Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Stories of Astronomers and Their Stars

  • Book
  • © 2021

Overview

Authors:
  1. David E. Falkner

    1. Blaine, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Chronicles the lives of influential pioneers in astronomy and their study of the stars
  • Includes supplementary resources for direct observation of mentioned stars
  • Provides an introduction to spectroscopy

Part of the book series: The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series (PATRICKMOORE)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 37.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (25 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-2
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Observing the Night Sky and the Celestial Sphere

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 3-6

    3. The Spring/Fall Sky

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 7-15

    4. The Summer/Winter Sky

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 17-22

    5. The Fall/Spring Sky

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 23-29

    6. The Winter/Summer Sky

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 31-37

  3. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 39-39
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Anaxagoras and Hans Albrecht Bethe: The Sun

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 41-55

    3. Tycho Brahe: SN 1572

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 57-66

    4. Johannes Kepler: SN 1604

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 67-78

  4. Part III

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 79-79
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Thomas Henderson: Alpha Centauri

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 81-88

    3. Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel: 61 Cygni

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 89-95

    4. Benedetto Castelli and J. B. Liebknecht: Mizar , Alcor , and Sidus Ludoviciana

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 97-103

    5. John Goodricke: Algol

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 105-112

  5. Part IV

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 113-113
      Download chapter PDF

    2. A Brief History of Astrophotography

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 115-120

    3. The Pioneers of Spectroscopy

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 121-147

    4. Stellar Spectral Types and the H-R Diagram

      • David E. Falkner
      Pages 149-168
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book recounts the stories of the astronomical pioneers who forever changed our views of the cosmos. The chapters delve into their fascinating lives over the centuries, showing how these pivotal minds built upon the work of their predecessors and unlocked the unique properties of specific stars.

From ancient astronomy to modern imaging and spectroscopy, each tale at once showcases the pace of scientific discovery and the shared passions that drove these starwatchers. Accompanying the stories are a plethora of constellation and finder charts, stellar coordinates and directions, and suggestions for viewing specific stars, all of which are visible to the naked eye or through a small telescope.

In addition, the histories on specific star names and designations are given, along with an overview of the most popular catalogues and online databases that readers can use for reference.


Reviews

“Tackling the whole of stellar astronomy from the earliest days is a considerable task but the author covers it all well and in a straightforward and clear manner, and this book does have the advantage of being one of the publisher’s more affordable volumes.” (Robert Argyle, The Observatory, Vol. 142 (1289), August, 2022)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Blaine, USA

    David E. Falkner

About the author

David Falkner first became interested in Astronomy as a pre-teen when his father took him to a show at the Holcolm Planetarium in Indianapolis, IN. He became hooked and has loved astronomy ever since.  When he was a teenager he inherited a home-made Newtonian telescope that needed the primary mirror. He ground a 6” mirror and completed his first telescope, which gave him years of pleasure observing the heavens. In 1973 David joined the US Navy and became an officer in 1980. In 1986 as a Naval Officer stationed in Monterey, California, he was involved with the Friends of MIRA (Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy) where he conducted outreach to local schools associated with the return of Halley’s Comet. David retired from the US Navy in 1993 and settled in Minnesota, where he continues his love of astronomy. He has taught introductory astronomy at a local community college and does extensive astronomy outreach both with the Minnesota Astronomical Society and as aNASA Solar System Ambassador.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation