Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars

R. W. Argyle

ISBN 10: 1461439442 / ISBN 13: 9781461439448

Published by Springer New York, Springer US Sep 2012, 2012

About this Item

Neuware -The second edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004) is the definitive book for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment (you can start modestly with commercial or even home-made instruments), observing methods using binoculars upwards to advanced instrumentation and techniques, including speckle interferometry. The astronomy of double stars, including orbital calculation, is given its own section.This second edition of this popular book contains a significant amount of completely new material, inspired by the work done by observers ¿ particularly in the USA ¿ since the first edition was published. This includes the use of the Internet to carry out astrometry (precise astronomical measurement) using existing survey plates and films. The new edition contains an excellent guide to sketching double stars, a topic not previously covered. In addition, there is information about how to image double stars of unequal brightness, always a difficult matter but now somewhat easier because of advances in hardware and image-processing software. Nearly all of the chapters and tables have been updated.The CD-ROM that accompanied the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars is replaced by access to the Springer Extras web site. The extra information includes the complete Washington Double Star and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric, double-and multiple-star formation, including positions, orbits, separations, and magnitudes, and a software suite that implements many of the calculations and equations featured in the book.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 436 pp. Englisch. Seller Inventory # 9781461439448

Bibliographic Details

Title: Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars

Publisher: Springer New York, Springer US Sep 2012

Publication Date: 2012

Binding: Taschenbuch

Condition: Neu

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

The second edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004) is the definitive book for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment (you can start modestly with commercial or even home-made instruments), observing methods using binoculars upwards to advanced instrumentation and techniques, including speckle interferometry. The astronomy of double stars, including orbital calculation, is given its own section.

This second edition of this popular book contains a significant amount of completely new material, inspired by the work done by observers – particularly in the USA – since the first edition was published. This includes the use of the Internet to carry out astrometry (precise astronomical measurement) using existing survey plates and films. The new edition contains an excellent guide to sketching double stars, a topic not previously covered. In addition, there is information about how to image double stars of unequal brightness, always a difficult matter but now somewhat easier because of advances in hardware and image-processing software. Nearly all of the chapters and tables have been updated.

The CD-ROM that accompanied the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars is replaced by access to the Springer Extras web site. The extra information includes the complete Washington Double Star and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric, double-and multiple-star formation, including positions, orbits, separations, and magnitudes, and a software suite that implements many of the calculations and equations featured in the book.

About the Author:

R.W. Argyle works in the Astronomy Survey unit of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England, where he has been Senior Research Associate since 1998. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (since 1977) and Director of the Double Star Section, the Webb Society (since 1970). He edited the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004). He is the author of many articles for the Deep-sky Observer of the Webb Society. He writes a monthly column on double stars in Astronomy Now, the UK astronomical journal. He is co-author of research papers on binary stars in refereed astronomical journals.