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About this book
This 2000 Edition of Sir Patrick Moore's classic book has been completely revised in the light of changes in technology. Not only do these changes include commercially available astronomical telescopes and software, but also what we know and understand about the universe. There are many new photographs and illustrations. Writing in the easy-going style that made him famous as a writer and broadcaster, Sir Patrick introduced astronomy and amateur observing together, so that his reader gets an idea of what he is observing at the same time as how to observe. Almost half the book is Appendices. These are hugely comprehensive and provide hints and tips, as well as data (year 2000 onwards) for pretty well every aspect of amateur astronomy. This is probably the only book in which all this information is collected in one place.
Contents
Publisher?s note.- Foreword to the First Edition.- Foreword to the 12th Edition.- Astronomy is a Hobby.- The Unfolding Universe.- Telescopes and Observatories.- The Solar system.- The Sun.- The Moon.- Occultations and Eclipses.- Aurorae and the Zodiacal Light.- The Nearer Planets.- The Outer Planets.- Comets and Meteors.- The Stellar Sky.- The Nature of a Star.- Double Stars.- Variable Stars.- Star-Clusters and Nebulae.- Galaxies.- Beginnings and Endings.- Appendices.- Bibliography.
Customer Reviews
Handbook / Manual Popular Science
By: Patrick Moore
298 pages, 140 illus
From the reviews of the twelfth edition: "The Amateur Astronomer is aimed at both novice and experienced amateur, although evidently biased towards the former. ! should be mandatory reading for anyone thinking of buying a first telescope. ! We find here useful statistical data, cartographies, catalogues, and notes relevant to the owners of small to medium telescopes. ! Now approaching 50 years old ! this 12th edition continues the book's long tradition of providing an invaluable handbook for those requiring a broad introduction to amateur astronomy. A classic; absolutely recommended." (Steve Ringwood, Astronomy Now, June 2005) "Classic text that covers the basics of all the major areas of astronomical observing, from lunar and planetary studies to observing and measuring double and variable stars. The high-quality black & white illustrations and images in this book bring together the old and the new in a way that is refreshingly different. ! This highly recommended book will have pride of place on my bookshelf and I will continue to dip in and out of it for many years to come." (Neil English, Astronomy and Space, January, 2007)