Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes

Practical Amateur Astronomy Volume 2

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Paperback | 26 September 2002

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282 Pages

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Based on field notes made by Michael Covington throughout his career as an amateur astronomer, this guide covers both the traditional and novel approaches to studying the night sky. In addition to the more standard techniques, it discusses the latest modern resources available to today's astronomer, such as personal computers, the internet, and computerized telescopes. Covington includes practical advice on site selection and weather; detailed instructions for observing the Sun, Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects; and newer specialities such as satellite observing and the use of astronomical databases. Written to complement How to Use a Computerized Telescope, this book appeals to astronomers with more traditional equipment. Michael A. Covington is an associate research scientist at the University of Georgia. He is a computational linguist trained in the computer processing of human languages and the computer modeling of human logical reasoning, and a widely recognized expert on the Prolog programming language. He is the author of nine books including Dictionary of Computer and Internet Terms, Seventh Edition (Barron's, 2000), Astrophotography for the Amateur (Cambridge, 1999), PROLOG Programming in Depth (Simon & Schuster, 1996), Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide (1993), and Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1985). A senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Covington is a Contributing Editor to, and former "Q&A" columnist of Poptronics magazine.

Industry Reviews

'It is clear that the author has carried out a tremendous amount of personal observation and anyone working through the list will end up with a good knowledge of the night sky.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'As an observing guide, Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes is an excellent choice for those starting off in observational amateur astronomy and even for others with limited observing experience.' Astronomy & Space

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Non-Fiction Medicine Medicine in General Nature & The Natural World Popular Astronomy & Space Science Astronomy, Space & Time Astronomical Observation & Observatories

