Jupiter is an extraordinarily colourful and dynamic planet. Over minutes, one can watch tiny shadows cast by its moons slide over its surface; over days and weeks parades of diverse, giant swirling storms can be seen to move and evolve. It is because of this richness of visual and physical properties that Jupiter has intrigued amateur and professional astronomers and has been the goal of several space missions. This highly illustrated volume provides a comprehensive and accessible account of Jupiter and its satellites. It reviews systematic telescopic observations that have stretched over more than a hundred years, in addition to modern observations and theories, and the wealth of data from the Pioneer, Voyager and Ulysses space missions. As well as a thorough survey of the planet's atmosphere, this volume presents an up-to-date account of our present knowledge of Jupiter's satellites and magnetosphere, at a level accessible to the non-specialist. This volume provides the definitive account of Jupiter for advanced amateur astronomers, professional astronomers and planetary scientists.

Molti astrofili ritengono che l'astrofisica sia un argomento difficile, che richiede conoscenze matematiche almeno a livello universitario.

Non e necessariamente cosi. L'approccio quantitativo adottato da Mike Inglis riesce a spiegare tutti gli aspetti dell'astrofisica in termini semplici, evitando i tecnicismi matematici con i quali questa disciplina viene spesso associata.

L'astrofisica e facile! inizia considerando il diagramma H-R e altri strumenti di base dell'astrofisico, poi spazia nell'Universo, trattando del mezzo interstellare, delle nebulose, della nascita, dell'evoluzione e della morte delle stelle, fino a considerare la fisica delle galassie e degli ammassi di galassie.

Per ogni argomento, l'autore elenca una lista di oggetti che si prestano ad essere osservati con strumenti amatoriali, di modo che l'astrofilo puo uscire ad ammirare sulla volta celeste le stelle, le nebulose, le galassie di cui il libro sta trattando.

Non sono necessariamente richiesti strumenti mastodontici per produrre risultati scientificamente validi nel campo dell'astronomia. Anche l'astrofilo dotato di un piccolo telescopio, con un diametro di soli 8-9 cm, puo contribuire alla scienza del cielo realizzando utili osservazioni del Sole, della Luna, dei pianeti, delle comete, degli asteroidi, delle stelle doppie o variabili, delle nebulose e degli ammassi stellari.

Il manuale di M.K. Gainer spiega quale sia la dotazione minima (un piccolo telescopio, un computer, una semplice fotocamera digitale), come utilizzarla, e quali siano le tecniche appropriate da adottare nelle osservazioni. Offre inoltre schemi per interpretare e ridurre i dati raccolti, nonche schede da compilare e da spedire ai centri di raccolta internazionali.

Questo libro e il passaporto grazie al quale l'astrofilo puo entrare a pieno titolo nel mondo affascinante della scienza astronomica.

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics--forerunner of today's NASA--emerged in 1915, when airplanes were curiosities made of wood and canvas and held together with yards of baling wire. At the time an unusual example of government intrusion (and foresight, given the importance of aviation to national military concerns), the committee oversaw the development of wind tunnels, metal fabrication, propeller design, and powerful new high-speed aircraft during the 1920s and '30s. In this richly illustrated account, acclaimed historian of aviation Roger E. Bilstein combines the story of NACA and NASA to provide a fresh look at the agencies, the problems they faced, and the hard work as well as inventive genius of the men and women who found the solutions.

NACA research during World War II led to critical advances in U.S. fighter and bomber design and, Bilstein explains, contributed to engineering standards for helicopters. After 1945 the agency's test pilots experimented with jet-powered aircraft, testing both human and technical limits in trying to break the so-called "sound barrier." In October 1958, when the launch of the Soviet "Sputnik" signaled the beginning of the space race, NACA formed the nucleus of the new National Aeronautics and Space Agency. The new agency's efforts to meet President Kennedy's challenge--safely landing a man on the Moon and returning him to Earth before the end of the 1960s--is one of the great adventure stories of all time. Bilstein goes on to describe NASA's recent planetary and extraplanetary exploration, as well as its less well-known research into the future of aeronautical design.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2021 FINALIST FOR THE PEN/E.O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2020 To be an astronomer is to journey to some of the most inaccessible parts of the globe, braving mountain passes, sub-zero temperatures, and hostile flora and fauna. Not to mention the stress of handling equipment worth millions. It is a life of unique delights and absurdities ... and one that may be drawing to a close. Since Galileo first pointed his telescope at the heavens, astronomy has stood as a fount of human creativity and discovery, but soon it will be the robots gazing at the sky while we are left to sift through the data. In The Last Stargazers, Emily Levesque reveals the hidden world of the professional astronomer. She celebrates an era of ingenuity and curiosity, and asks us to think twice before we cast aside our sense of wonder at the universe.

