Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes

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The first observing handbook for the 21st Century...

PRACTICAL AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:
Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes

by Michael A. Covington

(Previously announced as Amateur Astronomy with Modern Telescopes)

Published September 26, 2002, by Cambridge University Press
ISBN 0-521-52419-9 (paperback)
Available from Amazon.Com and other fine booksellers

Full ordering information
Outline and sample pages
Corrections to the first printing (PDF)
Updates and additional information
Object databases for TheSky, Starry Night, SkyMap Pro, etc.

Handbook for a new generation...

This is a new guide for amateur astronomers, not a clone of an earlier book. It features:

A complete guide to observing the Solar System and beyond
Emphasis on newly available Internet information sources
Moon map and finder charts that match the view through a telescope with a star diagonal
Pronunciations of all foreign names, including constellations, stars, and lunar features
Practical advice on observing with portable telescopes
Naked-eye limiting magnitude charts to measure sky transparency in the field
How to star-hop - and why you must sometimes do it even with a computerized telescope
Detailed descriptions of 200 stars and deep-sky objects visible from suburban skies
Complete Messier and Caldwell catalogues, Bayer/Flamsteed to SAO cross-index, and information about all other widely used catalogues
Comet, asteroid, and satellite observing, with explanation of orbital elements

Written as a companion volume to How to Use a Computerized Telescope, it is equally usable by itself, whether or not the telescope is computerized.

Contents and sample pages...

Part I - Amateur Astronomy

1     Using This Book Effectively Sample page
2     Observing Sites and Conditions Sample page
3     The Moon, the Sun, and Eclipses
4     The Planets
5     Comets, Asteroids, and Artificial Satellites Sample page
6     Constellations Sample page
7     Stars - Identification, Nomenclature, and Maps Sample page
          (Note: The book does not contain a star atlas.)
8     Stars - Physical Properties
9     Double and Multiple Stars Sample page
10   Variable Stars
11   Clusters, Nebulae, and Galaxies

Part II - Celestial Objects for Suburban Telescopes

12   Overview Sample page
13   January-February Sample page
14   March-April Sample page
15   May-June Sample page
16   July-August
17   September-October
18   November-December Sample page

Appendices

A   Converting Decimal Minutes to Seconds
B   Precession, 1950-2000
C   Julian Date, 2001-2015

NOTICE: The sample pages are
COPYRIGHT 2001, 2002 MICHAEL A. COVINGTON AND/OR CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
and may not be reproduced without permission. To view the sample pages, you may have to download and install Adobe Reader, available free of charge from www.adobe.com.