spectacular images with only modest equipment. Michael A. Covington received his Ph.D. at Yale University. He is the author of several books, including Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1984). He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and is the Associate Director of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the University of Georgia.

Laboratory astrophysics is the Rosetta Stone that enables astronomers to understand and interpret the distant cosmos. It provides the tools to interpret and guide astronomical observations and delivers the numbers needed to quantitatively model the processes taking place in space, providing a bridge between observers and modelers. IAU Symposium 350 was organized by the International Astronomical Union's Laboratory Astrophysics Commission (B5), and was the first topical symposium on laboratory astrophysics sponsored by the IAU. Active researchers in observational astronomy, space missions, experimental and theoretical laboratory astrophysics, and astrochemistry discuss the topics and challenges facing astronomy today. Five major topics are covered, spanning from star- and planet-formation through stellar populations to extragalactic chemistry and dark matter. Within each topic, the main themes of laboratory studies, astronomical observations, and theoretical modeling are explored, demonstrating the breadth and the plurality of disciplines engaged in the growing field of laboratory astrophysics.

Knowledge Discovery in Big Data from Astronomy and Earth Observation: Astrogeoinformatics bridges the gap between astronomy and geoscience in the context of applications, techniques and key principles of big data. Machine learning and parallel computing are increasingly becoming cross-disciplinary as the phenomena of Big Data is becoming common place. This book provides insight into the common workflows and data science tools used for big data in astronomy and geoscience. After establishing similarity in data gathering, pre-processing and handling, the data science aspects are illustrated in the context of both fields. Software, hardware and algorithms of big data are addressed. Finally, the book offers insight into the emerging science which combines data and expertise from both fields in studying the effect of cosmos on the earth and its inhabitants.

Covering both homemade and commercial products, this book provides the reader with simple and straightforward information about the modeling, building, and use of binoscopes. Binoscopes can be thought of as binoculars enlarged to the size of telescopes - essentially, a combination of the two. Constructing a binoscope is easier than most people think, but it still demands attention to detail and proper background knowledge. The author goes on to provide additional information about the products currently on the market, should the reader choose to purchase one instead of building it. Lastly, the book also compares binoscopes with telescopes in great detail, outlining the differences the reader can expect to see in the night sky from using both. The celestial views obtained with a binoscope, compared to a single telescope of the same aperture, are a very different experience. The new edition emphasizes the obvious advantages of viewing celestial objects through a binoscope. There are also many new photos and additional information on the latest equipment and some very special and rare equipment a collector might be interested in. Newly added cartoons and additional images of beautiful deep sky objects in each of the chapters makes reading the book a more enjoyable experience. Finally, there is a new comet discovery form and guide to follow for such discoveries, and a complete list of Messier objects for those interested in searching for these.

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.

The New General Catalogue (NCG), originally created in 1888, is the source for referencing bright nebulae and star clusters, both in professional and amateur astronomy. With 7840 entries, it is the most-used historical catalogue of observational astronomy, and NGC numbers are commonly used today. However, the fascinating history of the discovery, observation, description and cataloguing of nebulae and star clusters in the nineteenth century has largely gone untold, until now. This well-researched book is the first comprehensive historical study of the NGC, and is an important resource to all those with an interest in the history of modern astronomy and visual deep-sky observing. It covers the people, observatories, instruments and methods involved in nineteenth-century visual deep-sky observing, as well as prominent deep-sky objects. The book also compares the NGC to modern object data, demonstrating how important the NGC is in observational astronomy today.

Learn how to observe and navigate the night sky with this guide to stargazing for beginners! The dazzling reference book shines bright with crystal-clear charts of the planets, stars, and constellations in both the northern and southern hemispheres for each month of the year! It's perfect for anyone interested in stargazing and astronomy. This unique astronomy book explains and demystifies the changing night sky. It includes: - Illustrated overviews that introduce each month with a guide to the main attractions, such as bright stars, prominent constellations, and meteor showers - An introduction explains what the universe is, our place within it, how it appears to us in the night sky, and how our view of it changes with time and place - Each illustrated overview features a planet locator, showing the position of the planets during the month introduced - Charts that show the positions of all stars visible to the naked eye in even the darkest skies Discover a complete year-round atlas of the night sky! Filled with easy-to-use star charts showing the constellations, alongside specially commissioned artworks and photography, this space book has everything the budding astronomer needs to understand the night sky. You'll learn how to recognise different kinds of objects and see how they move through the sky over the course of the night and the year. Whether you're new to astronomy or a seasoned stargazer, The Night Sky Month by Month enables everyone to be awed by stargazing. It covers sky-watching without any equipment at all, as well as with the use of binoculars and telescopes. Plus, the newly updated edition features an astronomy calendar detailing the annual and one-off celestial events for the decade ahead, ensuring you'll never miss a visible planet or solar eclipse again. It's the perfect astronomy gift for adults fascinated with space.

