The National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky provides a concise guided tour of the heavens, from planets in our solar system to the constellations in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, stars, galaxies, astronomical bodies, phenomena, comets, and more. Featuring a durable vinyl binding, over 700 full-color photographs, sky charts, and constellation charts, as well as detailed descriptive text, this comprehensive, easy-to-use field guide is the perfect companion volume for any stargazer.

    Their quest would eventually engulf all of physics and astronomy, leading not only to the discovery of quasars, black holes, and shadow matter but also to fame, controversy, and Nobel Prizes. Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos tells the story of the men and women who have taken eternity on their shoulders and stormed nature in search of answers to the deepest questions we know to ask."Written with such wit and verve that it is hard not to zip through in one sitting." —Washington Post

    Each expresses a perspective on the Sciences.

    Based on an exciting new documentary film. 100 photographs, diagrams and computerized graphics.

    This book addresses the growing need to apply these complementary discoveries to astrophysics. Today plasma is recognized as the key element to understanding the generation of magnetic fields in planets, stars and galaxies, the accel- eration and transport of cosmic rays, and many other phenomena occurring in interstellar space, in radio galaxies, stellar atmospheres, quasars, and so forth.

    When he brought out his astronomical Formulae for Calculators in 1979, it was practically the only book of its genre. It quickly became the "source among sources," even for other writers in the field. Many of them have warmly acknowledged their debt (or should have), citing the unparalleled clarity of his instructions and the rigor of his methods. and now this Belgian astronomer has outdone himself yet again! Virtually every previous handbook on celestial calculations (including his own earlier work) was forced to rely on formulae for the Sun, Moon, and planets that were developed in the last century-or at least before 1920. The past 10 years, however, have seen a stunning revolution in how the world's major observatories produce their almanacs. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., have perfected powerful new machine methods for modeling the motions and interactions of bodies within the solar system. at the same time in Paris, the Bureau des Longitudes has been a beehive of activity aimed at describing these motions analytically, in the form of explicit equations. Yet until now the fruits of this exciting work have remained mostly out of reach of ordinary people. The details have existed mainly on reels of magnetic tape in a form comprehensible only to the largest brains, human or electronic. But astronomical algorithms changes all that With his special knack for computations of all sorts, the author has made the essentials of thesemodern techniques available to us all.

    

    Here is a source of basic information about the "red plant" with its interesting features and the findings of various space probes.

    There are 403 alphabetically arranged articles on topics from Accretion to Zodiacal Light. The articles are written by more than 100 professional astronomers, selected on a world wide basis by an advisory board of 24 distinguished scientists. The articles are carefully cross-referenced, and they are supported by 520 photographs and diagrams. An in-depth index makes it easy to retrieve information on any subject. The articles range over every kind of astronomical object and astrophysical concept. The rich density of information on current research topics can be appreciated by considering supernovae: there are five articles on supernovae, four on supernova remnants, and five on cosmic rays. All modern topics are treated with this degree of thoroughness. Accepted facts are always clearly separated from proposed explanations. The coverage includes quasars, the background radiation, every planet and the major moons in the solar system, solar system debris, stars and stellar evolution, and galaxies.

    Northern and southern latitudes are included in a series of monthly sky charts and an atlas of the whole sky. Each of the 20 overlapping full color charts shows stars down to magnitude 6.5, together with about 900 nonstellar objects, such as clusters and galaxies, which can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. This new edition features 52 color maps, improved versions of all the charts, and a thorough revision of the text and star data based on the latest information. In addition, there is a comprehensive double page map of the Moon's surface, which shows craters and other named features. Clear, authoritative, and easy-to-use, The Cambridge Star Atlas is an ideal reference for sky watchers everywhere, throughout the year. Wil Tirion began his first star atlas as a hobby, mapping the whole sky on five maps. It was published in the Encyclopedia of Astronomy and soon after was released as a separate set of maps by the British Astronomical Association. In 1983, Tirion began working as a full-time uranographer, or sky cartographer. Since then, he has contributed to many books and magazines on astronomy. He lives in the Netherlands.

    The fifth edition of this well-respected text includes many new instruments and techniques while removing some that have long been unused by both professional and amateur astronomers. New to the Fifth EditionBrief discussion on the invention and development of the telescope New section that describes the attempts to detect dark matter and dark energy Extended and updated discussions on computer, Internet, and spacecraft-based observations and research By covering the instruments, techniques, theory, and data processing of astrophysics in sufficient depth, this text forms a thorough grounding for beginners and is a handy reference for more advanced students and professionals.

    It provides a thorough introduction to lunar studies and a summary of current information about the nature of the lunar environment. It explores the formation and evolution of the Moon's surface, the chemical and mineralogical nature of lunar rocks and soils, and the current state of scientific knowledge about the nature, origin, and history of the Moon. The book is written and edited by scientists from academia, industry, and government active in every field of lunar research and all veterans of the Apollo program. Engineers, mission planners, planetary scientists, educators, and students interested in scientific study and exploration of the Moon will find this a unique and essential reference.

    Today, this tradition of observing galaxies and clusters is kept alive by dedicated amateur astronomers. Nearly all the objects are visible in a small telescope, and many, such as the Crab Nebula and the Andromeda galaxy, are among the most fascinating objects in the universe. Kenneth Glyn Jones has revised his definitive version of Messier's catalog. His own observations and drawings, together with maps and diagrams, make this a valuable introduction to deep-sky observing. Historical and astrophysical notes bring the science of these nebulae right up to date. This is a unique handbook, unlikely ever to be equaled in its completeness and importance to the telescope owner.

    Each illustration is supplemented with notes made at the time of observation. Astronomical drawing still has an important place alongside photography in the same way that photography has not supplanted the artist in the fields of botany and ornithology, for example. Indeed, since astronomical images tend to shimmer because of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere, drawings constructed by an artist who takes advantage of the fleeting moments of perfect vision are often more detailed than photographs. No one can fail to be impressed by the beauty and artistry of this work and, to the initiated, the accuracy and attention to detail is remarkable. This is a book for astronomers, amateur and professional alike, and for those who would simply like to know more about the moon.