Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes: Practical Amateur Astronomy Volume 2

by Michael A. Covington

• ISBN13: 9780521524193
• ISBN10: 0521524199
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Based on field notes made by the author during his own career as an amateur astronomer, this unique 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. It includes practical advice on aspects such as site selection and weather; provides the reader with detailed instructions for observing the Sun, Moon, planets, and all types of deep-sky objects; and it introduces newer specialities such as satellite observing and the use of astronomical databases. The book concludes with detailed information about 200 stars, clusters, nebulae, and galaxies, suitable for viewing with modest-sized telescopes under suburban conditions. Written to complement How to Use a Computerized Telescope, this book will also appeal to astronomers with more traditional equipment.

Author Biography

Michael Covington, an avid amateur astronomer since age 12, has degrees in linguistics from Cambridge and Yale. He does research on computer processing of human languages at The University of Georgia, where his work won first prize in the IBM Supercomputing Competition in 1990. His current research and consulting areas include theoretical linguistics, natural language processing, logic programming, and microcontrollers. Although a computational linguist by profession, he is recognized as one of America's leading amateur astronomers and is highly regarded in the field. He is the author of several books

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Part I Amateur astronomy	1	(164)
Using this book effectively	3	(3)
Amateur astronomy for a new generation	3	(1)
The maps are backward!	3	(2)
Old books	5	(1)
Material you can skip	5	(1)
Pronouncing foreign names	5	(1)
Observing sites and conditions	6	(17)
Darkness and night vision	6	(6)
Dark adaptation	6	(1)
Twilight and moonlight	7	(1)
Light pollution	7	(1)
Naked-eye limiting magnitude	8	(1)
The Bortle dark-sky scale	8	(4)
Atmospheric steadiness	12	(1)
Weather and the astronomer	13	(5)
Climate, weather, and seasons	13	(1)
Using satellite weather data	14	(2)
Dew	16	(2)
Observing at remote sites	18	(5)
Finding a site	18	(1)
Transporting the telescope	18	(1)
Site etiquette	19	(1)
Keeping warm	20	(1)
Mosquitoes	20	(1)
Other vermin	21	(1)
Safety	22	(1)
The Moon, the Sun, and eclipses	23	(19)
The Moon	23	(10)
Phases of the Moon	23	(1)
Why observe the Moon?	23	(4)
Names of lunar features	27	(3)
Coordinate systems	30	(1)
Observing programs	30	(1)
Lunar eclipses	31	(2)
Occultations	33	(1)
The Sun	33	(9)
Sun filters	33	(2)
Solar features	35	(2)
Solar eclipses	37	(5)
The planets	42	(20)
General concepts	42	(1)
The view from Earth	42	(2)
Mercury	44	(3)
Elongations of Mercury, 2002-2010	45	(2)
Transits of Mercury	47	(1)
Observing Mercury	47	(1)
Venus	47	(2)
Elongations of Venus, 2002-2010	47	(1)
Transits of Venus	48	(1)
Observing Venus	48	(1)
Mars	49	(4)
Oppositions of Mars, 2002-2010	49	(1)
Surface features of Mars	49	(2)
Named Martian features	51	(1)
Satellites of Mars	52	(1)
Jupiter	53	(3)
Oppositions of Jupiter, 2002-2010	53	(1)
Surface features of Jupiter	53	(2)
Satellites of Jupiter	55	(1)
Saturn	56	(3)
Oppositions of Saturn	56	(1)
Surface features of Saturn	56	(1)
Rings of Saturn	57	(1)
Satellites of Saturn	58	(1)
Uranus	59	(1)
Oppositions of Uranus	59	(1)
Surface features of Uranus	59	(1)
Satellites of Uranus	59	(1)
Neptune	60	(1)
Oppositions of Neptune	60	(1)
Surface features of Neptune	60	(1)
Satellites of Neptune	60	(1)
Pluto	60	(2)
Oppositions of Pluto	60	(1)
Telescopic appearance	61	(1)
Satellite of Pluto	61	(1)
Comets, asteroids (minor planets), and artificial satellites	62	(18)
Small objects in the Solar System	62	(1)
Orbits and ephemerides	62	(1)
Asteroids (minor planets)	63	(4)
Observing asteroids	63	(1)
Asteroid nomenclature and data	64	(1)
Finding asteroids with computerized telescopes	65	(1)
Discovering asteroids	66	(1)
