Take your seats for the greatest tour ever - one that encompasses the whole of the Universe. En route, we stop off to gaze at 100 amazing sights - from asteroids to zodiacal dust and from orbit around the Earth to beyond the most distant galaxies. We start right here on Earth, and your tour guides are cosmic voyagers Patrick Moore, Brian May and Chris Lintott: Patrick is a lifelong lunar specialist; Brian is the leading authority on dust in our solar system, and Chris researches the formation of stars and galaxies.

Drawing on his vast knowledge and direct experience of most of the key events in astronomy and space exploration during this century, Patrick Moore takes a sideways look at the historical reports and contemporary thought behind a wide range of astronomical topics. The Wandering Astronomer presents his personal accounts of the towering characters of 20th-century astronomy, intriguing facts about puzzling astronomical phenomena, and amusing stories about the quirkier side of astronomy and space exploration. This collection of essays covers everything from the case of vanishing planets to UFOs over Selsey. Entertaining and informative, it will be enjoyable reading for both seasoned and amateur astronomers as well as general science readers. About the Author Author and broadcaster Patrick Moore is a lunar specialist who makes observations from his home in Selsey on most clear nights. He has written more than 100 books, and for the past 43 years he has presented BBC TV's Sky at Night program without missing a single episode. Moore served in the RAF during WWII and has been involved in astronomy since he was a boy. In 1967 he was awarded the OBE for his services to astronomy, and in 1988 he received the CBE. He also recently received a knighthood in the New Years Honours list.

The Data Book of Astronomy is a one-stop reference for astronomers at all levels of experience, from beginners to experienced observers. Filled with data about the Earth, Moon, the planets, the stars, our Galaxy, and the myriad galaxies in deep space, it also reveals the latest scientific discoveries about black holes, quasars, and the origins of the Universe. Written by a premier astronomy expert, this book begins with a discussion of the Sun, from sunspots to solar eclipses. It then features over 100 tables on characteristics of the Moon, and the names, positions, sizes, and other key descriptors of all the planets and their satellites. The book tabulates solar and lunar eclipse, comets, close-approach asteroids, and significant meteor showers dates. Twenty-four maps show the surface features of the planets and their moons. The author then looks to the stars, their distances and movements, and their detailed classification and evolution. Forty-eight star charts cover both northern and southern hemispheres, enabling you to track down and name the main stars in all the constellations. The maps are supported by detailed tables of the names, positions, magnitudes, and spectra of the main stars in each constellation, along with key data on galaxies, nebulae, and clusters. There is a useful catalogue of the world's great telescopes and observatories, a history of astronomy and of space research, and biographies of 250 astronomers who have been most influential in developing the current understanding of the subject.

Drawing on his vast knowledge and direct experience of most of the key events in astronomy and space exploration during this century, Patrick Moore takes a sideways look at the historical reports and contemporary thought behind a wide range of astronomical topics. The Wandering Astronomer presents his personal accounts of the towering characters of 20th-century astronomy, intriguing facts about puzzling astronomical phenomena, and amusing stories about the quirkier side of astronomy and space exploration. This collection of essays covers everything from the case of vanishing planets to UFOs over Selsey. Entertaining and informative, it will be enjoyable reading for both seasoned and amateur astronomers as well as general science readers. About the Author Author and broadcaster Patrick Moore is a lunar specialist who makes observations from his home in Selsey on most clear nights. He has written more than 100 books, and for the past 43 years he has presented BBC TV's Sky at Night program without missing a single episode. Moore served in the RAF during WWII and has been involved in astronomy since he was a boy. In 1967 he was awarded the OBE for his services to astronomy, and in 1988 he received the CBE. He also recently received a knighthood in the New Years Honours list.

Rock legend and experienced amateur astronomer Brian May joins the legendary expert Sir Patrick Moore to tell the story of the Universe from the moment time and space came into existence at the Big Bang, through to the infinite future and the ultimate fate that awaits us. Many of the pictures of the Universe obtained by instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope or the Very Large Telescope in Chile are beautiful enough to be considered works of art in their own right. This book presents them in context, and uses extraordinary new artworks to explain the mind-blowing theories from the cutting edge of astronomy in a way that everyone can understand.

Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) began his career at 16 as a human computer under the great mathematician U. J. J. Le Verrier at the Paris Observatory.  He soon tired of the drudgery; he was drawn to more romantic vistas, and at 19 wrote a book on an idea that he was to make his own—the habitability of other worlds.  There followed a career as France’s greatest popularizer of astronomy, with over 60 titles to his credit.  An admirer granted him a chateau at Juvisy-sur-l’Orge, and he set up a first-rate observatory dedicated to the study of the planet Mars. Finally, in 1892, he published his masterpiece, La Planete Mars et ses conditions d’habitabilite, a comprehensive summary of three centuries’ worth of literature on Mars, much of it based on his own personal research into rare memoirs and archives.  As a history of that era, it has never been surpassed, and remains one of a handful of indispensable books on the red planet. Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012) needs no introduction; his record of popularizing astronomy in Britain in the 20th century equaled Flammarion’s in France in the 19th century.  Moore pounded out hundreds of books as well as served as presenter of the BBC’s TV program “Sky at Night� program for 55 years (a world record).  Though Moore always insisted that the Moon was his chef-d’oeuvre, Mars came a close second, and in 1980 he produced a typescript of Flammarion’s classic.  Unfortunately, even he found the project too daunting for his publish ers and passed the torch of keeping the project alive to a friend, the amateur astronomer and author William Sheehan, in 1993. Widely regarded as a leading historian of the planet Mars,  Sheehan has not only meticulously compared and corrected Moore’s manuscript against Flammarion’s original so as to produce an authoritative text, he has  added an important introduction showing the book’s significance in the history of Mars studies.  Here results a book that remains an invaluable resource and is also a literary tour-de-force, in which the inimitable style of Flammarion has been rendered in the equally unique style of Moore.

Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) began his career at 16 as a human computer under the great mathematician U. J. J. Le Verrier at the Paris Observatory. He soon tired of the drudgery; he was drawn to more romantic vistas, and at 19 wrote a book on an idea that he was to make his own-the habitability of other worlds. There followed a career as France's greatest popularizer of astronomy, with over 60 titles to his credit. An admirer granted him a chateau at Juvisy-sur-l'Orge, and he set up a first-rate observatory dedicated to the study of the planet Mars. Finally, in 1892, he published his masterpiece, La Planete Mars et ses conditions d'habitabilite, a comprehensive summary of three centuries' worth of literature on Mars, much of it based on his own personal research into rare memoirs and archives. As a history of that era, it has never been surpassed, and remains one of a handful of indispensable books on the red planet. Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012) needs no introduction; his record of popularizing astronomy in Britain in the 20th century equaled Flammarion's in France in the 19th century. Moore pounded out hundreds of books as well as served as presenter of the BBC's TV program "Sky at Night" program for 55 years (a world record). Though Moore always insisted that the Moon was his chef-d'oeuvre, Mars came a close second, and in 1980 he produced a typescript of Flammarion's classic. Unfortunately, even he found the project too daunting for his publish ers and passed the torch of keeping the project alive to a friend, the amateur astronomer and author William Sheehan, in 1993. Widely regarded as a leading historian of the planet Mars, Sheehan has not only meticulously compared and corrected Moore's manuscript against Flammarion's original so as to produce an authoritative text, he has added an important introduction showing the book's significance in the history of Mars studies. Here results a book that remains an invaluable resource and is also a literary tour-de-force, in which the inimitable style of Flammarion has been rendered in the equally unique style of Moore.

In 2004 a rock star, a TV astronomer and a young research astronomer sat down to write the story of the Universe in the order in which it happened, from its birth at the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, through to its ultimate demise in the infinitely far future. The aim of this book is to explain the Big Bang and everything that followed in a way that made sense, in the strict order in which events occurred, and without using maths, so it would be understandable to everyone, regardless of educational background. The original edition of Bang! was a bestseller, and a go-to for anyone wanting to understand the story of the origins and evolution of our Universe that did not duck the science. Since the first edition, thousands of planets have been discovered, the 'habitable zone' has expanded and a flotilla of new satellites has explored our own solar system, bringing back fresh images and new science. In this book all the latest findings about the evolution of stars and galaxies are included, and the current thinking about our ultimate origins. The latest ideas about Dark Matter and Dark Energy are explained, all illustrated with new images from the world's largest telescopes and space missions. This is the new, updated, popular guide to 'Life, the Universe, and Everything' - The Complete History of the Universe.

