Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes: Step-by-Step Activities for Discovery (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series) - Softcover

Gainer, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846284783 ISBN 13: 9781846284786

Publisher: Springer, 2006

Synopsis

This book demonstrates the use of an 80mm refractor and shows how it can be used as a real scientific instrument. The author is an experienced small telescope user and an astronomy educator, and he provides step-by-step instructions for numerous scientific activities. Users will find many activities and projects suitable for an 80mm refractor or 90mm reflector or Maksutov that have not been published elsewhere. Emphasis is on measurement and discovery activities rather than on casual observing. This book will provide amateur observers with the knowledge and skill that will help them make genuine contributions to the field of astronomy.

About this title

From the Back Cover

It’s often said that astronomy is one of the very few sciences in which amateurs can make a contribution to real science. Even modest telescopes such as a small – 3-inch (80mm) – astronomical refractor or Maksutov can provide scientifically useful data.

This is certainly true, but where to start?

Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes tells you everything you’ll need to know about how to get started on "real" astronomy using a small telescope (and ideally a digital camera), and make a real contribution to our scientific knowledge. This book is the necessary introduction to real astronomy – derived from the author’s many years of experience in teaching the subject – that can be your starting point for serious work. Here, the emphasis is on what you can do with a small telescope, rather than just on what you can see through it.

Finally, owners of big telescopes shouldn’t be put off – everything in this book applies equally (maybe more equally!) to larger instruments.

Review

From the reviews:

"The dozens of projects collected here are a combination of observations suitable for current research (such as classifying sun-spots or monitoring binary stars) and recreating classic experiments (such as determining the speed of light by timing Jupiter’s moons). ... Besides ample nuggets for science projects, a motivated amateur will gain understanding by doing the work, and ... add purpose to his or her observations." (Stuart J. Goldman, Sky & Telescope, May, 2007)

"Amateurs and students using relatively small telescopes can and do contribute useful data to many areas of astronomy. The subtitle Step-by-Step Activities for Discovery is an accurate depiction of what is provided to help novices do just that. Charts, diagrams, photographs of setups, and background information for a variety of observations are included. ... Summing Up: Recommended. General reader; lower-division undergraduates; faculty." (D. H. Gifford, CHOICE, Vol. 44 (11), August, 2007)

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1846284783
• ISBN 13: 9781846284786
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 148