Viewing the Constellations with Binoculars is a complete guide to practical astronomy, written for beginners, intermediate-level astronomers, and even people who have not yet turned their gaze to the night sky. The required observing equipment to get the full value from this book is no more than a pair of regular 10 x 50 binoculars, but even more can be seen with a small astronomical telescope.

This comprehensive introduction to astronomy and practical observing is far more than a guide to what can be seen in the night sky through binoculars. It introduces the reader to some basic (and some not-so-basic) astronomical concepts, and discusses the stars and their evolution, the planets, nebulae, and distant galaxies. There is a guide to selecting and using binoculars for astronomy, as well, as a 'getting ready to observe' section containing invaluable practical hints and tips.

The second part of the book is an extraordinarily complete atlas and guide to the night sky down to 30 N (covering all the USA and Europe). It is illustrated with superb and sometimes beautiful amateur astronomical photographs, detailed maps (down to 5th magnitude), descriptions, and data on all astronomical objects of interest."

In Part 1, the book describes the very latest thinking on solar physics in (mostly non-mathematical) detail, incorporating the latest results from research concerning the structure and behaviour of the Sun. There is particular emphasis on the surface features visible from the Earth, and how these are the result of the extraordinary processes that are taking place within the Sun.

In Part 2, the book details the techniques for observing and imaging the Sun with commercially-available equipment. The many recent advances in optical equipment now allow amateur astronomers to observe phenomena that until recently could only be seen with the extremely expensive equipment available at universities and research observatories notably H-alpha and Calcium-K telescopes.

This is a completely up-to-date solar observing book, while providing the science background necessary for an understanding of the observations with the latest equipment. It also features the most complete solar observing and imaging guide available."

T. Plotner, The Night Sky Companion, DOI 10. 1007/978-0-387-79509-6_1, 1 Springer SciencethBusiness Media, LLC 2009 2 TheNightSkyCompanion Welcome,fellowtravelertothestars!Forthenextyearwewilltakeajourneytogetheracrossthenight sky. In these pages you will find lunar features, planets, meteor showers, single and multiple stars, open and globular clusters, as well as distant galaxies. There will be astronomy history to explore, famous astronomers to meet, and science to learn. You'll find things here for those who enjoy stargazing with just their eyes, binoculars, or even the largest of telescopes! Although these observing tips are designed with all readers in mind, not everyone lives in the same time zone-or the same hemisphere-and certainly no one has clear skies every night. But no matter where you live, or who you are, it is my hope that somewhere here you find something of interest to keep you looking up! LearningtheNightSky If you are new to astronomy, it might seem difficult to learn all those stars. Relax! It's much easier than you think. Just like moving to a new city, everything will seem unfamiliar at first, but with a little help from some maps, you'll soon be finding your way around like a pro. Once you become familiar with the constellations and how they appear to move across the night sky, the rest is easy. If you do not have maps of your own, try visiting your local library or one of many online sites thatcangeneratethem. Theygiveobjectpositionsingreatdetail,andmosthaveakeyofGreekletters to help you understand star hop instructions.

Paolo Ulivi and David Harland provide in "Robotic Exploration of the Solar System" a detailed history of unmanned missions of exploration of our Solar System As in their previous book Lunar Exploration, the subject will be treated wherever possible from an engineering and scientific standpoint. Technical descriptions of the spacecraft, of their mission designs and of instrumentations will be provided. Scientific results will be discussed in considerable depth, together with details of mission management.

The books will cover missions from the 1950s until the present day, and some of the latest missions and their results will appear in a popular science book for the first time. The authors will also cover many unflown projects, providing an indication of the ideas that proved to be unfulfilled at the time but which may still be proven and useful in the future.

Just like Lunar Exploration, these books will use sources only recently made available on the Soviet space program, in addition to some obscure and rarely used references on the European space program.

The project will deliver three volumes totaling over 1000 pages that will provide comprehensive coverage of the topic with thousands of references to the professional literature that should make it the 'first port of call' for people seeking information on the topic.

Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars, the collapsed cores of once massive stars that ended their lives as supernova explosions. In this book, Geoff McNamara explores the history, subsequent discovery and contemporary research into pulsar astronomy. The story of pulsars is brought right up to date with the announcement in 2006 of a new breed of pulsar, Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs), which emit short bursts of radio signals separated by long pauses. These may outnumber conventional radio pulsars by a ratio of four to one. Geoff McNamara ends by pointing out that, despite the enormous success of pulsar research in the second half of the twentieth century, the real discoveries are yet to be made including, perhaps, the detection of the hypothetical pulsar black hole binary system by the proposed Square Kilometre Array - the largest single radio telescope in the world.

This book will cover in great detail the newest construction and uses of the International Space Station. The new volume will continue on from the end of Creating the International Space Station by David Harland and John Catchpole (published in January 2002 by Springer Praxis), providing flight by flight details and relevant political and "behind the scenes" activities as are necessary to explain why certain decisions, including flight re-scheduling and crew-reassignment, are made.

Part 1 will open with a chapter recounting the political history of the ISS, including how and why the program came into being. Chapter 2 will look at the four partners involved (USA, Russia, ESA, and Brazil), with a brief account of what each partner is bringing to the program. Chapter 3 will study the initial goals of the program, how they have changed and whether they have been met. Chapter 4 will summarize the program at the end of Creating the International Space Station.

Part 2 will look at the findings and recommendations of the International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force. Part 3 will examine the original flight coverage, including the beginning of the construction of the Integrated Truss Structure, and will cover the stationa (TM)s occupation from the start of Expedition 4, through to the end of Expedition 6. Part 4 will start with the loss of STS-107 a" Columbia a" and explain its effect on both the International Space Station and the American space effort in general. It will cover the Expedition 7 occupation through to the beginning of Expedition 13, concentrating on the work of the two-person "Caretaker Crews."

Part 5 will study the recovery fromthe STS-107 tragedy and the re-commencement of the ISS construction, overcoming the grounding of the Space Shuttle fleet. It will cover the remainder of the Expedition 13 occupation, the return to three-person occupation, through to the end of Expedition 15 and the installation of Node-2, the final American module.

Part 6 will briefly look forward to the installation of the International Partnera (TM)s modules as well as the introduction of the European and Japanese robotic cargo vehicles. The book will end with a glance at plans for the Orion spacecraft and Ares-1 launch vehicle, and the delivery of Node-2, the final piece of American hardware.

Three Appendices will up-date those published in Creating the International Space Station: Appendix A will list ISS hardware descriptions, Appendix B will be a complete ISS Flight Log and Appendix C will be a full ISS Extravehicular Activity Log.

In Space Enterprise - Living and Working Offworld, Dr Philip Harris provides the vision and rationale as to why humanity is leaving its cradle, Earth, to use space resources, as well as pursuing lunar industrialization and establishing offworld settlements. As a management/space psychologist, Dr. Harris presents a behavioral science perspective on space exploration and enterprise. In this his 45th book, Phil has completely revised and updated the two previous editions of this classic, placing new emphasis on the need for more synergy and participation by the private sector. He not only provides a critical review of what is happening in the global space community, but offers specific strategies for lunar economic development. The author analyzes the human factors in contemporary and future space developments, especially relative to the deployment of people aloft. This user-friendly volume offers numerous photographs, diagrams, exhibits, and case studies.

Barrie Jones addresses the question "are we alone?", which is one of the most frequently asked questions by scientists and non-scientists alike. In The Search for Life Continued, this question is addressed scientifically, and the author is not afraid to include speculation. Indeed, the author believes beyond reasonable doubt that we are not alone and this belief is based firmly on frontier science of the most imaginative kind. The author concentrates on planetary systems beyond our own but starts with life on Earth, which is the only life we know to exist, and which provides guidance on how best to search for life elsewhere. Planets are the most likely abode of life and so we start the quest with the search for planets beyond the Solar System - exoplanets. The methods of searching are outlined and the nature of hundreds of exoplanetary systems so far discovered described. In the near future we expect to discover habitable Earth-like planets. But are they actually inhabited? How could we tell? All will be revealed. This full color book is written for everybody who wants to stay in close contact with the latest on possible life on other planets.

