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.

Embark on an awe-inspiring and informative journey through our Solar System and beyond in this illuminating astronomy book! Discover how big the Universe is, why our view of the sky is constantly changing, what came before the Big Bang, and so much more. 3, 2, 1, blast off! Inside the pages of this comprehensive guide to astronomy for beginners, you'll discover: - Simple text and step-by-step graphics make astronomy easy to understand - Fun facts and tip-of-the-tongue questions are presented through bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features - Clear explanations demystifying more advanced topics such as cosmic rays, dark matter, and black hole collisions An out-of-this-world reference book about space that introduces you to the weird and wonderful world of astronomy and space exploration. From the structure of the Milky Way to the Earth's nearest celestial body, the Moon, How Space Works takes you on an unforgettable tour through the stars and galaxies, and to the furthest reaches of space! Answering all your burning questions about space, from ancient white dwarf stars to the Mars Rover, this visual guide explains the basics of astronomy through bold graphics and step-by-step artworks. It's the ultimate book for armchair astronomers and space-technology enthusiasts looking for reliable and up-to-date facts and explanations. DK's How Things Work series uses dynamic graphics and jargon-free text to explain the modern world simply and clearly. Packed with fascinating facts and stats, these visual guides cover everything from science to philosophy, making complex topics more accessible than ever before!

In the 1960's, American amateur astronomer, John Dobson, designed a revolutionary kind of astronomical telescope featuring a lightweight large-aperture reflecting system on a simple mounting, using the then-revolutionary material called teflon. The design combines simplicity and portability with large-aperture prowess. Thirty years later Dobsonians remain supreme for visually observing faint deep-sky objects and are one of the best-selling large telescopes in the USA and Europe. This popularity is reflected in the recent increase of companies now heavily marketing Dobsonians, in particular, Meade (the "Lightbridge" range), Orion USA (XT Intelliscope series), and Skywatcher (Skyliner and Flextube models). This book is the ultimate guide to buying and using commercial Dobsonians, both 'Econo' and 'Primo' models, with in-depth accounts for the various models (plus accessories) on the market and descriptions of the many innovations that amateurs have made to optimize their telescopes' performance.

This is a study and translation of the Zhou bi suan jing, a Chinese work on astronomy and mathematics which reached its final form around the first century AD. The author provides the first easily accessible introduction to the developing mathematical and observational practices of ancient Chinese astronomers and shows how the generation and validation of knowledge about the heavens in Han dynasty China related closely to developments in statecraft and politics. The book will be of equal interest to historians of science and those studying the history of Chinese culture.

Every amateur astronomer has at least heard of the many different catalogs of deep-sky objects; the most well known are the Messier, the Caldwell, the Herschel, and the NGC. All of these catalogs are, in general, readily available, but very few amateur observers are in a position to choose the best catalog for their particular deep-sky observing program, know how to use the catalog, or even realize just how many there are out there! The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to the Deep-sky Catalogs is a single compilation of the historical and modern astronomical deep-sky catalogs. It discusses their origins, compares what's in them, explains how to interpret the data they contain, and even outlines how readers can create suitable 'custom' catalogs for their own use. The last section provides a set of three deep-sky catalogs created by the author, for observers of different levels of experience, from newcomer to expert.

For many astronomers, the holy grail of observation is to discover a comet, not least because comets always bear the name of their discoverer! Hunting and Imaging Comets was written for comet hunters and digital imagers who want to discover, rediscover, monitor, and make pictures of comets using astronomical CCD cameras and DSLRs. The old days of the purely visual comet hunter are pretty much over, but this is not to say that amateurs have lost interest in finding comets. The books also covers the discovery of comet fragments in the SOHO image data, CCD monitoring of older comets prone to violent outbursts, the imaging of new NEOs (Near Earth Objects) that have quite often been revealed as comets - not asteroids - by amateur astronomers, and the finding of recent comets impacting Jupiter.

