The Ever-Changing Sky is a comprehensive and uniquely non-mathematical guide to spherical astronomy. In a clear and lucid text, it guides through terrestrial and celestial co-ordinate systems, time measurement and celestial navigation, on to the stars and constellations (with useful star maps provided), the motions and appearance of the Moon and planets, tides and eclipses, and the smaller bodies of the Solar System (asteroids, meteors, meteorites and comets). There is also a brief overview of atmospheric phenomena. This text is invaluable to students of naked-eye astronomy, amateur and professional astronomers, and more general readers wanting to know how the night sky changes.

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:

Astronomy with a Budget Telescope, 2nd Edition is a complete introduction to buying and using a low-cost amateur astronomical telescope. It provides essential hints and tips about what to look for when buying on a budget - the best are now excellent value, but they all lack an astronomer's advice about setting them up and using them. Astronomy with a Budget Telescope was first published in 2003, since then technology has moved on substantially. The main factors are first the availability of fairly inexpensive computer-controlled "go-to" telescopes which after setting up can automatically locate any celestial objects with reasonable accuracy. Second, digital cameras have now almost completely displaced "wet" film cameras, and some of them are particularly well-suited to astronomical use. Third, prices are down and quality is up! This new edition is revised and extended to include using a low-cost "go-to" telescope - there are various pitfalls to be avoided - and how this class of instrument can make amateur astronomy more accessible to those with limited time at their disposal. It also discusses the new breed of mid-range digital cameras that include powerful on-board processing and image enhancement software that used to be available only to people with advanced astronomical CCD cameras. Finally, there are detailed reviews and test reports on some of the budget telescopes that are available on Main Street and by mail order.

Imagine what an extra-terrestrial Weather Channel would be like, with a professional space weatherman as your forecaster, and you get rather close to the astounding aspects of nature described in John Freeman's Storms in Space. Known only to a handful of space scientists, yet capable of disrupting technical systems as extensive as communication satellites and electric power grids Storms in Space is the first book to unveil the unseen elements of outer space. Opening with a series of vignettes (describing how the Northern and Southern lights [the aurora] are a visible manifestation of space storms, or how satellites serve as weather stations in space), Freeman provides visual analogies to help illustrate the effects of a storm in space on people. These vignettes explore the chain of events that lead to the storm and to connect the facets of the storm with the scenes in the vignettes. Freeman details the state of the art in forecasting space storms, the models that are used, and the prospects for their future improvement. He also describes the hazards of space storms for human technological systems including human space flight. Storms in Space provides both a new understanding and appreciation of how seemingly insignificant disturbances out there can have major effects right here. John W. Freeman is Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University. Over the past 35 years he has directed a number of satellite instrumentation projects, including the Apollo 12, 14, and 15 projects for which he was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (1973). He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of Space Power. Freeman is currently working to develop a model that will forecast the intensity of the Van Allen Radiation Belts and helping to build a National Space Weather Service.

Held up by the heliopause? Floored by the flatness problem? Intimidated by MACHOs? With this dictionary there is no need to be defeated by such astronomical jargon. These terms, along with almost 3,200 more words, names and abbreviations encountered in amateur and professional astronomy, are explained clearly and concisely in a style that is authoritative but accessible. In addition to a comprehensive selection of specialist terms, entries include all the constellations, all the planets and moons of the solar system, many individual comets, stars and asteroids, observatories and spacecraft. There are 57 line diagrams and 7 tables of additional information at the back. Anyone involved with astronomy, either professionally or as a leisure interest, will find this dictionary a handy and invaluable reference book.

Our Cosmic Origins tells the story of our remarkable adventure on this planet, beginning with a single event in the depths of space. It traces the rich and wonderful history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the creation of atoms and molecules, from the formation of stars and planets to the emergence of life on Earth. Delsemme brings together cosmology, astronomy, geology, biochemistry, and biology to create a unique look at the complex story of the Universe. He chronicles how the first light atoms were made and formed stars and how heavier atoms were cooked in stars and scattered in space, creating dust mrains and organic molecules. He examines the growing eomplexity of plant and animal life, including the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs. Our Cosmic Origins shows how the coupling of eye and brain led to self-awareness and intelligence. It explores the cosmic coincidences that might explain our existence and concludes with the tantalizing suggestion that intelligent alien life is likely. This provocative book will appeal to anyone who has ever looked at the sky and wondered how we got here. Originally published in French, this edition has been revised to include the most recent research in astronomy and cosmology. Armand Delsemme has published four books and over 230 scientific papers. He received a Sigma Xi award for outstanding research and has had, by order of the International Astronomical Union, an asteroid named after him.