Comets	67	(5)
Observing comets	67	(1)
Comet designations	68	(1)
Finding comets with computerized telescopes	69	(1)
How to discover a comet	70	(1)
Reporting a comet discovery	71	(1)
Meteors	72	(1)
Artificial Earth satellites	73	(4)
Observing satellites	73	(1)
Satellite orbits	73	(2)
Satellite data files	75	(1)
What to expect at the telescope	76	(1)
Orbital elements explained	77	(3)
Constellations	80	(7)
Constellation names	80	(4)
How the constellations got their names	84	(2)
Obsolete constellations	86	(1)
The zodiac	86	(1)
Stars -- identification, nomenclature, and maps	87	(25)
Star names	87	(4)
Traditional names	87	(3)
Other star names	90	(1)
Stars named after people	90	(1)
Modern star designations	91	(2)
Bayer and Lacaille letters	91	(2)
Flamsteed numbers	93	(1)
STAR numbers	93	(1)
Star maps	93	(7)
Wide-field atlases	93	(1)
Medium-scale atlases	94	(1)
Telescopic atlases	94	(1)
How to use a telescopic atlas	95	(2)
Sky mapping software	97	(2)
Palomar Observatory Sky Survey	99	(1)
Star catalogues	100	(12)
Online libraries	100	(1)
SAO	100	(1)
Other bright star catalogues	101	(1)
Hubble Guide Star Catalog	101	(1)
Hipparcos and Tycho	101	(1)
The cross-indexing problem	102	(1)
Bayer/Flamsteed to SAO cross-index	102	(10)
Stars -- physical properties	112	(11)
Magnitude	112	(2)
The magnitude system	112	(1)
Calculations with magnitudes	112	(1)
Telescope magnitude limits	113	(1)
Magnitudes in old books	114	(1)
Number of stars in the sky	114	(1)
Distances of the stars	115	(2)
Distance units	115	(1)
Parallax	116	(1)
Measuring greater distances	116	(1)
Absolute magnitude	117	(1)
Colors and spectra	117	(3)
Star colors	117	(1)
B and V magnitudes; color index	118	(1)
Spectroscopy	119	(1)
Stellar physics	120	(3)
Mass, luminosity, and temperature	120	(1)
Stellar evolution in brief	120	(1)
More about stellar evolution	121	(2)
Double and multiple stars	123	(9)
The importance of double stars	123	(1)
Position angle and separation	124	(1)
Binary-star orbits	125	(2)
Telescope limits	127	(1)
Making measurements for yourself	128	(2)
The need for measurements	128	(1)
Teague's reticle method	128	(1)
Calibrating the linear scale	129	(1)
Taking a measurement	129	(1)
Turning off the drive motors	130	(1)
Multiple-star nomenclature and catalogues	130	(2)
Variable stars	132	(12)
Overview	132	(1)
Types of variables	132	(5)
Pulsating variables	132	(2)
Irregular variables	134	(1)
Eclipsing binaries	134	(1)
Novae	135	(1)
Reporting a discovery	136	(1)
Nomenclature	137	(3)
Letter designations	137	(1)
Harvard designations	137	(1)
GCVS numbers	138	(2)
Observing techniques	140	(4)
Estimating magnitudes	140	(2)
Telescope considerations	142	(1)
Sources of difficulty	142	(1)
Photographic observation	143	(1)
Clusters, nebulae, and galaxies	144	(21)
The lure of the deep sky	144	(1)
Deep-sky objects	144	(4)
Asterisms	144	(1)
Open clusters	145	(1)
Nebulae	145	(1)
Our galactic neighborhood	146	(1)
Distant galaxies	146	(1)
Active galaxies and quasars	147	(1)
Observing techniques	148	(2)
Star clusters	148	(1)
Bright nebulae	148	(1)
``Faint fuzzies''	149	(1)
Magnitude and surface brightness	149	(1)
Catalogues and designations	150	(11)
The Messier (M) catalogue	150	(4)
The Caldwell Catalogue	154	(4)
The Herschel (H) Catalogue	158	(1)
NGC, IC, RNGC, and CNGC	158	(3)
Other important catalogues	161	(1)
Handbooks, classic and modern	161	(4)
Smyth's Cycle of Celestial Objects	161	(1)
Webb's Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes	162	(1)
Hartung and Burnham	162	(2)
Modern handbooks	164	(1)
Part II 200 interesting stars and deep-sky objects	165	(90)
How these objects were chosen	167	(4)
The January--February sky (R.A. 6h--10h)	171	(12)
The March--April sky (R.A. 10h--14h)	183	(14)
The May--June sky (R.A. 14h--18h)	197	(8)
The July--August sky (R.A. 18h--22h)	205	(18)
The September--October sky (R.A. 22h--2h)	223	(12)
The November--December sky (R.A. 2h--6h)	235	(20)
Appendices
A Converting decimal minutes to seconds	248	(1)
B Precession from 1950 to 2000	249	(3)
C Julian date, 2001--2015	252	(3)
Index	255