AAQ Library
Book ReviewsThe following short articles by members reviewing recent books are provided to assist you with your selection from the AAQ Library. The articles, listed in alphabetical order, are in PDF format and are less than 100kB in size. Astronomy Before The Telescope, edited by Christopher Walker (British Museum Press, 1999) The book details the contributions made by astronomers in times when the investigations were confined to the unaided eye and a wealth of patience and intuition. The astronomical developments by different cultures throughtout the world is covered. Extreme Stars: At The Edge Of Creation by James Kaler (Cambridge University Press, 2001) The author encompasses all stellar types, explains their evolution and takes the reader a long way towards understanding the nature of atoms, spectroscopy, and the physical and chemical nature of stars. More Small Astronomical Observatories, edited by Patrick Moore (Springer - Verlag, 2002) The book contains 18 articles written by amateur astronomers on the design and construction of their observatories plus a CD of the first book "Small Astronomical Observatories", now out of print, which contains additional articles on this topic. Navigating The Night Sky - How To Identify The Stars And Constellations by Guilherme de Almeida (Springer - Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series, 2004) Navigating the Night Sky is an easy to read book that is essential for all those taking their first steps in finding their way around the night sky. The book provides splendid, easy to understand diagrams that help to explain the complex motions of our celestial sphere, how to identify the constellations and bright stars, and provides the basics to learn the art of star hopping. Observing And Measuring Visual Double Stars by Bob Argyle, Editor (Springer - Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series, 2004) This book provides an up to date comprehensive technical treatment of double and multiple stars. To the enthusiast double stars are beautiful, dramatic, often with lovely colour contrasts, and close doubles are the ultimate test of optics, observer and seeing conditions. They are also of importance to cosmology. Observations of their separation and position angle over many years allows their orbits to established, allowing their masses to be calculated and thus the all-important relationships established between mass, luminosity and spectral type. For anyone interested in getting started on the serious observation and/or measurement of double stars, it is compulsory reading and very rewarding. Observing The Moon: A Modern Astronomer's Guide by Gerald North (Cambridge University Press, 2000) The text outlines what can be enjoyed and experienced by the amateur observer using modest equipment. The initial part of the book covers topics such as libration, lunar co-ordinate system and cartography, sketching and photography. The later part of the book provides a description (in alphabetical order) of notable surface features and their surroundings. Roving Mars - Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet by Steve Squyres (Hyperion, 2005) Steve Squyres, the Principal Investigator for the NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission gives an in depth description of the planning and execution of one of NASA’s most successful planetary missions. If you like knowing how space science is actually done - the politics, the human drama, the money and above all the technology - then this book is for you. It’s a rollicking good insider’s story, with triumphs, disasters, good guys and a few bad guys. Sky Vistas: Astronomy For Binoculars and Richest-Field Telescopes by Craig Crossen and Gerald Rhemann (Springer Verlag, 2004) The authors catalogue and describe bright objects suitable for binoculars and small telescopes in the northern sky and southern sky (down to -40° declination) and their relationship to the structure of the Milky Way. Each objects' appearance is described and considerable information is given on their physical nature, distance and location in the architecture of our galaxy. Star Clusters by Brent A. Archinal & Steven J. Hynes (Willmann-Bell, 2003) This book is a comprehensive reference guide for observers of star clusters. The initial chapters provide an informative description of the discovery and classification of open and globular star clusters. Advice is also provided on observational projects that can be undertaken by amateurs. The core of the book consists of detailed catalogues listing the star clusters visible in the Milky Way, Andromeda Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds. The 20-cm Schmidt-Cassegrain: A Practical Observers Guide by Peter L Manly (Cambridge University Press, 2002) The book is a guide to the use of the most popular amateur telescope in the world, namely the 20cm Schimdt- Cassegrain telescope. The author takes the reader through the various possible uses of the telescope including lunar and planetary observation, double stars and deep skyobjects in easy steps. The New CCD Astronomy: How To Capture Stars Using a CCD Camera In Your Own Backyard by Ron Wodaski (New Astronomy Press, 2002) The author describes all aspects of CCD astrophotography from basic hardware requirements / set up to image capture and image post processing. Although a large amount of information is presented it is well explained and is not too technical in nature. Tracking Apollo To The Moon by Hamish Lindsay (Springer Verlag, 2001) The author who worked for NASA between 1963 and 1981 provides a detailed insiders view of all manned US space flights from Alan Sheppard aboard Freedom 7 through to the return to Earth of the the lifeless Skylab. Visual Astronomy In The Suburbs by Antony Cooke (Springer-Verlag, 2003) The author provides advice based on his long experience as a dedicated observational amateur asronomer on what to observe from a suburban backyard. Viewing techniques, equipment and observing accessories that can be used to overcome the every increasing problem of light pollution are clearly described.
Astronomical Association of Queensland 2006. www.aaq.org.au |