Authors:
- Describes all the different types of satellites that can be observed without optical aid and how to observe them
- Offers up-to-date descriptions of the many satellites that are orbiting the Earth
- Includes many images of artificial satellites taken from Earth
Part of the book series: Astronomers' Observing Guides (OBSERVING)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
Every amateur astronomer - and many non-astronomers - will be familiar with seeing a "star" that shows that characteristic steady slide across the starry background of the sky. Artificial satellites can be seen any night, and some as bright as the planets. But how many of us can identify which satellites or spent launch vehicle casing we are seeing?
Artificial Satellites and How to Observe Them describes all the different satellites that can be observed without optical aid, including of course the International Space Station and the many spy satellites operated by different nations. Richard Schmude looks at them in detail and describes how they can be observed by amateurs, how to recognize them, and even how to predict their orbits.
Artificial satellites have changed since the beginning of the millenium. Several additional countries have launched them. And amateur astronomers have utilized digital cameras in order to image satellites to a resolution of about three feet. This book describes how to recognize, observe, and image satellites. Examples of recent images and how they were made are given. It also offers up-to-date descriptions of the many satellites that are orbiting the Earth and other celestial bodies. Readers can learn how satellites impact our day-to-day lives. In short, Artificial Satellites and How to Observe Them is a detailed and up-to-date overview of artificial satellites and how to study them in the night sky.
Authors and Affiliations
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Barnesville, USA
Richard Schmude, Jr.
About the author
Dr. Richard Willis Schmude, Jr., was born in Washington D.C., and attended public schools in Cabin John, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; and Houston, Texas. He started his college career at North Harris County College and graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. Later, he obtained a Master of Science degree in Chemistry, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, all from Texas A&M University. He worked at NALCO Chemical Company as a graduate co-op student and at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a graduate research assistant.
Since 1994, Richard has taught astronomy, chemistry, and other science classes at Gordon college in Barnesville, Georgia. He is a tenured professor at this college and continue to teach his students (and others) in these area. He has published over 100 scientific papers in many different journals and has given over 500 talks, telescope viewing sessions and workshops to over 25,000 people.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Artificial Satellites and How to Observe Them
Authors: Richard Schmude, Jr.
Series Title: Astronomers' Observing Guides
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3915-8
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4614-3914-1
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4614-3915-8
Series ISSN: 1611-7360
Series E-ISSN: 2197-6546
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 181
Number of Illustrations: 137 b/w illustrations, 20 illustrations in colour
Topics: Astronomy, Observations and Techniques, Popular Science in Astronomy