Venus and Mercury, and How to Observe Them

Venus and Mercury have always been regarded as difficult targets for amateurs, but advances in commercially-made instruments have brought them within range of only moderately experienced observers. The concept of this book is to present an up-to-date detailed description of the history and geology of the inferior planets, and also to provide the best information about observing and recording them with commercially-available telescopes and cameras.

From the reviews:

"Covering the physical characteristics of Mercury and Venus and then outlining the instruments and techniques employed to observe them in a single book was always going to be ambitious. … Peter Grego has had a good stab at it and the resulting text contains hardly any filler in its 262 pages. … it’s an approachable read that you will return to again and again. Hopefully, it will inspire more astronomers to observe and record the inner planets." (Grant Privett, BBC Sky at Night, June, 2008)

"A new guide to the two inferior planets of the solar system. … Grego provides instruction in how to observe these bodies, and describes their origins, ‘geography,’ and qualities unique to each planet. The work is useful to the beginner and experienced alike in the use of optics, recording methods, and specifics for each planet. A short Internet resource guide, black-and-white and color photos, a subject index, and planet-specific feature indexes enhance the book. … Summing Up: Recommended. All readers/libraries." (M. V. Golden, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (11), August, 2008)

Peter Grego has recently written The Moon and How to Observe it for Springer, and also has eight other published astronomy books to his credit. Living in the UK, he is a well-known writer and practical amateur astronomer.