Le economiche webcam stanno rivoluzionando l'imaging astronomico amatoriale, fornendo un'alternativa conveniente ai CCD raffreddati, quanto meno per i soggetti piu luminosi.

Le webcam, che costano solo poche decine di euro, sono in grado di realizzare riprese di piu alta risoluzione rispetto alle macchine fotografiche digitali grazie alla maggiore velocita di scaricamento dell'immagine che "congela" i dettagli planetari, nonostante il disturbo della turbolenta atmosfera terrestre. La loro struttura e piuttosto semplice, ed e facile rimuovere la lente frontale per utilizzarle in proiezione dell'oculare con un telescopio astronomico. Le webcam si collegano direttamente a un PC, in modo tale che si puo utilizzare un apposito software per sommare sequenze di immagini, ottenendo cosi un notevole miglioramento qualitativo dell'immagine finale.

In questo libro, Martin Mobberley introduce l'astrofilo all'uso delle webcam e all'elaborazione digitale delle immagini, mentre fornisce suggerimenti dettagliati per la ripresa del Sole, della Luna e dei pianeti. Ogni oggetto, con le specifiche tecniche di ripresa ed elaborazione, viene trattato in un capitolo a se.

Attraverso le immagini di questo libro, l'astrofilo potra rendersi conto di quanto si possa fare applicando una webcam al proprio telescopio

L'astronomia a Roma c'e sempre stata, ma un po' nascosta: era nei palazzi, nelle chiese o, meglio, sopra le chiese, specole disseminate lungo un percorso che oramai conoscono in pochi.

I romani hanno assistito, incuriositi ed impauriti, al rogo di Giordano Bruno in un angolo di Campo de' Fiori a loro familiare, ma probabilmente non capirono bene di quale colpa fosse accusato. Non pensarono certo che si trattasse di un filosofo e di uno scienziato che aveva cercato di immaginare in che modo era fatto il mondo.

Chi era questo Galileo, di cui si celebrava il processo a S. Maria sopra Minerva? Era un uomo che voleva cambiare la prospettiva del mondo e che, per questo, era stato ammonito da Roberto Bellarmino.

E chi era questo gesuita, Secchi, che nel 1870 costringeva gli Italiani a privare Roma del suo Osservatorio Astronomico, visto che il Direttore non riconosceva lo Stato Italiano?

Come e possibile che dopo la visita di Hitler a Mussolini alla vigilia della Guerra, la Germania decise di regalare all'Italia un Osservatorio Astronomico completo?

Forse, e a causa di questa storia che i luoghi dell'astronomia a Roma si trovano disseminati lungo un percorso nel quale ancora oggi si possono ritrovare i segni di Osservatori Astronomici che sono stati attivi e che, per la loro natura, restano nascosti e misteriosi.

E che, proprio per questo, vale la pena di non dimenticare.

"Le bolle stavano turbinando tutto intorno a me e massaggiavano il mio corpo ... Mentre me la godevo in questo fantastico bagno di bolle, i miei occhi si fecero pesanti e mi lasciaii trasportare in un dormiveglia sublimamente estatico." Cosi inizia l incontro di Alfie con una vasca da bagno eccezionale e rivelatrice, acquistata da un vicino misterioso di nome Al.

