Astronomy, space and time Books

Every amateur astronomer has at least heard of the many different catalogs of deep-sky objects; the most well known are the Messier, the Caldwell, the Herschel, and the NGC.  All of these catalogs are, in general, readily...

Celestial Delights is essentially a 'TV Guide' for teh sky. This will be its third edition. This title, which has aggregated sales of about 20,000 copies to date in its two previous editions and has found a niche with...

Foreword.- Preface.- Chapter 1: Reaching for the Stars.- Chapter 2: The Dream of Flight and the Vision of Tomorrow.- Chapter 3: Fundamental Limitations to Achieving Interstellar Flight.- Chapter 4: Aviation - The Pursuit of Speed, Distance and Height.-...

Modern astronomy has been characterized by an enormous growth in data acquisition - from new technologies in telescopes, detectors, and computation. One can now compile catalogs of tens or hundreds of millions of stars or...

The?rsteditionofthistextappearedin1994.Shortlyafterthethirdprinting, our editor suggested that we attempt a second edition because new devel- mentsinstellarstructureandevolutionhadmadeouroriginalworkoutdated. We (the original...

Astronomers' Universe Series is a new series aimed at active amateur astronomers but is appropriate to a wider audience of astronomically-informed readers. The book provides an up-to-date account of active galaxies. Lists of such objects and their visual...

"Interplanetary Outpost" follows the mission architecture template of NASA's plan for Human Outer Planet Exploration (HOPE), which envisions sending a crew to the moon Callisto to conduct exploration and sample return ...

This volume, like the others, not only focuses upon the individual missions within the decade but also upon key challenges facing human space exploration at specific points within those years - from the problems of simply breathing and eating in space to...

Prologue.- Purple haze: introducing our guide.- The early universe: the source of chemistry - and of our guide.- Shooting the rapids: the life, and death, of the earliest starlight.- Interlude - how our guide is hooked, lost and caught again.- Heading...

Soviet Robots in the Solar System provides a history of the Soviet robotic lunar and planetary exploration program from its inception, with the attempted launch of a lunar impactor on September 23, 1958, to the last launch in the Russian national...

Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs is a complete guide for amateur astronomers who are looking for a new challenge. After a brief overview of the development of spectroscopes and an introduction to the theory of stellar spectra, the book goes on to...

Over the last 15 years or so there has been a huge increase in the popularity of astrophotography with the advent of digital SLR cameras and CCD imagers. These have enabled astronomers to take many images and, indeed, check...

Stung by the pioneering space successes of the Soviet Union - in particular, Gagarin being the first man in space, the United States gathered the best of its engineers and set itself the goal of reaching the Moon within a decade. In an expanding 2nd...

For many astronomers, the holy grail of observation is to discover a comet, not least because comets always bear the name of their discoverer! Hunting and Imaging Comets was written for comet hunters and digital imagers who...

Grappling with Gravity explores the physiological changes that will occur in humans and the plants and animals that accompany humans as we move to new worlds, be it to colony in the emptiness of space or settlements on the Moon, Mars, or other moons or...

Go-To Telescopes Under Suburban Skies is the first book specifically written for amateur astronomers who own, or who are about to purchase, a computer-controlled 'go-to' telescope. The advantage of the 'go-to' capability is...

Federal patronage of science was never contemplated by the framers of the Constitution, but they did seek to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Art" by granting inventors patent rights. However, direct subvention to scientists and scientific...

Weird Astronomy appeals to all who are interested in unusual celestial phenomena, whether they be amateur or professional astronomers or science buffs who just enjoy reading of odd coincidences, unexplained observations, and reports from space probes...

Building an astronomical telescope offers the amateur astronomer an exciting challenge, with the possibility of ending up with a far bigger and better telescope than could have been afforded otherwise. In the past, the starting point has always been the...

When I became the producer of the Sky at Night in 2002, I was given some friendly advice: "It's a quiet little programme, not much happens in astronomy." How wrong they were! It's been a hectic and enthralling time ever since:,...

Choosing and Using a Refracting Telescope has been written for the many amateur astronomers who already own, or are intending to purchase, a refracting telescope - perhaps to complement their existing arsenal of larger reflecting telescopes - or for the...

