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  • © 2012

Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars

Editors:

  • A fully updated and comprehensive book about observing visual double stars
  • Contains a significant amount of completely new material including the use of the Internet to discover new binary stars
  • Suitable for beginners in this branch of astronomy and experienced observers who want to try out advanced techniques
  • Includes a new guide to sketching double stars, and a section on how to image unequal double stars
  • Full of contributions from 16 experts!
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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

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eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
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  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

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Table of contents (30 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. More than One Sun

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 1-15
  3. Why Observe Double Stars?

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 17-24
  4. The Observation of Binocular Double Stars

    • Mike Ropelewski, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 25-32
  5. Double Star Sketching

    • Jeremy Perez, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 33-52
  6. Multiple Stars and Planets

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 53-63
  7. Is the Sun a Double Star?

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 65-70
  8. The Orbital Elements of a Visual Binary Star

    • Andreas Alzner, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 71-79
  9. Orbit Computation

    • Andreas Alzner, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 81-90
  10. Ten Famous Double Stars

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 91-103
  11. The Resolution of a Telescope

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 105-115
  12. Reflecting Telescopes and Double Star Astronomy

    • Christopher Taylor, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 117-147
  13. Simple Techniques of Measurement

    • E. T. H. Teague, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 149-167
  14. Filar Micrometer

    • Bob Argyle, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 169-181
  15. The Diffraction Grating Micrometer

    • Andreas Maurer, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 183-193
  16. CCD Camera Observations

    • Bob Buchheim, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 195-230
  17. Lucky Imaging

    • Rainer Anton, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 231-252
  18. The DSLR Camera

    • ErnÅ‘ Berkó, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 253-260
  19. Astrometric Speckle Interferometry for the Amateur

    • Nils Turner, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 261-279
  20. Internet Astrometry

    • Rafael Caballero, R. W. Argyle
    Pages 281-292

About this book

The second edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004) is the definitive book for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment (you can start modestly with commercial or even home-made instruments), observing methods using binoculars upwards to advanced instrumentation and techniques, including speckle interferometry. The astronomy of double stars, including orbital calculation, is given its own section.

This second edition of this popular book contains a significant amount of completely new material, inspired by the work done by observers – particularly in the USA – since the first edition was published. This includes the use of the Internet to carry out astrometry (precise astronomical measurement) using existing survey plates and films. The new edition contains an excellent guide to sketching double stars, a topic not previously covered. In addition, there is information about how to image double stars of unequal brightness, always a difficult matter but now somewhat easier because of advances in hardware and image-processing software. Nearly all of the chapters and tables have been updated.

The CD-ROM that accompanied the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars is replaced by access to the Springer Extras web site. The extra information includes the complete Washington Double Star and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric, double-and multiple-star formation, including positions, orbits, separations, and magnitudes, and a software suite that implements many of the calculations and equations featured in the book.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Waterbeach, UK

    R. W. Argyle

About the editor

R.W. Argyle works in the Astronomy Survey unit of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England, where he has been Senior Research Associate since 1998. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (since 1977) and Director of the Double Star Section, the Webb Society (since 1970). He edited the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004). He is the author of many articles for the Deep-sky Observer of the Webb Society. He writes a monthly column on double stars in Astronomy Now, the UK astronomical journal. He is co-author of research papers on binary stars in refereed astronomical journals.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
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