The Cambridge Dictionary of Space Technology is a comprehensive source of reference on the most important aspects of this fast-developing field, from basic concepts to advanced applications. With some 2,300 entries--700 more than the first edition, it lists fundamental terms that will remain in common usage for the foreseeable future and includes a selection of historical and highly specific entries to add context and depth. The Dictionary features entries on all the major areas relating to space technology, making this a reference of wide-ranging scope. While the emphasis is on defining the meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in the professional space community, each entry also contributes to a deeper understanding of the overall subject, both for the practicing specialist and interested layman. To assist the reader in research on a given topic, related entries are highlighted in the text and other important entries are cross-referenced. An additional key feature is a classified list of entries grouped under 13 subject headings. The Cambridge Dictionary of Space Technology will be indispensable to anyone with an interest in space activity. Mark Williamson is an independent space technology consultant working in the space industry and space insurance communities. A seasoned physicist and engineer, he has over 20 years of experience in satellite communications engineering, technical management, and space consultancy. Williamson has written about 250 published magazine and journal articles. He is also author of The Communications Satellite and editorial director of Earth Space Review magazine.

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.

New Cosmic Horizons tells the extraordinary story of space-based astronomy since the Second World War. Starting with the launch of the V2 rocket in 1946, this book explores the triumphs of space experiments and spacecraft designs and the amazing astronomical results that they have produced. David Leverington examines the fascinating way in which the changing political imperatives of the United States, USSR/Russia and Western Europe have modified their space astronomy programs. He covers all major astronomy missions of the first fifty years of space research: the Soviet Sputnik and American Explorer projects, the subsequent race to the moon, solar and planetary missions, and the wonders of modern astrophysics culminating in the exciting results of the Hubble Space Telescope. Extensively illustrated, New Cosmic Horizons offers amateur and professional astronomers an unusual perspective on the history of astronomy in our time. David Leverington was Design Manager of the GEOS Spacecraft and Meteosat Program Manager for ESA in the 1970s. During his tenure as Engineering Director at British Aerospace in the 1980s, he was responsible for the Giotto spacecraft that intercepted Halley's comet, and the Photon Detector Assembly and solar arrays for the Hubble Space Telescope. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He lives in Essex, England.

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.

In 1973, Carl Sagan published The Cosmic Connection, a daring view of the universe, which rapidly became a classic work of popular science and inspired a generation of scientists and enthusiasts. This seminal work is reproduced here for a whole new generation to enjoy. In Sagan's typically lucid and lyrical style, he discusses many topics from astrophysics and solar system science, to colonization, terraforming and the search for extraterrestrials. Sagan conveys his own excitement and wonder, and relates the revelations of astronomy to the most profound human problems and concerns: issues that are just as valid today as they were thirty years ago. New to this edition are Freeman Dyson's comments on Sagan's vision and the importance of the work, Ann Druyan's assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as a champion of science, and David Morrison's discussion of the advances made since 1973 and what became of Sagan's predictions. Who knows what wonders this third millennium will reveal, but one thing is certain: Carl Sagan played a unique role in preparing us for them.

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.

Variable star astronomy is one field which still allows amateur astronomers to make significant contributions to the advancement of science. Everyone can play a part in variable star observations, using a small telescope, binoculars, or even the naked eye. Written by an award-winning astronomer, Observing Variable Stars provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of variable star observation for the amateur. The book begins with advice on binoculars and telescopes, and on how and when to observe stars effectively. Levy then explains the ways in which to interpret variation in light output in terms of the life of a star, from birth to sometimes violent death. All the major variables are described and classified, as well as other variable objects such as active galaxies, asteroids, comets, and the sun. The book also illustrates how astrophysicists interpret variations in light output in terms of the evolution of stars. Observing Variable Stars contains a seasonal guide to the night sky usable in all latitudes. Throughout, practical observations serve to complement the text, making this an enjoyable, readable introduction to an exciting area of astronomy.

Our Cosmic Origins tells the story of our remarkable adventure on this planet, beginning with a single event in the depths of space. It traces the rich and wonderful history of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the creation of atoms and molecules, from the formation of stars and planets to the emergence of life on Earth. Delsemme brings together cosmology, astronomy, geology, biochemistry, and biology to create a unique look at the complex story of the Universe. He chronicles how the first light atoms were made and formed stars and how heavier atoms were cooked in stars and scattered in space, creating dust mrains and organic molecules. He examines the growing eomplexity of plant and animal life, including the emergence and extinction of dinosaurs. Our Cosmic Origins shows how the coupling of eye and brain led to self-awareness and intelligence. It explores the cosmic coincidences that might explain our existence and concludes with the tantalizing suggestion that intelligent alien life is likely. This provocative book will appeal to anyone who has ever looked at the sky and wondered how we got here. Originally published in French, this edition has been revised to include the most recent research in astronomy and cosmology. Armand Delsemme has published four books and over 230 scientific papers. He received a Sigma Xi award for outstanding research and has had, by order of the International Astronomical Union, an asteroid named after him.