Preface	p. xiii
Amateur astronomy	p. 1
Using this book effectively	p. 3
Amateur astronomy for a new generation	p. 3
The maps are backward!	p. 3
Old books	p. 5
Material you can skip	p. 5
Pronouncing foreign names	p. 5
Observing sites and conditions	p. 6
Darkness and night vision	p. 6
Dark adaptation	p. 6
Twilight and moonlight	p. 7
Light pollution	p. 7
Naked-eye limiting magnitude	p. 8
The Bortle dark-sky scale	p. 8
Atmospheric steadiness	p. 12
Weather and the astronomer	p. 13
Climate, weather, and seasons	p. 13
Using satellite weather data	p. 14
Dew	p. 16
Observing at remote sites	p. 18
Finding a site	p. 18
Transporting the telescope	p. 18
Site etiquette	p. 19
Keeping warm	p. 20
Mosquitoes	p. 20
Other vermin	p. 21
Safety	p. 22
The Moon, the Sun, and eclipses	p. 23
The Moon	p. 23
Phases of the Moon	p. 23
Why observe the Moon?	p. 23
Names of lunar features	p. 27
Coordinate systems	p. 30
Observing programs	p. 30
Lunar eclipses	p. 31
Occultations	p. 33
The Sun	p. 33
Sun filters	p. 33
Solar features	p. 35
Solar eclipses	p. 37
The planets	p. 42
General concepts	p. 42
The view from Earth	p. 42
Mercury	p. 44
Elongations of Mercury, 2002-2010	p. 45
Transits of Mercury	p. 47
Observing Mercury	p. 47
Venus	p. 47
Elongations of Venus, 2002-2010	p. 47
Transits of Venus	p. 48
Observing Venus	p. 48
Mars	p. 49
Oppositions of Mars, 2002-2010	p. 49
Surface features of Mars	p. 49
Named Martian features	p. 51
Satellites of Mars	p. 52
Jupiter	p. 53
Oppositions of Jupiter, 2002-2010	p. 53
Surface features of Jupiter	p. 53
Satellites of Jupiter	p. 55
Saturn	p. 56
Oppositions of Saturn	p. 56
Surface features of Saturn	p. 56
Rings of Saturn	p. 57
Satellites of Saturn	p. 58
Uranus	p. 59
Oppositions of Uranus	p. 59
Surface features of Uranus	p. 59
Satellites of Uranus	p. 59
Neptune	p. 60
Oppositions of Neptune	p. 60
Surface features of Neptune	p. 60
Satellites of Neptune	p. 60
Pluto	p. 60
Oppositions of Pluto	p. 60
Telescopic appearance	p. 61
Satellite of Pluto	p. 61
Comets, asteroids (minor planets), and artificial satellites	p. 62
Small objects in the Solar System	p. 62
Orbits and ephemerides	p. 62
Asteroids (minor planets)	p. 63
Observing asteroids	p. 63
Asteroid nomenclature and data	p. 64
Finding asteroids with computerized telescopes	p. 65
Discovering asteroids	p. 66
Comets	p. 67
Observing comets	p. 67
Comet designations	p. 68
Finding comets with computerized telescopes	p. 69
How to discover a comet	p. 70
Reporting a comet discovery	p. 71
Meteors	p. 72
Artificial Earth satellites	p. 73
Observing satellites	p. 73
Satellite orbits	p. 73
Satellite data files	p. 75
What to expect at the telescope	p. 76
Orbital elements explained	p. 77
Constellations	p. 80
Constellation names	p. 80
How the constellations got their names	p. 84
Obsolete constellations	p. 86
The zodiac	p. 86
Stars--identification, nomenclature, and maps	p. 87
Star names	p. 87
Traditional names	p. 87
Other star names	p. 90
Stars named after people	p. 90
Modern star designations	p. 91
Bayer and Lacaille letters	p. 91
Flamsteed numbers	p. 93
STAR numbers	p. 93
Star maps	p. 93
Wide-field atlases	p. 93
Medium-scale atlases	p. 94
Telescopic atlases	p. 94
How to use a telescopic atlas	p. 95
Sky mapping software	p. 97
Palomar Observatory Sky Survey	p. 99
Star catalogues	p. 100
Online libraries	p. 100
SAO	p. 100
Other bright star catalogues	p. 101
Hubble Guide Star Catalog	p. 101
Hipparcos and Tycho	p. 101
The cross-indexing problem	p. 102
Bayer/Flamsteed to SAO cross-index	p. 102
Stars--physical properties	p. 112
Magnitude	p. 112
The magnitude system	p. 112
Calculations with magnitudes	p. 112
Telescope magnitude limits	p. 113
Magnitudes in old books	p. 114
Number of stars in the sky	p. 114
Distances of the stars	p. 115
Distance units	p. 115
Parallax	p. 116
Measuring greater distances	p. 116
Absolute magnitude	p. 117
Colors and spectra	p. 117
Star colors	p. 117
B and V magnitudes; color index	p. 118
Spectroscopy	p. 119
Stellar physics	p. 120
Mass, luminosity, and temperature	p. 120
Stellar evolution in brief	p. 120
More about stellar evolution	p. 121
Double and multiple stars	p. 123
The importance of double stars	p. 123
Position angle and separation	p. 124
Binary-star orbits	p. 125
Telescope limits	p. 127
Making measurements for yourself	p. 128
The need for measurements	p. 128
Teague's reticle method	p. 128
Calibrating the linear scale	p. 129
Taking a measurement	p. 129
Turning off the drive motors	p. 130
Multiple-star nomenclature and catalogues	p. 130
Variable stars	p. 132
Overview	p. 132
Types of variables	p. 132
Pulsating variables	p. 132
Irregular variables	p. 134
Eclipsing binaries	p. 134
Novae	p. 135
Reporting a discovery	p. 136
Nomenclature	p. 137
Letter designations	p. 137
Harvard designations	p. 137
GCVS numbers	p. 138
Observing techniques	p. 140
Estimating magnitudes	p. 140
Telescope considerations	p. 142
Sources of difficulty	p. 142
Photographic observation	p. 143
Clusters, nebulae, and galaxies	p. 144
The lure of the deep sky	p. 144
Deep-sky objects	p. 144
Asterisms	p. 144
Open clusters	p. 145
Nebulae	p. 145
Our galactic neighborhood	p. 146
Distant galaxies	p. 146
Active galaxies and quasars	p. 147
Observing techniques	p. 148
Star clusters	p. 148
Bright nebulae	p. 148
"Faint fuzzies"	p. 149
Magnitude and surface brightness	p. 149
Catalogues and designations	p. 150
The Messier (M) catalogue	p. 150
The Caldwell Catalogue	p. 154
The Herschel (H) Catalogue	p. 158
NGC, IC, RNGC, and CNGC	p. 158
Other important catalogues	p. 161
Handbooks, classic and modern	p. 161
Smyth's Cycle of Celestial Objects	p. 161
Webb's Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes	p. 162
Hartung and Burnham	p. 162
Modern handbooks	p. 164
200 interesting stars and deep-sky objects	p. 165
How these objects were chosen	p. 167
The January-February sky (R.A. 6[superscript h]-10[superscript h])	p. 171
The March-April sky (R.A. 10[superscript h]-14[superscript h])	p. 183
The May-June sky (R.A. 14[superscript h]-18[superscript h])	p. 197
The July-August sky (R.A. 18[superscript h]-22[superscript h])	p. 205
The September-October sky (R.A. 22[superscript h]-2[superscript h])	p. 223
The November-December sky (R.A. 2[superscript h]-6[superscript h])	p. 235
Appendices
Converting decimal minutes to seconds	p. 248
Precession from 1950 to 2000	p. 249
Julian date, 2001-2015	p. 252
Index	p. 255
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes

Practical Amateur Astronomy Volume 2

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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