This stirring book reveals how scientific discovery has altered our perception of who we are and where we stand, and challenges us to weigh what we will do with that knowledge. Photos, many in color.

    In this masterfully written and brilliantly informed work of scientific history and explanation, Dr. Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, leads his readers through an elegant, always human, tapestry of interlocking themes, coming finally to a uniquely informed answer to the great question: what principles control our universe and why do physicists think they know the things they think they know? Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has been one of the greatest best-sellers in publishing history. Anyone who struggled with that book will find here a more slowly paced but equally mind-stretching experience, with the added fascination of a rich historical and human component.

    Drawing on decades of stargazing experience, the authors suggest what equipment to buy and what to avoid, describe observing techniques, and explain how to hunt down the most interesting celestial objects. Each chapter is illustrated with the latest, breathtaking astrophotography.This companion is broken down into three parts: "Equipment for Backyard Astronomy", "Observing the Celestial Panorama" and "Astrophotography". It focuses on the practical aspects of astronomy.Among many astronomy subjects, the authors offer advice on how to contend with light pollution, and how to take successful and impressive color photographs of galaxies and nebulas (with or without a telescope). Each chapter is written in clear, jargon-free yet detailed.

    As huge as the Pantheon of Rome and as heavy as the Statue of Liberty, this magnificent instrument is so precisely built that its seventeen-foot mirror was hand-polished to a tolerance of 2/1,000,000 of an inch. The telescope's construction drove some to the brink of madness, made others fearful that mortals might glimpse heaven, and transfixed an entire nation. Ronald Florence weaves into his account of the creation of "the perfect machine" a stirring chronicle of the birth of Big Science and a poignant rendering of an America mired in the depression yet reaching for the stars.

    The stunning images are explained with clear and detailed text. The full color book illustrates and explains the nature of every category of celestial object in a clear and concise manner.

    Authoritative, lavishly photographed, and with illustrated guides to the wonders of the natural world around us. Clear, accessible format, charts, diagrams, field tips, practical pointers and historical profiles.

    Whether you're an astronomy buff or a novice afraid to approach the wonders of the celestial spheres, this accessible, fact-crammed compendium will show you what's so friendly about the universe.

    Relive the thrill of seeing Comet Hale-Bopp as it streaked through the dark sky. Watch Pathfinder bump its way across the surface of Mars--while you ponder whether life really exists on the red planet. View photos of the impact scar--twice the size of Earth-where Comet Shoemaker/Levy collided with Jupiter. And learn the latest on meteorite chemistry and classification.

    The guide introduces the nature and structure of our galaxy and describes all types of objects that it contains. Maps are included.

    Robert Garfinkle shows you how to locate the many stellar objects usually overlooked by the untrained eye. Two or more detailed star hops for each month of the year, which can be read in any order, take you on a trip through the night sky, opening new doors of discovery and reinforcing star-hopping methods and techniques. With Garfinkle's able guidance, learn to take the Messier Marathon--a night-long hop across the skies. Additional basic astronomy skills are carefully outlined, including reading star charts, finding celestial directions, understanding telescope types, and using light pollution filters. A lively history of the universe and the ancient myths and legends of the sky round out the text. This is an essential guide for sky gazers who want to get the most out of their evening sky explorations.

    The manufacturer may have guaranteed accuracy to one-quarter wavelength or as diffraction-limited but most telescope users have, at best, only a hazy idea of how to personally verifying such claims. Sure, there are ways to check the accuracy of individual components but for many they are hard to understand or require costly reference optics and other test equipment. Besides, telescope users are interested in the performance of the entire optical train, not just the main optical element. What is really needed is a test that can be used at the observing site, so that all the problems that impact on a telescope's performance can be diagnosed. Isn't there a simpler and more complete way than the complicated shop tests? Yes, the star test is such a method. It uses the entire working telescope. It isnot a poor substitute or a work-around that uses bits and pieces of the optical system. It is the oldest and most sensitive of the optical tests an inspection of the diffraction image itself. Star-test results apply to the complete imaging performance of the telescope. The star test is lightning-fast and requires only a good high-power eyepiece. It tests the telescope for precisely what it was meant to do. Bad or poorly-aligned instruments fail the star test unambiguously. The star test often allows you to correct the optical difficulty immediately in the field, when you might be frantic t

    As the book progresses, the words and pictures take readers to the farthest reaches of outerspace and into the confines of the infinitessimal world of the microuniverse.

    Preliminaries; 2. An Overview of Stellar Evolution; 3. Equations of State; 4. Radiative and Conductive Heat Transfer, 5. heat Transfer by Convection; 6. Stellar Energy Sources; 7. Stellar Modeling; 8. Structure and Evolution of the Sun; 9. Structure and Evolution of White Dwarfs, Asteroseismology, Glossary, Physical and Astronomical Constants, Sample Computer Code.

    A cosmologist describes his decade-long study of the expansion of the universe following the Big Bang, detailing his team's observation and analysis of intergalactic space and the move of the Milky Way toward a distant continent of matter.