In this jargon-free review of one of the most fascinating topics in modern science, acclaimed science writer, Kitty Ferguson, examines the discovery of black holes, their nature, and what they can teach us about the mysteries of the universe. In search of the answers, she traces a star from its birth to its death throes, takes on a hypothetical journey to the border of a black hole and beyond, introduces us to the world's leading theoretical physicists and astronomers, and takes a whimsical look at some of the wild ideas black holes have inspired. Kitty Ferguson's lightness of touch and down-to-earth analogies set this book apart from all others on black holes and make it a wonderfully stimulating and entertaining read for everyone. Kitty Ferguson is the author of Stephen Hawking: Quest for a Theory of Everything (1992) and The Fire in the Equations: Science, Religion and the Search for God (1994).

The evolution of our Universe and the formation of stars and galaxies are mysteries that have long puzzled scientists. Recent years have brought new scientific understanding of these profound and fundamental issues. In lively prose, Professor Padmanabhan paints a picture of contemporary cosmology for the general reader. Unlike other popular books on cosmology, After the First Three Minutes does not gloss over details, or shy away from explaining the underlying concepts. Instead, with a lucid and informal style, the author introduces all the relevant background and then carefully pieces together an engaging story of the evolution of our Universe. Padmanabhan leaves the reader with a state-of-the-art picture of scientists' current understanding in cosmology and a keen taste of the excitement of this fast-moving science. Throughout, no mathematics is used and all technical jargon is clearly introduced and reinforced in a handy glossary at the end of the book. For general readers who want to come to grips with what we really do and don't know about our Universe, this book provides an exciting and uncompromising read. Thanu Padmanabhan is a Professor at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, India. He is the recipient of numerous awards and author of three books, Structure Formation in the Universe (Cambridge, 1994), Cosmology and Astrophysics Through Problems (Cambridge, 1996), and, together with J.V. Narlikar, Gravity, Gauge Theories and Quantum Cosmology. He is also the author of more than one hundred popular science articles, a comic strip serial and several regular columns on astronomy, recreational mathematics, and the history of science.

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.

This new and beautifully illustrated account of Venus takes in the most recent research into this mysterious, inhospitable world. Looking at the history of our observations of the planet, from early astronomy to future space missions, it seeks to answer many of the questions that remain unanswered, such as why Venus and Earth, so similar in size and mass, evolved in such different directions, and how Venus acquired its dense carbon-dioxide atmosphere. Above all, it assesses whether life might have escaped from the oven-like temperatures at the surface and evolved to become perpetually airborne - in which case Venus may not be lifeless after all.

With plans to launch hotels into orbit and experiments in suspending and reanimating life for ultra-long-distance travel, private companies and entrepreneurs have outpaced NASA as the leaders in the new space race. With accessible prose and relentless curiosity, Chris Impey reports on China's plan to launch its own space station by 2020, proves that humans could survive on Mars and unveils cutting-edge innovations such as the space elevators poised to replace rockets at a fraction of the cost. Setting mankind's urge towards exploration in the context of all human history and space travel thus far, he shows that the present-day scientists mapping billions of Earth-like exo-planets are the descendants of the first humans to venture out of Africa. We must forge ahead, argues Beyond, because exploration is in our DNA.

Igor Novikov has been hailed as "Russia's answer to Stephen Hawking." In this popular account of the cosmic importance of black holes, he explores the properties and significance of these mysterious phenomena, which represent the most condensed state of matter in the Universe. Black holes are formed by the force of gravity, warping space and time, crushing stars and perhaps galaxies, too, until they fall in on themselves. Novikov's fascinating account illuminates this most enigmatic feature of our Universe with exemplary clarity, illustrated with a series of inspired cartoon drawings.

Enjoy Our Universe is a guide for an enjoyable visit to the Universe. The "Universe" refers to all "observable things," ranging in size from the entire cosmos to elementary particles. This small tome on fundamental physics, cosmology, Higgs bosons, time travel and all that, is unlike any other analogous book. Its scientific statements are correct or, at least, they coincide with the opinions held by the vast majority of experts. It establishes clear distinctions between things we know for sure - in the sense of having strong observational support for them - and things that we know that we do not know, or we do not understand. In this sense, it is scientifically honest. In descriptions of our Universe and of the way it functions, beauty is a recurring word. In an attempt to portray its beauty from the eyes of the beholder, the book is profusely illustrated. Its offbeat, tongue-in-cheek illustrations greatly enhance its readability, particularly in those chapters whose understanding, admittedly, requires a little extra effort. This book's idiosyncracies remind us of our own smallness and eccentricities even as we read about the logic, function and magnificence of the Universe.

