Astronomy For Dummies

by Maran, Stephen P.

• ISBN13: 9780764584657
• ISBN10: 0764584650
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-06
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

An accessible guide to the wonders of the night sky, now updated From asteroids to black holes, from quasars to white dwarfs, this new edition of Astronomy For Dummies takes backyard stargazers on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring star maps, charts, gorgeous full-color photographs, and easy-to-follow explanations, this fact-filled guide gives readers a leg up on the basic principles of astronomy and shows how to get the most out of binoculars, telescopes, planetarium visits, and other fun astronomical activities. This updated edition includes an updated color signature and covers the many discoveries made in recent years, as well as new astronomy Web sites.

Author Biography

Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is a 36-year veteran of the space program who has worked on numerous NASA projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope. He is the press officer of the American Astronomical Society.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Stalking the Cosmos.

Chapter 1: Seeing the Light: The Art and Science of Astronomy.

Chapter 2: Join the Crowd: Skywatching Activities and Resources.

Chapter 3: The Way You Watch Tonight: Terrific Tools for Observing the Skies.

Chapter 4: Just Passing Through: Meteors, Comets, and Artificial Satellites.

Part II: Going Once Around the Solar System.

Chapter 5: A Matched Pair: Earth and Its Moon.

Chapter 6: Earth’s Near Neighbors: Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

Chapter 7: Rock On: The Asteroid Belt and Near-Earth Objects.

Chapter 8: Great Balls of Gas: Jupiter and Saturn.

Chapter 9: Far Out! Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Beyond.

Part III: Meeting Old Sol and Other Stars.

Chapter 10: The Sun: Star of the Earth.

Chapter 11: Taking a Trip to the Stars.

Chapter 12: Galaxies: The Milky Way and Beyond.

Chapter 13: Digging into Black Holes and Quasars.

Part IV: Pondering the Remarkable Universe.

Chapter 14: Is Anybody Out There? SETI and Planets of Other Suns.

Chapter 15: Delving into Dark Matter and Antimatter.

Chapter 16: The Big Bang and the Evolution of the Universe.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 17: Ten Strange Facts about Astronomy and Space.

Chapter 18: Ten Common Errors about Astronomy and Space.

Part VI: Appendixes.

Appendix A: Finding the Planets: 2006 to 2010.

Appendix B: Star Maps.

Appendix C: Glossary.

Index.