This remarkable book is a unique insight into the people involved in the development of the Salyut space station and the crews assigned to operate it. It describes the rotation between the crews, analyses the decision to send the back-up crew on Soyuz 11 and recounts the intrigues and difficult relationships between all the personalities involved - politicians, CKBEM managers, designers, generals and cosmonauts. Biographies of the Soyuz 11 cosmonauts are published for the first time in English and the longest manned space mission of the time is described before Grujica Ivanovich gives a unique summary of the most tragic day in the Soviet/Russian manned space program. An investigation into the cause of the tragic deaths of the Soyuz 11 cosmonauts precedes a description of the post-Salyut era, showing how the legacy of the first space station has survived for decades.

The first two chapters provide the history of the first Soviet space station projects Almaz, Soyuz-R, MKS and DOS from 1964 to1970 and cover the selection of DOS-1 crews in 1971, their training and crew rotations. Chapter 3 launches the Salyut space station with its first crew to occupy the first space station, while Chapter 4 portrays the drama of the Soyuz 10 mission in April 1971, which failed to dock with Salyut due to a broken docking probe element, culminating a dramatic night return to the Earth. The following two chapters describe the State Commissiona (TM)s decision to replace the original crew of Soyuz 11 two days before the launch in June 1971 and introduce cosmonauts Dobrovolysky, Volkov and Patcayev. The launch of Soyuz 11, its docking with Salyut and the first days aboard the space station aredescribed in Chapter 7 and the fire which almost curtailed the mission and led to Dobrovolsky and Volkova (TM)s deteriorating relationship is then covered. The final stages of the mission, including the problems with the hatch before Soyuz 11 separated from the Salyut space station, are explained before the author details the separation of the orbital and service modules and the tragic mistake made by the cosmonauts. Chapter 10 describes the normal landing of Soyuz 11, the discovery of and attempts to revive the dead cosmonauts.

and includes the first interview with one of the rescuers. The author then demonstrates how detailed analysis found that, after separation from the orbital module, the internal pressure in the descent module dropped from 920mm to zero in 112 seconds due to the premature opening of one of the valves. Without spacesuits, the cosmonauts had only 15-20 seconds to close the valve and save their lives. An attempt by Dobrovolsky sadly failed. Further investigation identified numerous problems which contributed to the tragedy, including the valve technology, leaking of personal protection equipment, problems with the hatch and omissions in crew training, as well as confusion between the cosmonauts.

The last chapters describe the Post-Salyut era. After three single modular stations, in 1986 the USSR launched the base module of the third generation space station Mir, which has six docking probes. In the following years, Mir grew rapidly and was extended with five additional scientific modules to become a true space outpost continually occupied by humans, the dream of space pioneers. The service module Zvezda, a modified Salyut/DOS-1, currently serves as acore for the International Space Station. The book ends with memories of all those affected by the DOS program and the tragedy of the heroic Soyuz 11 crew and looks forward to a continuation of the historic mission of Salyut.

The Night Sky Companion is a comprehensive guide to what can be explored in the heavens on a nightly basis. Designed to appeal to readers at all skill levels and involvement, it provides a digest for sky watchers interested in all-in-one-place information that includes history, current events, and of course interesting objects to be observed on any given day. It provides unaided eye observers an opportunity to view many objects or events as well as learn about their history, science and how just "looking up" can be rewarding. It is richly illustrated with finder maps and photographs.

The aim of the State of the Universe annuals is to provide an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every September in a format that will be suitable for, and appeal to, the Christmas market. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The aim is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. This section also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites.

Chapter 1 a" a ~A Year in News and Picturesa (TM), written by Martin Ratcliffe, appears every year and makes up the first half of the annual. It will present brief summaries of the major announcements, discoveries and news items from that year, with the major ones being explained in detail through later chapters written by invited contributors who are at the forefront of research in these fields. The January meeting of the American Astronomical Society each year will be the major source of astronomical news for the following yeara (TM)s volume, giving access to potential authors and contacts with public information officers of major observatories, space centers, etc.

The invited contributions which make up the second half of the annual each year will cover a variety of topics and are written to appeal to a wide readership. These are written by leading astronomers or science writers. One feature introduced in the first volume, the overall review of the State of the Universe by Dr Jim Kaler will be retained for State ofthe Universe 2008. The set of appendices at the end of the book will include a list of launches of major astronomical observatories/satellites during the past year; a list of planned future astronomical satellites; basic data on all astronomical observatories currently in operation with web links for the reader who wishes to find out more.