The author, a well-known astronomer himself, describes the evolution of astronomical ideas, touching only lightly on most of the instrumental developments. Richly illustrated, the book starts with the astronomical ideas of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian philosophers, moves on to the Greek period and then on to the golden age of astronomy, that of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton. Finally, Pecker concludes with modern theories of cosmology. Written with astronomy undergraduates in mind, this is a fascinating survey of astronomical thinking.

These historical narratives of scientific behavior reveal the often irrational way scientists arrive at and assess their theories. There are stories of Einstein 's stubbornness leading him to reject a correct interpretation of an experiment and miss an important deduction from his own theory, and Newton missing the important deduction from one of his most celebrated discoveries. This enlightening book clearly demonstrates that the greatest minds throughout history arrived at their famous scientific theories in very unorganized ways and they often did not fully grasp the significance and implications of their own work.

This book looks at answers to the biggest questions in astronomy - the questions of how the planets, stars, galaxies and the universe were formed. Over the last decade, a revolution in observational astronomy has produced possible answers to three of these questions. This book describes this revolution. The one question for which we still do not have an answer is the question of the origin of the universe. In the final chapter, the author looks at the connection between science and philosophy and shows how new scientific results have laid the groundwork for the first serious scientific studies of the origin of the universe.

This is a fascinating and enjoyable popular science book on gravity and black holes. It offers an absorbing account on the history of research on the universe and gravity from Aristotle via Copernicus via Newton to Einstein. The author possesses high literary qualities and is celebrated relativist. The physics of black holes constitutes one of the most fascinating chapters in modern science. At the same time, there is a fanciful quality associated with this strange and beautiful entity. The black hole story is undoubtedly an adventure through physics, philosophy, history, fiction and fantasy. This book is an attempt to blend all these elements together.

This interdisciplinary book probes the subject of extraterrestrial intelligent life, offering scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing pseudo-scientific assertions such as 'rare earth'. The author discusses such philosophical questions as: What is intelligence? What is consciousness? Should we expect ETIs to be conscious beings? Also discussed is the viability of future astronautics which would enable closer human contact with ETI.

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.

It's the age-old question: Is there life on Mars? Steve Squyres, lead scientist of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, sets out to answer that question and relates his findings in this riveting first-person narrative account, now in paperback. Steve Squyres is the face and voice of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission. Squyres dreamed up the mission in 1987, saw it through from conception in 1995 to a successful landing in 2004, and serves as the principal scientist of its $400 million payload. He has gained a rare inside look at what it took for Rovers Spirit and Opportunity to land on the red planet in January 2004--and knows firsthand their findings.

Weird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes that "don't quite fit." This book relates a variety of "unusual" astronomical observations - unusual in the sense of refusing to fit easily into accepted thinking, or unusual in the observation having been made under difficult or extreme circumstances. Although some of the topics covered are instances of "bad astronomy," most are not. Some of the observations recorded here have actually turned out to be important scientific breakthroughs. Included are some amusing anecdotes (such as the incident involving "potassium flares" in ordinary stars and the story of Abba 1, the solar system's own flare star!), but the book's purpose is not to ridicule those who report anomalous observations, nor is it to challenge scientific orthodoxy. It is more to demonstrate how what's "weird" often turns out to be far more significant than observations of what we expect to see.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration--NASA--was established on July 29, 1958. Ever since that day, NASA has been at the forefront of efforts to explore outerspace, resulting in the Apollo missions to the moon, the Skylab space-station, and today's space shuttle.
But behind the open face of NASA, there is a much more mysterious world. NASA has been linked to a wealth of high-level cover-ups, including:
Claims that the Apollo moon landings of 1969 to 1972 were faked as part of an effort to demonstrate military and technological superiority over the former Soviet Union.
NASA's role in hiding the truth about the controversial face on Mars--which many believe to be a carved structure, created in the remote past by long-extinct, indigenous Martians.
NASA's deep and longstanding involvement in the famous UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico, in the summer of 1947.
Deep Throat--like NASA sources that have attempted to blow the lid on NASA's most guarded secrets concerning the U.S. Government's interactions with aliens.
The NASA Conspiracies throws open all the doors that the Space Agency has kept closed for so long.