L Enigma di Einstein, ovvero buchi neri nel mio bagno di schiuma, racconta la storia della teoria della gravitazione, dai suoi primordi fino agli ultimi sviluppi in astrofisica, focalizzandosi sulla teoria della relativita generale di Albert Einstein e sulla fisica dei buchi neri. Tramite conversazioni avvincenti e diagrammi scarabocchiati su tovaglioli di carta, si susseguono a ruota i rudimenti della relativita, dello spazio-tempo e di molti aspetti della fisica moderna. In scenette narrate con abilita pedagogica e notevole talento letterario, il lettore s imbattera nelle lezioni informali che un astrofisico cosmopolita tiene al suo amico Alfie, organizzatore free lance di progetti di ricerca. Unitevi al divertimento intellettuale ed emozionatevi con le idee spumeggianti, mentre con la fantasia vi godete un rilassante bagno in questa vasca magica "

In meno di due decenni l'astronomia amatoriale ha cambiato volto. Il motivo, naturalmente, e il progresso tecnologico. Telescopi economici, ma di alta qualita, montature "go-to" controllate dal computer, autoguide, camere CCD, videocamere e (come sempre) computer e Internet sono soltanto alcuni degli elementi che hanno rivoluzionato l'astronomia del XXI secolo. Non solo hanno reso l'astronomia amatoriale piu "amichevole" e divertente, ma hanno anche ampliato enormemente le potenzialita dell'astrofilo.

Martin Mobberley dapprima affronta le tematiche di base per poi analizzare in modo approfondito quali sono gli strumenti disponibili sul mercato. Da qui prende le mosse per passare in rassegna le rivoluzionarie possibilita che si aprono per gli astrofili, dalla ripresa di immagini, alla spettroscopia, alla fotometria, alla sorveglianza degli oggetti Near-Earth - comete e asteroidi che possono avvicinarsi pericolosamente alla Terra.

L'astrofilo moderno e una valida guida alla nuova astronomia. Sia il neofita che chiede di essere introdotto in questo campo, sia l'astrofilo esperto che voglia tenersi al passo delle innovazioni troveranno in questo libro cio che fa per loro.

In 2004, Venus crossed the sun's face for the first time since 1882. Some did not bother to step outside. Others planned for years, reserving tickets to see the transit in its entirety. But even this group of astronomers and experience seekers were attracted not by scientific purpose but by the event's beauty, rarity, and perhaps--after this book--history. For previous sky-watchers, though, transits afforded the only chance to determine the all-important astronomical unit: the mean distance between earth and sun.

Eli Maor tells the intriguing tale of the five Venus transits previously observed and the fantastic efforts made to record them. This is a story of heroes and cowards, of reputations earned and squandered, all told against a backdrop of phenomenal geopolitical and scientific change.

With a novelist's talent for the details that keep readers reading late, Maor tells the stories of how Kepler's misguided theology led him to the laws of planetary motion; of obscure Jeremiah Horrocks, who predicted the 1639 transit only to die, at age 22, a day before he was to discuss the event with the only other human known to have seen it; of the unfortunate Le Gentil, whose decade of labor was rewarded with obscuring clouds, shipwreck, and the plundering of his estate by relatives who prematurely declared him dead; of David Rittenhouse, Father of American Astronomy, who was overcome by the 1769 transit's onset and failed to record its beginning; and of Maximilian Hell, whose good name long suffered from the perusal of his transit notes by a color-blind critic.

Moving beyond individual fates, Maor chronicles how governments' participation in the first international scientific effort--the observation of the 1761 transit from seventy stations, yielding a surprisingly accurate calculation of the astronomical unit using Edmund Halley's posthumous directions--intersected with the Seven Years' War, British South Seas expansion, and growing American scientific prominence. Throughout, Maor guides readers to the upcoming Venus transits in 2004 and 2012, opportunities to witness a phenomenon seen by no living person and not to be repeated until 2117

This introduction to the night sky is for amateur astronomers who desire a deeper understanding of the principles and observations of naked-eye astronomy. It covers topics such as terrestrial and astronomical coordinate systems, stars and constellations, the relative motions of the sky, sun, moon and earth leading to an understanding of the seasons, phases of the moon, and eclipses. Topics are discussed and compared for observers located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Written in a conversational style, only addition and subtraction are needed to understand the basic principles and a more advanced mathematical treatment is available in the appendices. Each chapter contains a set of review questions and simple exercises to reinforce the reader's understanding of the material. The last chapter is a set of self-contained observation projects to get readers started with making observations about the concepts they have learned. William Charles Millar, currently Professor of Astronomy at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, has been teaching the subject for almost twenty years and is very involved with local amateur astronomy groups. Millar also belongs to The Planetary Society and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and has traveled to Europe and South America to observe solar eclipses. Millar holds a Masters degree in Physics from Western Michigan University.