In six years, Galileo Galilei went from being a mathematics professor to a star in the court of Florence to a target of the Inquisition. And during that time, Galileo made a series of astronomical discoveries that reshaped the ideas of the physical nature of the heavens and transformed him from a university mathematician into a court philosopher.
"Galileo's Instruments of Credit" proposes radical new interpretations of key episodes of Galileo's career, including his telescopic discoveries of 1610, the dispute over sunspots, and the conflict with the Holy Office over the relationship between Copernicanism and Scripture. Galileo's tactics shifted as rapidly as his circumstances, argues Mario Biagioli, and these changes forced him to respond swiftly to the opportunities and risks posed by unforeseen inventions, other discoveries, and his opponents.
Focusing on the aspects of Galileo's scientific life that extended beyond court culture and patronage, Biagioli offers a revisionist account of the different systems of exchanges, communication, and credibility at work in Galileo's career." Galileo's Instruments of Credit "will fascinate readers interested in the history of astronomy and the history of science in general.

Grating Spectroscopes and How to Use Them is written for amateur astronomers who are just getting into this field of astronomy. Transmission grating spectroscopes look like simple filters and are designed to screw into place on the eyepiece of a telescope for visual use, or into the camera adapter for digicam or CCD imaging. Using the most popular commercially made filter gratings - Rainbow Optics (US) and Star Analyzer (UK) - as examples, this book provides the reader with information on how to set up and use the grating one needs to obtain stellar spectrograms. It also discusses several methods on analyzing the results. This book is written in an easy to read style, perfect for getting started on the first night using the spectroscope, and specifically showing how the simple transmission filter is used on the camera or telescope. No heavy mathematics or formulas are involved, and there are many practical hints and tips - something that is almost essential to success when starting out. This book helps readers to achieve quick results, and by following the worked examples, they can successfully carry out basic analysis of the spectra.

Galactic dynamics is fundamental to understanding the formation of galaxies, their internal evolution and their current structure. While galactic dynamics has traditionally focused on the evolution of the stellar components of galaxies, studies over the past two decades have shown that all aspects of galaxy evolution are strongly influenced by the interplay between the dynamics of stars, gas, and dark matter. IAU Symposium 353, is the first major symposium in more than a decade focused on the dynamics of galaxies and stellar systems, covering the recent explosion in the availability of kinematical data both for individual stars in the Milky Way and wide field line-of-sight kinematics for large samples of external galaxies. These proceedings describe recent developments that aim to transform our understanding of the dynamics, structure, formation and evolution of our own host galaxy, the Milky Way, as well as galaxies in the universe at large.

Designed for a course in radio astronomy or for use as a reference for practicing engineers and astronomers, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the topic. Application boxes in each chapter cover topics like LOFAR, DSN, and VLBI. The book begins with the history of radio astronomy, then explains the fundamentals, polarization, designing radio telescopes, understanding radio arrays, interferometers, receiving systems, mapping techniques, image processing and propagation effects in relation to radio astronomy. A special chapter in the end presents the GMRT radio array as an example of the explained techniques. Features: Includes context-connection boxes, including NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) the South Pole Telescope (SPT), the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), Space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), pulsar dispersion and distance, and plane waves in conducting and dielectric media Contains several appendices including radiation potential formalism, the physics of radio spectral lines, and a table of world radio observatories View the comprehensive companion disc with hundreds of color images and figures from the text

Alien worlds have long been a staple of science fiction. But today, thanks to modern astronomical instrumentation and the achievements of many enterprising observational astronomers, the existence of planets outside our solar system--also known as exoplanets--has moved into the realm of science fact. With planet hunters finding ever smaller, more Earth-like worlds, our understanding of the cosmos is forever changed, yet the question of how astronomers make these discoveries often goes unanswered. How Do You Find an Exoplanet? is an authoritative primer on the four key techniques that today's planet hunters use to detect the feeble signals of planets orbiting distant stars. John Johnson provides you with an insider's perspective on this exciting cutting-edge science, showing how astronomers detect the wobble of stars caused by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet, the slight diminution of light caused by a planet eclipsing its star, and the bending of space-time by stars and their planets, and how astronomers even directly take pictures of planets next to their bright central stars. Accessible to anyone with a basic foundation in college-level physics, How Do You Find an Exoplanet? sheds new light on the prospect of finding life outside our solar system, how surprising new observations suggest that we may not fully understand how planets form, and much more.