This little book is about cats; cats of all shapes, sizes and colors, and specifically about those that have shared their lives with the great and well-respected astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore CBE FRS, over a lifetime of 80 years. This is Patrick's very personal account of the cats that have been part of his family, beginning with Bonnie, who died at the grand old age of twenty, through to the two beloved felines that he lives with currently: Jeannie and Ptolemy. The fascinating and engrossing text is complemented by personal photographs of Sir Patrick, his adored mother, Gertrude (also a cat-lover), and the many cats that have filled Patrick's life with love and companionship. Reveals a delightful and charming side to the man who has attained international status as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter, and who is credited with having done more than any other to raise the profile of astronomy.

Almost every serious amateur astronomer knows the benefit of having a fixed observatory of some sort - it saves a vast amount of time and effort during every observing session - and this book provides the necessary help. More Small Astronomical Observatories details the methods and techniques employed by non-professional astronomers from all over the world, providing a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to build a small observatory of almost any kind. It's a fun read, too. Not only that, but a free PC-format CD-ROM is included, containing the entire first book (now out of print) - you get two books for the price of one!

In a year that will probably be remembered almost as much for books about the millennium as for the turn of 2000 A.D itself, Patrick Moore's Millennium Yearbook celebrates.....well, the wrong millennium! This thoroughly entertaining book - which is for everyone, not just astronomers - contains articles on King Alfred's chronological work, reviews of the new Star Catalogue by the Arab Al-Sufi and the latest edition of Ptolemy's Almagast. And foreshadowing the change to metric units by 1000 years, the book uses arabic numbers instead of Roman - but there is a conversion table if you have trouble with the idea of "zero" and prefer the older system.

Although transits of planets across the Sun are rare (only Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun closer than us, and so can transit the Sun's disc) amateur astronomers can observe, record and image other kinds of transit, which are very much more frequent. Transit is in two parts, the first telling the fascinating story of the early scientific expeditions to observe transits. The second part is for practical observers, and explains how to observe transits of all sorts - even transits of aircraft as they fly between the observer and the Sun!

A total eclipse of the Sun is due in August 1999. It will attract alot of interest because - unusually - it will be visible in much of Europe and the UK. A total Solar Eclipse is always fascinating. This book is for everyone that wants to know 1. What a Solar Eclipse is 2. The phenomena one can expect to see 3. How to photograph an eclipse using a variety of methods 4. How to plan for an eclipse expedition. The book not only covers the 1999 eclipse but also past and future eclipses which we can look forward to. This book is also interesting to "armchair astronomers" as it contains alot of historical and anecdotal information. There's even a final chapter on "Eclipse Mishaps and Oddities" including the American eclipse expedition of 1780 that missed the total eclipse because they went to the wrong location

Eyes on the Universe is an illustrated history of the telescope, beginning with pre-telescopic observatories and the refractors of Galileo, Lippershey and Digges, and ending with the most modern instruments including - of course - the Hubble Space Telescope. Written by Dr Patrick Moore CBE, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the world's longest-running television programme, the BBC's The Sky at Night, the book takes an enthusiastic look at the development of astronomical telescopes. It provides its readers with a fascinating overview of the way astronomical telescopes have evolved with technology during the past 450 years. Amateur and professional astronomers alike will find this book both entertaining and instructive.

FROM THE REVIEWS:

OPTIK
"...the book takes an enthusiastic look at the development of astronomical telescopes. It provides its readers with a fascinating overview of the way astronomical telescopes have evolved with technology during the past 450 years. The text is written in a very understandable style, for scientists as well as for amateurs. Many color photographs will illustrate the fantastic world of astronomical observation. Amateur and professional astronomers alike will find this book entertaining and instructive."

THE JOURNAL OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION
"...provides a first-class summary of the history of the telescope from Leonard Digges to Hubble. Patrick's unique style ensures readability, and numerous anecdotes spice the pages...Springer-Verlag are particularly to be congratulated on the production quality of this little book, which is beautifully illustrated with 64 spectacular color photographs of every major telescope and observatory in the world."

ASTRONOMY NOW
"...packed with interesting facts and anecdotes about the evolution of telescopes, and records the successes as well as the failures along the path to achieving the biggest and best...I thought that each chapter was extremely well thought out and that there was a pleasant flow from one topic to the next, each a major milestone in its own right. Superb color photographs of telescopes past and present and observatories around the world appear on almost every page...A worthwhile addition to your bookshelf."

In Small Astronomical Observatories, Patrick Moore has collected descriptions of amateur and small professional observatories currently in use in Europe and America, showing how many astronomers have built their own observatory, often with effective and sometimes extraordinary improvisations to reduce the cost. There is a photograph of each, along with details of its construction and a foreword written by Patrick Moore. In addition to providing a fascinating study for its own sake, Small Astronomical Observatories offers a unique fund of ideas and practical details for anyone who wants to build an amateur or small professional observatory.

Patrick Moore has pulled together a group of professional and amateur astronomers, each an expert in a particular field, to describe how to observe every category of object that is within reach of an astronomical telescope of modest size. Each chapter deals with a different class of object, covering the whole range of possibilities from the Moon, planets and stars to more specialised observations of comets, novae, and meteors. If you own - or are thinking of buying - an astronomical telescope, here is the book that will help you get the most enjoyment out of it. It also explains how best to use your telescope for proper scientific observations, for astronomy is one of the few remaining areas of science where a lot of useful work can be carried out by non-professionals. A companion book, "The " "Modern Amateur Astronomer," deals with the non-observational aspects of astronomy, from buying a telescope (or making your own), through electronic equipment and accessories, to more technical aspects such as spectroscopy and astrophotography.

Here is a comprehensive guide for every amateur astronomer who hopes to do more than just star-gaze. If you already own an astronomical telescope and want to know how to use it to the best effect, or if you are thinking about buying one and are wondering where to start, then this is the book for you. Each chapter deals with a different topic, and each has been written by a professional or amateur astronomer who has been chosen by Patrick Moore as an expert in his speciality. Topics range from buying a telescope (or making your own), through electronic equipment and accessories, to more technical aspects such as spectroscopy and astrophotography. A companion book, "The Observational Amateur Astronomer," explains how to use a modest astronomical telescope for serious observing of the Moon, planets, stars and extragalactic objects.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are hazardous highly toxic pollutants that cause a number of environmental and human health problems. They are released during a wide range of industrial, transportation and commercial activities and their emissions have reached high levels. This book provides a review of the occurrence, behavior and ecological implications of VOCs. Chapter One evaluates the biogeneration of volatile organic compounds produced by microalgae. Chapter Two investigates VOC pollution from industrial complexes and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Chapter Three illustrates the current knowledge of intra- and inter- organismal Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (mVOCs)-based interactions, volatile perception, signal transduction and phenotypical responses in the receiver organisms. Chapter Four summarises the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of emissions from gasoline powered vehicles on historical ambient VOC concentration trends, and on the current ambient urban atmosphere of the South Coast Air Basin. Chapter Five discusses the oxidation of VOCs over cyptomelane catalysts. Chapter Six studies VOCs from truffles and false truffles from Basilicata in Southern Italy. Chapter Seven discusses the removal of VOCs in the air by total catalytic oxidation promoted by catalysts.

This book tells the remarkable lives of the pioneers of science - from Galileo and Newton, Faraday and Darwin, Pasteur and Marie Curie, to Einstein, Freud, Turing, and Crick and Watson. A series of seventy articles, written by an international team of distinguished scientists, historians of science and science writers, provides an unrivalled account of the lives and personalities behind the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time. Organized thematically, starting at the 'Universe', and moving smaller through the 'Earth' and 'Molecules and Matter' to 'Inside the Atom', with the final two sections looking at 'Life' and 'Body and Mind', it covers all the major scientific disciplines, including astronomy, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computing, ecology, geology, medicine, neurology, physics and psychology, as well as mathematics. The Scientists will intrigue budding scientists, those fascinated by the lives of great individuals, and anyone curious to know how over the centuries we came to understand the physical world around us and inside us.

This 2000 Edition of Sir Patrick Moore 's classic book has been completely revised in the light of changes in technology. Not only do these changes include commercially available astronomical telescopes and software, but also what we know and understand about the universe.

There are many new photographs and illustrations.

Packs a great deal of valuable information into appendices which make up almost half the book. These are hugely comprehensive and provide hints and tips, as well as data (year 2000 onwards) for pretty well every aspect of amateur astronomy.

This is probably the only book in which all this information is collected in one place.