Handbook of Practical Astronomy

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XXIV

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2. Why Astronomy?

   • Günter D. Roth

   Pages 1-4

3. Fundamentals of Spherical Astronomy

   • Michael Gottwald

   Pages 5-21

4. Applied Mathematics and the Computer

   • Michael Gottwald

   Pages 23-39

5. Optics and Telescopes

   • Bernd Weisheit

   Pages 41-93

6. Telescope Mountings, Drives, and Electrical Equipment

   • Bernd Weisheit

   Pages 95-131

7. Astrophotography

   • Klaus-Peter Schröder, Hartwig Lüthen

   Pages 133-173

8. The Nature of Light and Matter: Fundamentals of Spectral Analysis

   • Reinhold Häfner, Gero Rupprecht

   Pages 175-204

9. Principles of Photometry

   • Hilmar W. Duerbeck

   Pages 205-238

10. Signals from Space: Radio Astronomy for Beginners

    • Martin J. Neumann, Peter Wright

    Pages 239-254

11. Modern Sundials

    • Felix Schmeidler

    Pages 255-266

12. An Historical Exploration of Modern Astronomy

    • Günter D. Roth

    Pages 267-280

13. The Social Astronomer

    • Volker Witt

    Pages 281-308

14. Earth and Solar System

    • Klaus Reinsch, Michael Delfs, Elmar Junker, Peter Völker, Günter D. Roth, Christine Treichel et al.

    Pages 309-571

15. Stars and Stellar Systems

    • Klaus-Peter Schröder, Hilmar W. Duerbeck, Johannes Viktor Feitzinger

    Pages 573-695

16. Back Matter

    Pages 697-712

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With amateurs, students, and teachers of astronomy in high schools and colleges particularly in mind, the Handbook of Practical Astronomy is an essential source to demonstrate trends and variety of astronomical observations.

The book presents the substance of celestial bodies for the amateur observer: the planets, the stars, and the galaxies. The sun is the local link to the other stars, the nexus of cosmic evolution. The solar system is made up by the sun and all the celestial bodies orbit it. This system is of special interest for the observing amateur. The Handbook of Practial Astronomy spans astronomy, education and computing. Like many other fields of science, astronomy has become digitized and data rich in recent years.

Besides the references at the end of each chapter, there are the notes in the margins with astronomical news and observing highlights on the web. 

• Amateur Astronomy
• Astrophotography
• CCD camera
• Computer Astronomy
• Earth
• Meteors
• Moon
• Observatory
• Planets
• Radio Astronomy
• Solar System
• Sun
• Telescope
• Universe
• astronomy

From the reviews: “This is a comprehensive work on practical astronomy. Excellent illustrations (127 in color) and a list ‘for further reading’ with every chapter enhance this reference (available in print and online) that is valuable for amateur astronomers, students, and teachers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Libraries serving lower-division undergraduates, faculty, and general readers.” (M.-K. Hemenway, Choice, Vol. 47 (6), February, 2010)

• Irschenhausen, Icking/Isartal, Germany

  Günter D. Roth

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