Fora general audience interested insolving mysteries in art, history, and literature using the methods of science, 'forensic astronomy' is a thrilling new field of exploration. Astronomical calculations are the basis of the studies, which have the advantage of bringing to readers both evocative images and a better understanding of the skies.
Weather facts, volcano studies, topography, tides, historical letters and diaries, famous paintings, military records, and the friendly assistance of experts in related fields add variety, depth, and interest to the work. The chosen topics are selected for their wide public recognition and intrigue, involving artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, and Ansel Adams; historical events such as the Battle of Marathon, the death of Julius Caesar, the American Revolution, and World War II; and literary authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Joyce, and Mary Shelley. This book sets out to answer these mysteries indicated with the means and expertise of astronomy, opening the door to a richer experience of human culture and its relationship with nature.
Each subject is carefully analyzed. As an example using the study of sky paintings by Vincent van Gogh, the analytical method would include:
- computer calculations of historical skies above France in the 19th century
- finding and quoting the clues found in translations of original letters by Van Gogh
- making site visits to France to determine the precise locations when Van Gogh set up his easel and what celestial objects are depicted.
For each historical event influenced by astronomy, there would be a different kind of mystery to be solved. As an example:
- How can the phase of the Moon and time of moonrise help to explain a turning point of the American Civil War - the fatal wounding of Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville in 1863?
For each literary reference to astronomy, it was determined which celestial objects were being described and making an argument that the author is describing an actual event. For example, what was the date of the moonlit scene when Mary Shelley first had the idea for her novel Frankenstein?

These and more fun riddles will enchant and delight the fan of art and astronomy. "

The interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas set a new high standard for modern celestial cartography. The same team now presents the interstellarum Deep Sky Guide, its unique observing companion. Taking an intuitive visual approach, for each spread of the Atlas, the Guide focuses on carefully selected objects, either as colored composite POSS plates or through the authors' own eyepiece sketches. They allow you to estimate the visibility of features in the telescope while planning observations. Stars and other objects in the vicinity are highlighted, so they also serve as finder charts at night. An index map on each spread allows you to quickly find each object's location in the Atlas. The interstellarum Deep Sky Guide takes all the hassle out of preparing for observing sessions - there's no need to print star charts or photos. Simply grab your Atlas and your Guide, and go observe! This Field Edition is produced using waterproof materials.

Cluster was one of the two missions - the other being the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) - constituting the Solar Terrestrial Science Programme (STSP), the first cornerstone' of ESA's Horizon 2000 Programme. After the catastrophic Ariane-5 accident on 4 June 1996 which destroyed the four Cluster spacecraft, the European Space Agency Science Programme Committee gave approval to refurbish the spare Cluster spacecraft and make it ready for flight. This new spacecraft, considered to be the first of a new fleet, is called Phoenix. In the meantime various options to repeat the Cluster four-point measurements are being studied. Since Phoenix, as the fifth Cluster spacecraft, will be equipped with the spare Cluster experiments, the instrumentation articles in this book are still appropriate to the new mission. Furthermore, the objectives of the recovery mission, the ground systems, the ground observation program and the theory and modelling efforts all remain unchanged. Thus this series of articles will continue to be essential to the Cluster community and to the general scientific community as the recovery mission is implemented.

Several Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments, for example, LOFAR, MWA and PAPER, are currently under way and producing results. These very deep observations not only set constraints on when and where the first sources formed in the early Universe and began (re)ionizing the predominantly neutral all-pervasive intergalactic medium, but they also provide high-quality data for cutting edge auxiliary foreground science. Obviously studying the physical origin of the foreground emission, whether Galactic or extragalactic, is a very exciting field in its own right and is of fundamental importance for perfecting the foreground removal techniques in the cosmological experiments. These proceedings of IAU S333 address both topics through giving the clearest and widest possible view on the EoR; presenting the state-of-the-art foreground science; and discussing challenges of upcoming and planned radio facilities such as HERA and SKA.