Astronomy Day at the Library

Radio and radar astronomy are powerful tools when studying the wonders of the universe, yet they tend to mystify amateur astronomers. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to newcomers, containing everything you need to start observing at radio wavelengths. Written by a mechanical engineer who has actually built and operated the tools described, the book contains a plethora of tested advice and practical resources.

This book is for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of astronomical objects in the night sky. It covers the lore and legend behind Ptolemy's 48 constellations, along with significant asterisms, the planets and their moons, the brightest named asteroids and dwarf planets. The revised second edition includes a host of new moons and dwarf planets discovered since 2011.

This is the must-have guide for all amateur astronomers who double as makers, doers, tinkerers, problem-solvers, and inventors. In a world where an amateur astronomy habit can easily run into the many thousands of dollars, it is still possible for practitioners to get high-quality results and equipment on a budget by utilizing DIY techniques. Surprisingly, it's not that hard to modify existing equipment to get new and improved usability from older or outdated technology, creating an end result that can outshine the pricey higher-end tools.

Viewing and Imaging the Solar System: A Guide for Amateur Astronomers is for those who want to develop their ability to observe and image Solar System objects, including the planets and moons, the Sun, and comets and asteroids. They might be beginners, or they may have already owned and used an astronomical telescope for a year or more.

The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to the Deep-sky Catalogs is a single compilation of the historical and modern astronomical deep-sky catalogs. It discusses their origins, compares what's in them, explains how to interpret the data they contain, and even outlines how readers can create suitable 'custom' catalogs for their own use. The last section provides a set of three deep-sky catalogs created by the author, for observers of different levels of experience, from newcomer to expert.

The Cambridge Star Atlas covers the entire sky, both northern and southern latitudes, in an attractive format that is suitable for beginners and experienced astronomical observers. There is a series of monthly sky charts, followed by an atlas of the whole sky, arranged in 20 overlapping full colour charts. Each chart shows stars down to magnitude 6.5, together with about 900 non-stellar objects, such as clusters and galaxies, which can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

With 250,000 copies in print since its initial publication in 1983, NightWatch has become a standard reference guide for stargazers throughout North America. The new Third Edition expands on that success with a completely revised and updated text, more than 100 new color photos and diagrams and 16 additional pages that cover such new astronomical pursuits as computerized telescopes, reviews of new telescope designs and accessories, and astronomy on the Internet. All charts, tables and diagrams have been updated and, in some cases, redesigned for easier use.

The author has captured the entire night sky from locations throughout the northern and southern hemispheres in 50 photographs, each taken using a wide-angle lens. The colour plates are presented here to high standards of reproduction and each plate is accompanied by a map of the identical area which identifies the main stars of the constituent constellations, as well as other interesting astronomical objects. Patrick Moore has written a commentary on each plate, highlighting the stars and objects of interest to an observor equipped with binoculars, and provides detailed tabular information on astronomical objects of the region.

This lavishly illustrated photographic exploration of the universe will delight everyone intrigued by the night sky. This is the finest collection of colour photographs of star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae ever published. Working with the world's most sophisticated telescopes and his own revolutionary techniques, world renowned astronomical photographer David Malin captures distant worlds and phenomena in their astonishing colours.