The Sky is Your Laboratory

For the experienced amateur astronomer who is wondering if there is something useful, valuable, and permanent that can be done with his or her observational skills, the answer is, "Yes, there is!" This is THE book for the amateur astronomer who is ready to take the next step in his or her astronomical journey. Till now there has been no text that points curious amateur astronomers to the research possibilities open to them. At the 2006 meeting of the Society for Astronomical Sciences, participants agreed that the lack of such a text was a serious gap in the astronomical book market. This book plugs that hole.

ISBN 0387718222   Pages 328 ISBN13 9780387718224 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Springer-Verlag New York Inc.   Weight (grammes) 635 Imprint Springer-Verlag New York Inc.   Published in New York, NY Format Paperback   Series title Springer-Praxis Books in Popular Astronomy Publication date 27 Jun 2007   Height (mm) 170 Library of Congress QB   Width (mm) 240 DEWEY 522   Spine width (mm) 18 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Professional / Scholarly

1		Meteor studies		1
2		Occultations		27
3		Visual variable star observing		75
4		CCD photometry		95
5		CCD astrometry		183
6		Discovery projects		205
7		Further avenues		245
App. A		Some notes on time		261
App. B		Some notes on astrometry		273
App. C		The scientist's record book		281
App. D		Measurement and uncertainty		285

From the reviews: "Amateur astronomers have a proud tradition of contributing worthwhile scientific observations, stretching right back to Victorian times. ! If you have been in the hobby for a few years and now want to specialise, this book is for you. The author explains every chosen subject in reasonable depth and a lot of technical work has gone into the 297 pages. The coverage is accurate ! ." (Martin Mobberley, BBC Sky at Night, November, 2007) "Buchheim gives amateurs the essentials to do real science, not simply science projects. ! The book is amply illustrated with diagrams, and the text's tone is pleasantly conversational. ! Although Buchheim set out to write this book for amateurs, it should also be of interest to students and teachers who wish to pursue real-science with equipment that may already be available on campus." (Jennifer Birriel, Sky & Telescope, December, 2007) "Many amateur astronomers have equipment powerful enough to make significant contributions to research. ! The present book outlines eighteen worthwhile projects for the amateur. ! There is a clear and detailed description of the principles behind the evaluation of signal-to-noise and warnings against the many insidious errors which can creep in. ! The book's outstanding quality is the infectious enthusiasm of the writing. It is highly recommended." (Derek Jones, The Observatory, Vol. 128 (1203), 2008)

 Be the first to write a customer review