The first edition of this very successful book was a winner of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's "Astronomy Book of the Year" award in 1986. The popularity of the book's programs is based on the ease with which the amateur astronomer can perform calculations on a personal computer. The routines are not specific to any make of computer and are user-oriented in that they utilize a simple version of the BASIC programming language and require only a broad understanding of any particular problem. Seven new subroutines in this new edition can be linked in any combination with the existing twenty-six. Since the programs themselves take care of details, they can be used, for example, to calculate the time of rising of any of the planets in any part of the world at any time in the future or past, or they may be used to find the circumference of the next solar eclipse visible from a particular place. In fact, almost every problem likely to be encountered by the amateur astronomer can be solved by a suitable combination of the routines given in this book. Peter Duffett-Smith is the author of another popular astronomy book: Astronomy with Your Calculator (3rd Edition), also published by Cambridge University Press.

As command module pilot of Apollo 17, the last crewed flight to the moon, Ron Evans combined precision flying and painstaking geological observation with moments of delight and enthusiasm. On his way to the launchpad, he literally jumped for joy in his spacesuit. Emerging from the command module to conduct his crucial spacewalk, he exclaimed, "Hot diggity dog!" and waved a greeting to his family. As a patriotic American in charge of command module America, Evans was nicknamed "Captain America" by his fellow crew members. Born in 1933 in St. Francis, Kansas, Evans distinguished himself academically and athletically in school, earned degrees in electrical engineering and aeronautical engineering, and became a naval aviator and a combat flight instructor. He was one of the few astronauts who served in combat during the Vietnam War, flying more than a hundred missions off the deck of the USS Ticonderoga, the same aircraft carrier that would recover him and his fellow astronauts after the splashdown of Apollo 17. Evans's astronaut career spans the Apollo missions and beyond. He served on the support crews for 1, 7, and 11 and on the Apollo 14 backup crew before being selected for Apollo 17 and flying on the final moon mission in 1972. He next trained with Soviet cosmonauts as backup command module pilot for the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission and carried out early work on the space shuttle program. Evans then left NASA to pursue a business career. He died suddenly in 1990 at the age of fifty-six.

A tight-knit, high-powered group of scientists and engineers spent eight years building a satellite designed, in effect, to read the genome of the universe. Launched in 2001, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) reported its first results two years later with a set of brilliant observations that added focus, detail, and insight to our formerly fuzzy view of the cosmos.

For more than a year, the WMAP satellite hovered in the cold of deep space, a million miles from Earth, in an effort to determine whether the science of cosmology--the study of the origin and evolution of the universe--has been on the right track for the past two decades. What WMAP was looking for was a barely perceptible pattern of hot and cold spots in the faint whisper of microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang, the event that almost 14 billion years ago gave birth to all of space, time, matter, and energy.

The pattern encoded in those microwaves holds the answers to some of the great unanswered questions of cosmology: What is the universe made of? What is its geometry? How much of it consists of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that continue to baffle astronomers? How fast is it expanding? And did it undergo a period of inflationary hyper-expansion at the very beginning? WMAP has now given definitive answers to these mysteries.

On February 11, 2003, the team of researchers went public with the results. Just some of their extraordinary findings: The universe is 13.7 billion years old. The first stars--turned on--when the universe was only 200 million years old, five times earlier than anyone had thought. It is now certain that a mysterious dark energy dominates the universe. Michael Lemonick, who had exclusive access to the researchers as WMAP gathered its data, here tells the full story of WMAP and its surprising revelations. This book is both a personal and a scientific tale of discovery. In its pages, readers will come to know the science of cosmology and the people who, seventy-five years after we first learned that the universe is expanding, deciphered some of its deepest mysteries in the patterns of its oldest light.

Astronomer Joseph Silk explores the Universe from its beginnings to its ultimate fate. He demonstrates how cosmologists study cosmic fossils and relics from the distant past to construct theories of the birth, evolution and future of the Universe. Stars, galaxies, dark matter and dark energy are described, as successive chapters detail the evolution of the Universe from a fraction of a microsecond after the Big Bang. Silk describes how physicists apply theories of subatomic particles to recreate the first moments of the Big Bang, and how astronomers chart the vast depths of space to glimpse how the most distant galaxies formed. He gives an account of the search for dark matter and the dark energy that will determine the ultimate fate of the Universe. Joseph Silk is the Savilian Professor of Astronomy and Head of the Astrophysics Department at the University of Oxford. He was previously Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a BA in Mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge, and a PhD in Astronomy from Harvard University. Silk is the author, or co-author, of many books, including The Left Hand of Creation (Basic Books, 1994) and A Short History of the Universe (WH Freeman, 1997). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.