For a long time I have been giving scientific lectures in different countries and on diverse topics, generally related to astronomy and to my work at the Arecibo Observatory. No matter which parti- lar topic I am talking about, the same question always...

During more than four decades of involvement in amateur astronomy, I have enjoyed the privilege of rubbing shoulders with numberless amateur and professional astr- omers. In so doing I have encountered at first, second, and third hand many of the joys...

Comets have inspired wonder, excitement and even fear ever since they were first observed. But they are important members of the solar system, that contain material from early in the life of the system, held in deep-freeze. This makes them key in our...

In 1609 Galileo first used his telescope to kick start the science of observational astronomy - an event that proved to be of enormous historic, scientific, and cultural importance. Galileo and 400 Years of Telescopic Astronomy will feature the life and...

Preface.- Part I: The Dobsonian Telescope.- Chapter 1: John Dobson, The Man and His Legacy.- Chapter 2: Know Thy Dob!.- Chapter 3: The Mini-Dobs.- Chapter 4: Getting Serious.- Chapter 5: The Planetary Dobs.- Chapter 6: The 12-inch to 16-inch Dobs.-...

Dark Energy and Dark Matter hidden in the Geometry of Space?.- The Arrow ot Time In a Universe with a Positive Cosmological Constant.- The Future History of the Universe.- The Return of a Static Universe and the End of Cosmology.

A larger solar system [Eise Eisinga].- Eleven planets [Giuseppe Piazzi, Johannes Kepler, Johann Elert Bode, Baron Franz Xaver von Zach, Heinrich Olbers].- The writing desk planet [Elaine Mac-Auliffe, Olin Eggen, George Biddell Airy, John Couch Adams,...

A Brief History of Space.- Basic Orbits.- Real Orbits.- Beyond Circles and Ellipses.- Getting to Orbit.- Somthing About Environment.- Spacecraft Design.- Subsystem Design I Like Your Attitude.- More Subsystem Design.- Space in the 21st Century.- Space...

Radio astronomy is far from being beyond the scope of amateurs astronomers, and this practical, self-contained guide for the newcomer to practical radio astronomey is an ideal introduction. This guide is a must for anyone who wants to join the growing...

Tenacity and Stubbornness: Einstein on Theory and Experiment.- Convergence or Coincidence: Ancient Measurements of the Sun and Moon-How Far?.- The Rationality of Simplicity: Copernicus on Planetary Motion.- The Silence of Scientists: Venus's Brightness,...

This excellent textbook offers a unique take on relativity theory, setting it in its historical context. Ideal for those interested in relativity and the history of physics, the book contains a complete account of special...

Life in the Universe.- The Origin of Life on Earth.- From Antiquity to the Canals.- Viking.- The Legacy of Viking.- Mars: A Cosmic Stepping Stone.- A Grand Plan.- The Search for Life: A Planetary Perspective.- The Search for Life: Water and the...

This interdisciplinary book probes the subject of extraterrestrial intelligent life, offering scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing pseudo-scientific assertions such as 'rare...

This book describes a wide variety of speculations by many authors about the consequences for humanity of coming into contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The assumptions underlying those speculations are examined, and...

Dream.- Imagine It.- Work on the Big Picture.- Aim High.- BS!.- Brainstorm.- Create Desire.- Tell a Story.- Sleep on It.- Think JFK.- Judge.- Get Real.- Play Games.- Simulate It.- Run a Thought Experiment.- Know Your Limits.- Weigh Ideas.- Ask.- Ask Dumb...

Introduction: 25 Years from Today.- The Legacy of Apollo: The geopolitical, cultural, and scientific legacy of Apollo, including the discovery of lunar energy resources.- Global Energy in the 21st Century: The increasing future demand for energy and the...

Computers and Astronomy Perhaps every generation of astronomers believes that their telescopes are the best that have ever been. They are surely all correct! The great leap of our time is that computer-designed and machined parts have led to more...

The genesis of modern searches for observable meteoritic phenomena on the Moon is the paper by Lincoln La Paz in Popular Astronomy magazine in 1938. In it he argued that the absence of observed fashes of meteoritic impacts on...

""An Inquiry Into The English System Of Weights And Measures"" is a book written by John Henry Alexander and published in 1857. The book provides a detailed examination of the English system of weights and measures, which was in use at the time. The...