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.

For the experienced amateur astronomer who is wondering if there is something useful, valuable, and permanent that can be done with his or her observational skills, the answer is, "Yes, there is!" This is THE book for the amateur astronomer who is ready to take the next step in his or her astronomical journey. Till now there has been no text that points curious amateur astronomers to the research possibilities open to them. At the 2006 meeting of the Society for Astronomical Sciences, participants agreed that the lack of such a text was a serious gap in the astronomical book market. This book plugs that hole.

Digital electronic imaging devices allow the wonders of the universe to be seen in detail never before possible from an amateur astronomer's backyard. This book clearly examines how to create the best astronomical images possible with a digital camera. It reveals the astonishing images that can be obtained with simple equipment, the right software, and knowledge of how to use it. Completely jargon-free, the book describes how to extract results from the raw-and-dirty original imagery and then transform them into high-quality pictures suitable for framing, posting online, or sharing with friends and colleagues.

This book provides a comprehensive introductory guide to "choosing and using" an LXD55 / 75 computer-controlled "Goto" series of telescopes, and is useful for both beginners and more advanced practical amateur astronomers. It also provides a comprehensive guide to using Autostar(TM), the computerized "Goto" handset.

There is already a large user-base of these telescopes around the world, but there is as yet no single comprehensive guide commercially available for users to fully get to grips with using the LXD series of telescopes. The manufacturera (TM)s manuals are not detailed enough to be of real help to beginners, nor does it provide advanced technical tips and user information to help the experienced astronomer get the best out of these instruments. This guide brings together the information needed to help owners get the best out of their LXD telescopes.

A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR The No.1 bestselling author of The Future of the Mind brings us a stunning new vision of our future in space Human civilization is on the verge of living beyond Earth. But how will it happen? World-renowned physicist Michio Kaku takes us on a journey to the future, introducing the mind-boggling developments in robotics, nanotechnology and biotechnology that will one day enable us to make our homes among the stars. 'With admirable clarity and ease, Kaku explains how we might colonize not only Mars but some of the rocky moons of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn . . . The book has an infectious, can-do enthusiasm' Steven Poole, The Wall Street Journal 'Kaku grounds his readers in science happening right now, while throwing open the windows to imagine where it might lead in a thousand years' Adam Frank, The New York Times Book Review 'Kaku is an international treasure and a man of infectious enthusiasm' The Times

The First Men on the Moon offers a lively definitive account of the Apollo 11 mission based on the in-flight transcripts post-flight debriefing, with illustrative contextual pictures, especially featuring recent scans of the original Hasselblad film and including conversations among the crew in the spacecraft that were not transmitted. The introductory chapters review the motivation to land on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, the development of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo spacecraft as the means of doing so, the selection of potential landing sites, the precursor missions, and the backgrounds of the three men who were to fly Apollo 11. The final chapters will discuss what was learned of the moonrocks, and review the follow-on missions. In addition to having many a smalla (TM) in-line black-and-white illustrations with the text running around them, the book features the high-resolution scans recently produced by NASA from the original Hasselblad film, reproduced in a substantial color section. David Harland's impressive expertise in, and considerable experience wriring about, the Moon landings shines through and seemlessly unites the myriad details From the reviews of Harland's Exploring the Moon: A detailed guide to what the astronauts did during their stays on the lunar surface. Walk(s) the reader through the prospecting excursions and then incorporate(s) decades of subsequent analysis to put the explorations of dust, rocks, craters, and rilles into geologic context. SKY & TELESCOPE Very well illustrateda ] All aficionados of the Apollo program will find much to appreciate in this book].a a ]this is an interesting account of one of the mostextraordinary decades in historya ]a very different book. David Harland probably knows more about the nuts and bolts of the Russian and American space programs than any other author and it shows.a LUNAR & PLANETARY INFORMATION BULLETIN

ASTRONOMERSa (TM) OBSERVING GUIDES provide up-to-date information for amateur astronomers who want to know all about what it is they are observing. This is the basis of the first part of the book. The second part details observing techniques for practical astronomers, working with a range of different instruments.

