Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and How to Observe Them
Authors: Schmude, Jr., Richard
Free Preview- Contains a distillation of our current knowledge of Uranus, Neptune, Pluto…and the 10th planet
- Many new observing projects for different sizes of telescopes (from 4-inch)
- Includes details on how to image cloud features on Uranus
- Describes how to accurately measure and record the brightness of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto
- Gives examples of contributions by owners of modest (and some large) aperture telescopes
- Includes finder charts for Uranus and Neptune
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- About this book
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This book tells the story of two giants and a dwarf. The giants, Uranus and Neptune, are mostly huge balls of gas, and they make their home in the remotest reaches of the Solar System. The dwarf, Pluto, which can usually be found even farther out than the two giants, was always small, but up until a short while ago, it enjoyed the same status as the other planets, a full-fledged member of the Solar System. Today, Pluto has been re-classified as a "dwarf planet."
In this clear and succinct overview of the current research on these remote Solar System objects, Richard Schmude, Jr., tells us what facts we do know about these faraway entities, what we are seeking to know, and also how to observe them for yourself, using commercially available telescopes. He also explains why Pluto was re-classified and what it means, exactly, to be a dwarf planet.
Intrigued by these objects since boyhood, Schmude has compiled a loving tribute to them, if not making them warm and fuzzy, at least making them seem less remote and bringing them into our current frame of reference, giving them personality and revealing their worth in our understanding of the structure and nature of the Solar System in which we live.
- About the authors
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Richard Schmude Jr. has a Ph D in Physical Chemistry, and has taught solar system astronomy for over 10 years. He has been Remote Planets Coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) since 1990, and has written 18 scientific papers about the remote planets in various journals. He has a total of 103 published papers. He has been a full-time college Professor at Gordon College since 1994.
- Reviews
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From the reviews:
"Uranus, Neptune and Pluto and How to Observe Them is truly an enthusiast’s book, aimed at the serious amateur astronomer. Schmude … reviews in detail the findings from Voyager as well as Earth-based telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope. He does this in a tone that is accessible to nonscientists, offering them the latest information as well as allowing them to tailor their observation … about these fascinating objects. … Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels." (E. S. Perlman, Choice, Vol. 46 (7), March, 2009)
- Table of contents (6 chapters)
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The Uranus System
Pages 1-59
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The Neptune System
Pages 61-107
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Pluto and Its Moons
Pages 109-125
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Observing Uranus and Neptune with Binoculars and Small Telescopes
Pages 127-147
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Observing with Medium-Sized Telescopes
Pages 149-181
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and How to Observe Them
- Authors
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- Richard Schmude, Jr.
- Series Title
- Astronomers' Observing Guides
- Copyright
- 2008
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag New York
- Copyright Holder
- Springer-Verlag New York
- eBook ISBN
- 978-0-387-76602-7
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-0-387-76602-7
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-0-387-76601-0
- Series ISSN
- 1611-7360
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XI, 232
- Topics