Found throughout the universe, variable stars are fascinating objects to observe. Their brightness changes over time and they can easily be seen with even the most basic equipment. David Levy explains how to begin electronic (or CCD) observing, as well as how to observe variable stars through a small telescope or binoculars. Featuring a section on Southern hemisphere stars, this book covers various types of objects that can be observed by amateur astronomers, including more exotic phenomena like gamma ray bursts, blazars, and polars. It will motivate anyone with even a basic interest in astronomy to begin observing variable stars.
David H. Levy is one of the most successful comet hunters in history. He has discovered twenty-one, eight of them using a telescope in his own backyard. With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California, Levy discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994, and is currently involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey, based at the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Arizona.
In addition to being the author or editor of 31 books and other products, David Levy is the Science Editor for Parade magazine and contributing editor for Sky and Telescope magazine and the Canadian periodical, SkyNews. Frequently interviewed in the media, he has given almost a thousand lectures and appeared on many television programs. His most recent CUP book is David Levy's Guide to Observing and Discovering Comets (Cambridge, 2003). First Edition Pb (1989) 0-521-62755-9

Two thousand years ago, according to the Bible, a star rose low in the east and stopped high above Bethlehem. Was it a miracle, a sign from God to herald the birth of Christ? Was there a star at all, or was it simply added to the Bible to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy concerning the birth of the Messiah? Or was the Star of Bethlehem an actual astronomical event? For hundreds of years, astronomers as prominent as Johannes Kepler have sought an answer to this last baffling question. In The Star of Bethlehem, Mark Kidger brings all the tools of modern science, years of historical research, and an infectious spirit of inquiry to bear on the mystery. He sifts through an astonishing variety of ideas, evidence, and information--including Babylonian sky charts, medieval paintings, data from space probes, and even calculations about the speed of a camel--to present a graceful, original, and scientifically compelling account of what it may have been that illuminated the night skies two millennia ago. Kidger begins with the stories of early Christians, comparing Matthew's tale of the Star and the three Magi who followed it to Bethlehem with lesser-known accounts excluded from the Bible. Crucially, Kidger follows the latest biblical scholarship in placing Christ's birth between 7 and 5 B.C., which leads him to reject various phenomena that other scientists have proposed as the Star. In clear, colorful prose, he then leads us through the arguments for and against the remaining astronomical candidates. Could the Star have been Venus? What about a meteor or a rare type of meteor shower? Could it have been Halley's Comet, as featured in Giotto's famous painting of the Nativity? Or, as Kidger suspects, was the Star a combination of events--a nova recorded in ancient Chinese and Korean manuscripts preceded by a series of other events, including an unusual triple conjunction of planets? Originally published in 1999. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

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.

Follow Monte Ross of the Laser Space Signal Observatory as he explores the challenges in searching for evidence of extraterrestrials, the programs that have failed, and those that continue. The book circumvents the failure of searches at radio frequencies by being the first to explore electromagnetic frequencies besides RF and microwave as possible signal sources, taking into consideration all the ways that extraterrestrials might try to communicate with us. Throughout the presentation, all the ideas, concepts, and approaches are explained clearly, without the use of complex math or physics.