Star Clusters and How to Observe Them is a mine of information for all levels of amateur observers, from beginners to experienced observers. It begins with a detailed yet easily assimilated description of star clusters, how they were formed as our Milky Way galaxy evolved, and how they are classified. The latest research has revealed a vast amount of fascinating information about the clusters, along with some spectacular photographs.

Modern commercially-made telescopes enable amateur astronomers to see a surprising amount of detail, and to record a" using CCD cameras, video, webcams or even film a" some remarkably beautiful and detailed images. There is detailed information on using refractors, reflectors, SCTa (TM)s (like Meade and Celestron) and computer-controlled telescopes

The book includes an Observing List cataloguing star clusters to be observed or imaged using a variety of different instruments, all of them available commercially to amateur astronomers.

On 25 May 1961, John F Kennedy announced the goal of landing an American man on the Moon by the end of the decade. This challenge forced NASA to review the planned lunar landing of a three-man spaceship named Apollo in the mid-1970s. In 1962, it was decided that a specialized vehicle would accompany the main spacecraft, to make the lunar landing while the mothership remained in lunar orbit. To send these vehicles to the Moon would require the development of an enormous rocket.

Galileo, Newton, Herschel, Huggins, Hale, Eddington, Shapley and Hubble: these astronomers applied ideas drawn from physics to astronomy and made dramatic changes to the world-pictures that they inherited. They showed that celestial objects are composed of the same materials as the earth and that they behave in the same way. They displaced successively the earth, the sun and finally the milky way galaxy from being the centre of the universe.
This book contains their biographies and outlines their greatest discoveries. Hard work, physical insight, desire for fame and a strong belief in the rightness of their own ideas were characteristics of all eight. Their often quirky personalities led them into bitter controversies with their contemporaries. But their successes arose from the outstanding clarity of their thoughts, their practical ability and their strong sense of direction in science.

In many ways, other than getting men onto the surface of the Moon, the Russian space program was more successful than the American manned space program. Cosmonauts logged many more hours in space, were supported by a complex and extensive network of ground crews, and had state-of-the-art training facilities at the Gagarin Training Center, located at Zvezdny Gorodok (Star City) outside of Moscow and named after Yuri Gagarin (first Russian in space), which includes equipment for simulating missions aboard Soyuz and the Russian modules of the International Space Station. The Center also has a neutral buoyancy facility similar to that at the Marshall Space Flight Center. This is the first book to offer an inside look at the remarkable training and accomplishments of the Soviet Union's cosmonauts.

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

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

Proving to be both varied and fascinating, moons are far more common than planets in our Solar System. Our own Moon has had a profound influence on Earth, not only through tidal effects, but even on the behaviour of some marine animals. Many remarkable things have been discovered about the moons of the giant outer planets from Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and other spacecraft. Scientists have glimpsed volcanic activity on Io, found oceans of water on Titan, and captured photos of icy geysers bursting from Enceladus. It looks likely that microbial life beyond the Earth may be discovered on a moon rather than a planet. In this Very Short Introduction David Rothery introduces the reader to the moons of our Solar System, beginning with the early discoveries of Galileo and others, describing their variety of mostly mythological names, and the early use of Jupiter's moons to establish position at sea and to estimate the speed of light. Rothery discusses the structure, formation, and influence of our Moon, and those of the other planets, and ends with the recent discovery of moons orbiting asteroids, whilst looking forward to the possibility of finding moons of exoplanets in planetary systems far beyond our own. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

In Walking in Space: Development of Space Walking Techniques, David Shayler provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of EVA techniques, available for the first time in a readable form - other than NASA publications. The author draws on original documentation, personal interviews of astronauts with experience of EVAs, and accounts by those involved in suit design, EVA planning and operations. Moving on from the pioneering of EVA techniques during the Gemini programme, the author describes the basic requirements in terms of the equipment that every spacewalker needs, the development of training techniques - currently all completed on Earth - the surface explorations of the Moon by the Apollo astronauts and the numerous activities performed by Shuttle astronauts and those aboard the Salyut and Mir Space Stations, such as satellite servicing, equipment upgrading and repair missions. He also describes the development of techniques for ensuring crew safety during EVAs and looks ahead to future EVAs from the International Space Station and the development of new technology, including robotic assistance.