Foothold in the Heavens, the second volume in the A History of Human Space Exploration series, focuses upon the 1970s, the decade in which humanity established real, longterm foothold in the heavens with the construction and operation of the first space stations. It marked a transitional phase between the heady, race-to-the-Moon days of the Sixties and efforts to make space travel more economical, more frequent and more 'routine.' Space exploration in the Seventies, although dominated by Soviet achievement, saw the first efforts of mankind to really 'live' and work in space, producing results of direct benefit to humans on Earth. The emphasis changed from the gung-ho, 'strap-it-on-and-go' pioneers of the Sixties to the more practical exploitation of space for science, medicine, and technology. This book focuses on each mission launched between April 1971 and April 1981: from the launch of the world's first space station to the end of operations of Salyut 6, and from the expanded, lengthy exploration of the Moon on Apollo 15 to the first flight of the Shuttle.

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."

This is a book about the physics of stars and starlight. The story of starlight is truly fascinating. Astronomers analyze and interpret the light from stars using photometry and spectroscopy, then inspirational detective work combines with the laws of physics to reveal the temperatures, masses, luminosities and outer structure of these far away points of light. The laws of physics themselves enable us to journey to the very center of a star and to understand its inner structure and source of energy!

Starlight provides an in-depth study of stellar astrophysics that requires only basic high school mathematics and physics, making it accessible to all amateur astronomers. Starlight teaches amateur astronomers about the physics of stars and starlight in a friendly, easy-to-read way. The reader will take away a profoundly deeper understanding of this truly fascinating subject and find his practical observations more rewarding and fulfilling as a result.

Twenty years ago, the search for planets outside the Solar System was a job restricted to science-fiction writers. Now it's one of the fastest-growing fields in astronomy with thousands of exoplanets discovered to date, and the number is rising fast.

These new-found worlds are more alien than anything in fiction. Planets larger than Jupiter with years lasting a week; others with two suns lighting their skies, or with no sun at all. Planets with diamond mantles supporting oceans of tar; possible Earth-sized worlds with split hemispheres of perpetual day and night; waterworlds drowning under global oceans and volcanic lava planets awash with seas of magma. The discovery of this diversity is just the beginning. There is a whole galaxy of possibilities.

The Planet Factory tells the story of these exoplanets. Each planetary system is different, but in the beginning most if not all young stars are circled by clouds of dust, specks that come together in a violent building project that can form colossal worlds hundreds of times the size of the Earth. The changing orbits of young planets risk dooming any life evolving on neighbouring worlds or, alternatively, can deliver the key ingredients needed to seed its beginnings. Planet formation is one of the greatest construction schemes in the Universe, and it occurred around nearly every star you see. Each results in an alien landscape, but is it possible that one of these could be like our own home world?

Between 1969 and 1972, twelve people walked on the surface of the Moon. Twelve others flew over its barren and majestic surface. They were the sons of workers, farmers, soldiers and businessmen. They thought anything was possible-and they proved this to the entire world. For 20 years, Lukas Viglietti, an airline pilot and captain, has been fascinated by the conquest of the astronauts who went to space during his childhood. He has recorded their testimonies and since becoming their friend and confidant, he now offers an exclusive and unprecedented insight into their adventures. In APOLLO CONFIDENTIAL, adults and children alike experience the all-inspiring accounts of: steely-eyed test pilots sensitive painters and poets hard-living bad boys thoughtful, studious scientists The only thing they had in common was they all saw the view of the beautiful home planet from a quarter of a million miles away, an oasis of life compared to the stark and lifeless, alien moon. In APOLLO CONFIDENTIAL, Lukas Viglietti recounts what people from the history books-people such as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin-were like in person.