What future possibilities for space travel are the most likely to succeed? What are the greatest challenges and advantages of space travel for humankind? What are the potential moral and ethical implications of our space explorations? Space, the Final Frontier imaginatively illustrates the possibilities that the exploration and subsequent exploitation of space opens up for humankind. Giancarlo Genta and Michael Rycroft delve into the factors that encourage space travel and speculate on the future of human expansion into space, including: the value and importance of having humans in space; the human exploration and colonization of our solar system; robotic exploration of the outer planets, their satellites and asteroids; the future possibility that humans may leave our solar system; the prospects and implications of our meeting other intelligent beings in space; the likelihood, consequences, and benefits of future space technologies. This insightful and visionary look at the future of human space exploration will appeal to all readers fascinated by space. Giancarlo Genta is Professor in the Department of Mechanics at the Technical University of Turin, Italy. He obtained degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering from the same university, and his current research in applied mechanics is linked to the construction of machines. He has published a large number of research papers and eight previous books including Vibrations of Structures and Machines: Practical Aspects (Springer-Verlag New York, 1993, 1994, 1998) and Motor Vehicle Dynamics: Modelling and Simulation (World Scientific Publishing Company, 1997). Michael Rycroft is a visiting professor at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. For eleven years he was Head of the Atmospheric Sciences Division at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, and he also spent four years as Professor of Aerospace at Cranfield University. He has acted as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Managing Editor of Surveys in Geophysics, and also The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space (2002).

For over a quarter of a century, gamma-ray bursts were the outstanding mystery in astronomy. No one knew where they were or how they worked. The Biggest Bangs tells how the mystery was unraveled, from the discovery of gamma-ray bursts by a Cold War satellite system monitoring the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to the localization of bursts in distant galaxies and the observation of surprisingly bright flashes of light from the bursts themselves. The Biggest Bangs is for laymen with an interest in science, physicists and astronomers interested in subjects in those fields not their specialty, students in non-technical astonomy courses, and as supplemental reading for courses in the history of science.

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.

This book summarizes and presents the scientific search for life in the universe, and the current level of scientific understanding of how life begins, grows, and becomes intelligent in our Solar System and beyond. This engaging book promises to appeal not only to the general reader but to scientists as well, many of whom strive to acquire an informed perspective on the search for extraterrestrial life in fields not their own.

The Sun is the closest star to Earth, and the only one we can observe in any sort of detail. As such it is a fascinating field of study, and one that is well-suited to amateur astronomers - the Sun is close enough to need little magnification. It also has the practical advantage, unlike every other astronomical object, of being visible in the daytime!During solar eclipses, there are momentary chances to observe and photograph some spectacular and scientifcally interesting sights.Studying the Sun nonetheless needs specialist knowledge. Safety is paramount, as without the right precautions the heat and light of the Sun would instantly blind the observer. But given the right techniques, the Sun is a rewarding subject for amateur astronomers: in this book, Professor Chris Kitchin provides all the information needed for safe solar observing.

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:

For twenty-five years following the Voyager mission, scientists speculated about Saturn's largest moon, a mysterious orb clouded in orange haze. Finally, in 2005, the Cassini-Huygens probe successfully parachuted down through Titan's atmosphere, all the while transmitting images and data. In the early 1980s, when the two Voyager spacecraft skimmed past Titan, Saturn's largest moon, they transmitted back enticing images of a mysterious world concealed in a seemingly impenetrable orange haze. "Titan Unveiled" is one of the first general interest books to reveal the startling new discoveries that have been made since the arrival of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and Titan.

Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline Mitton take readers behind the scenes of this mission. Launched in 1997, Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in summer 2004. Its formidable payload included the Huygens probe, which successfully parachuted down through Titan's atmosphere in early 2005, all the while transmitting images and data--and scientists were startled by what they saw. One of those researchers was Lorenz, who gives an insider's account of the scientific community's first close encounter with an alien landscape of liquid methane seas and turbulent orange skies. Amid the challenges and frayed nerves, new discoveries are made, including methane monsoons, equatorial sand seas, and Titan's polar hood. Lorenz and Mitton describe Titan as a world strikingly like Earth and tell how Titan may hold clues to the origins of life on our own planet and possibly to its presence on others.

Generously illustrated with many stunning images, "Titan Unveiled" is essential reading for anyone interested in space exploration, planetary science, or astronomy.

A new afterword brings readers up to date on Cassini's ongoing exploration of Titan, describing the many new discoveries made since 2006.

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.

In the tradition of Flatland, and with an infectious enthusiasm, Clifford Pickover tackles the problems inherent in our 3-D brains trying to visualize a 4-D world, muses on the religious implications of the existence of higher-dimensional consciousness, and urges all curious readers to venture into 'the unexplored territory lying beyond the prison of the obvious'.