All the matter and light we can see in the universe makes up a trivial 5 per cent of everything. The rest is hidden. This could be the biggest puzzle that science has ever faced.

Since the 1970s, astronomers have been aware that galaxies have far too little matter in them to account for the way they spin around: they should fly apart, but something concealed holds them together. That ’something' is dark matter – invisible material in five times the quantity of the familiar stuff of stars and planets.

By the 1990s we also knew that the expansion of the universe was accelerating. Something, named dark energy, is pushing it to expand faster and faster. Across the universe, this requires enough energy that the equivalent mass would be nearly fourteen times greater than all the visible material in existence.

Brian Clegg explains this major conundrum in modern science and looks at how scientists are beginning to find solutions to it.

Instead of taking somebody's word for it about the basic size and distance statistics for the solar system, this book shows amateur astronomers how to measure these things for themselves. This is an enriching experience for any amateur astronomer - to understand and personally measure some fundamental astronomical quantities and distances.

A basic knowledge of geometry is required, but it is amazing how simple the geometry can be. Readers are led through the geometry as gently as possible - and in a light-hearted way - presuming that most non-academics will have half-forgotten most of their mathematics.

The practical astronomical equipment recommended is no more than a typical commercially-made amateur telescope and a camera of some sort - these days a webcam works very well. Apart from that all the reader will need is access to a computer, the know-how to download free software, and an enthusiasm to expand his knowledge of the basis of scientific astronomy.

Harold Hill's book is a unique collection of drawings published for the first time in this form. The illustrations are supplemented by text often taken from observing notes at the telescope. Astronomical drawing still has an important place alongside photography in the same way that photography has not supplanted the artist in the field of botany and ornithology. Indeed, because of movements in the Earth's atmosphere, astronomical images tend to shimmer even under the best possible conditions; drawings constructed by an artist who takes advantage of the fleeting moments of perfect vision are often more detailed than photographs. No one can fail to be impressed by the beauty and artistry of this work and, for the initiated, the accuracy and attention to detail is remarkable.

NASA's ambitious but essential Gemini Program was culminated in November 1966 with the launch of Gemini 12 from Kennedy Space enter's Launch Complex 19. This tenth manned Gemini mission was the final opportunity to develop and practice many new techniques that were integral to the upcoming Apollo program. With the successful conclusion of the Gemini 12 mission, veteran astronaut Command Pilot James Lovell had set another new record with a total of 18 days in space, and Pilot Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin held the EVA duration record with an umbilical EVA at the Agena work station of 2 hours and 9 minutes. In all, three EVA (extra-vehicular activity) sessions were performed during the mission. Going into the Gemini 12 mission, many questions of EVA procedure were still unresolved. In the past, astronauts had expended too much energy simply staying in position. In an effort to better develop techniques and train astronauts, for the first time, underwater simulation was incorporated into EVA training. Using a submerged mock-up of the Gemini-Agena spacecraft, EVA training proceeded almost to the eve of launch.;Training in the neutral-buoyancy underwater simulation allowed the astronauts to practice the entire EVA procedure in a single session - just as they would be required to do in space. This was a major advance over simulated weightlessness in aircraft parabolic flights, which provided only 30 seconds of weightlessness at a stretch. Gemini 12 successfully executed a fuelless station-keeping exercise for 4 hours and 20 minutes with the use of a dacron tether between the Gemini and Agena vehicles. Once the tether had been pulled taut, the reaction control systems for both vehicles were turned off, and the slight difference in the Earth's gravitational effect on the two space vehicles was sufficient to keep the tether taut, so the two spacecraft remained at a constant separation, without the use of any reaction control fuel. Despite mission changes brought on by a radar lock-on failure and by a malfunction of the Agena Primary Propulsion System (PPS), the Gemini 12 mission was considered to be a major success, continuing the success story of the entire Gemini program.;Apollo could take man to the Moon only after Gemini had introduced him to the space environment and taught him how to perform there. CD included.

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.