Download or read book More Small Astronomical Observatories written by Patrick Moore and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This entertaining text details the methods and techniques employed by non-professional astronomers from all over the world, providing a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to build a small observatory of almost any kind. Its a fun read, too. Almost every amateur astronomer dreams of having a fixed observatory - this provides ideas and constructional details. Ideas from around the world. Written for a broad audience, including non-astronomers.
Download or read book Small Astronomical Observatories written by Patrick Moore and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Small Astronomical Observatories, Patrick Moore has collected descriptions of amateur and small professional observatories currently in use in Europe and America, showing how many astronomers have built their own observatory, often with effective and sometimes extraordinary improvisations to reduce the cost. There is a photograph of each, along with details of its construction and a foreword written by Patrick Moore. In addition to providing a fascinating study for its own sake, Small Astronomical Observatories offers a unique fund of ideas and practical details for anyone who wants to build an amateur or small professional observatory.
Download or read book Setting Up a Small Observatory From Concept to Construction written by David Arditti and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-12-20 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Arditti’s approachable work covers the all the details of design, siting and construction – once a basic type has been decided upon. It is written in a way that is equally applicable to the USA and UK (where there are slightly different building regulations) and deals with matters that are basic to building and commissioning any amateur observatory. Uniquely, David Arditti also considers the aesthetics of amateur observatories – fitting them in with family and neighbors, and maybe disguising them as more common garden buildings if necessary. Every amateur astronomer who wants a purpose-built observatory (and let’s face it, which one of them doesn’t?) will find this book invaluable.
Download or read book My Heavens written by Gordon Rogers and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-10-28 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My Heavens! charts the progress of the author’s own substantial observatory from conception, through design, planning and construction, to using an observatory of the kind that all amateur astronomers aspire to own. For those with more modest ambitions, the book offers many hints, tips and design features for smaller observatories. Comparisons are made with similar large projects in the USA. The story doesn’t end with the construction of the observatory, but goes on to describe the author’s choice of equipment, setting it up, and his own techniques for obtaining superb astronomical images like those displayed in his book.
Download or read book Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers written by Gerald R. Hubbell and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amateur astronomers who want to enhance their capabilities to contribute to science need look no farther than this guide to using remote observatories. The contributors cover how to build your own remote observatory as well as the existing infrastructure of commercial networks of remote observatories that are available to the amateur. They provide specific advice on which programs to use based on your project objectives and offer practical project suggestions. Remotely controlled observatories have many advantages—the most obvious that the observer does not have to be physically present to carry out observations. Such an observatory can also be used more fully because its time can be scheduled and usefully shared among several astronomers working on different observing projects. More and more professional-level observatories are open to use by amateurs in this way via the Internet, and more advanced amateur astronomers can even build their own remote observatories for sharing among members of a society or interest group. Endorsements: “Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers Using High-Powered Telescopes from Home, by Jerry Hubbell, Rich Williams, and Linda Billard, is a unique contribution centering on computer-controlled private observatories owned by amateur astronomers and commercialized professional–amateur observatories where observing time to collect data can be purchased. Before this book, trying to piece together all of the necessary elements and processes that make up a remotely operated observatory was daunting. The authors and contributors have provided, in this single publication, a wealth of information gained from years of experience that will save you considerable money and countless hours in trying to develop such an observatory. If you follow the methods and processes laid out in this book and choose to build your own remotely operated observatory or decide to become a regular user of one of the commercial networks, you will not only join an elite group of advanced astronomers who make regular submissions to science, but you will become a member of an ancient fraternity. Your high-technology observatory will contain a “high-powered telescope” no matter how large it is, and from the comfort of home, you can actively contribute to the work that started in pre-history to help uncover the secrets of the cosmos.” Scott Roberts Founder and President, Explore Scientific, LLC. “In the past three and a half decades, since I first became involved with remote observatories, the use of remote, unmanned telescopes at fully automated observatories has advanced from a very rare approach for making astronomical observations to an increasingly dominant mode for observation among both professional and amateur astronomers. I am very pleased to see this timely book being published on the topic. I highly recommend this book to readers because it not only covers the knowledge needed to become an informed user of existing remote observatories, but also describes what you need to know to develop your own remote observatory. It draws on more than two decades of remote observatory operation and networking by coauthor Rich Williams as he developed the Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON) into the world-class network it is today. This book is the ideal follow-on to coauthor Jerry Hubbell’s book Scientific Astrophotography (Springer 2012). Remote observatories have a bright future, opening up astronomy to a new and much larger generation of professional, amateur, and student observers. Machines and humans can and do work well together. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have and will take advantage of the developments over the past several decades by the many pioneers of remote observatories.” Russ Genet, PhD. California Polytechnic State University Observing Saturn for the first time is a memory that stays with us for the rest of our lives, and for many it is the start of an odyssey--an odyssey into observational astronomy. Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers is a book written for observers, beginners, and old hands alike, providing detailed advice to those wishing to improve their observing skills. Many will want to build and operate a remotely controlled observatory, and for those, Part I of this book is an invaluable source of information. If, like me, you choose to avoid the capital outlay of owning your own facility, Part II describes how you can use one of the many professionally run large scopes where, for a few dollars, you can capture spectacular color images of nebulae, galaxies, and comets. My own scientific interest in short period eclipsing binaries has been made possible through the availability of remote telescopes such as those operated by the Sierra Stars Observatory Network (SSON). Whichever route you take, this book is essential reading for all who aspire to serious observing. David Pulley The Local Group (UK)
Download or read book Visual Astronomy with a Small Telescope written by Sean G. Ryan and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2024-09-04 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a practical guide to using a small astronomical telescope of a size that corresponds to most “first” telescopes – around 75-150 mm, i.e. 3-6 inches, in diameter. Visual Astronomy with a Small Telescope is for people who are sufficiently interested in astronomy to have purchased a small telescope or received one as a gift, but who are still developing experience of using one. They may have looked at the Moon and major planets and be wondering, “What's next?” There are many books catering for casual star-gazing and many more advanced books dealing with astrophotography and astrophysics, but this is for someone who has acquired their first telescope or soon will and wants to make the most of it. It explains how the optics of the telescope function, so the reader understands what their telescope can do and how eyepieces should be selected and used depending on the type of object being observed. It details different types of astronomical objects, their astrophysical significance, and how to observe them. It contains 43 detailed, clear charts and describes 380 objects suitable for visual observation with a small telescope and explains how to locate them without needing a computer-controlled telescope. It will help readers make the most of their telescopes to successfully observe the Universe and kick-start a life-long interest in star-gazing. • Presents essential information on optics, astronomy and astrophysics for anyone with a small telescope. • Contains 43 detailed charts, based on the constellations and showing stars down to magnitude 8.5, and identifies 380 objects suitable for visual observation with a small telescope. • Written by a Professor of Astrophysics with experience as both an amateur astronomer and a professional observational astronomer using telescopes at both small and major observatories around the world.
Download or read book Observatories of the Southwest written by Douglas Isbell and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With its clear skies and low humidity, the southwestern United States is an astronomer’s paradise where observatories like Kitt Peak have redefined the art of skywatching. The region is unique in its loose federation of like-minded research outposts and in the quantity and diversity of its observatories—places captured in this unique guidebook. Douglas Isbell and Stephen Strom, both intimately involved in southwestern astronomy, have written a practical guide to the major observatories of the region for those eager to learn what modern telescopes are doing, to understand the role each of these often quirky places has played in advancing our understanding of the cosmos, and hopefully to visit and see the tools of the astronomer up close. For each observatory, the authors describe its history, highlights of its contributions to astronomy—with an emphasis on recent results—and information for visitors. Also included are wide-ranging interviews with astronomers closely associated with each site. Observatories covered range from McDonald in Texas to Palomar in California, with significant outposts in between: Arizona’s Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson, the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, and the Whipple Observatory outside Amado; and New Mexico’s Very Large Array near Socorro and Sacramento Peak close to Sunspot. In addition to describing these established institutions, they also take a look ahead to the most powerful ground-based telescope in the world just beginning to operate at full power on Mount Graham in Safford, Arizona. With more than three dozen illustrations, Observatories of the Southwest is accessible to amateur astronomers, tourists, students, and teachers—anyone fascinated with the contributions that astronomy has made to deepening our understanding of humanity’s place in the universe, whether exploring the solar system from Lowell Observatory or studying the birth of stars using the army of giant radio telescopes at the Very Large Array. This book aims to inspire visits to these sites by illuminating the major scientific questions being pursued every clear night beneath the dark skies of the Southwest and the amazing machinery that makes these pursuits possible.
Download or read book The Decade of Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1991-02-01 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Astronomers and astrophysicists are making revolutionary advances in our understanding of planets, stars, galaxies, and even the structure of the universe itself. The Decade of Discovery presents a survey of this exciting field of science and offers a prioritized agenda for space- and ground-based research into the twenty-first century. The book presents specific recommendations, programs, and expenditure levels to meet the needs of the astronomy and astrophysics communities. Accessible to the interested lay reader, the book explores: The technological investments needed for instruments that will be built in the next century. The importance of the computer revolution to all aspects of astronomical research. The potential usefulness of the moon as an observatory site. Policy issues relevant to the funding of astronomy and the execution of astronomical projects. The Decade of Discovery will prove valuable to science policymakers, research administrators, scientists, and students in the physical sciences, and interested lay readers.
Download or read book Celestial Mirror written by Barry Perlus and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-26 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore the eighteenth-century Indian astronomical observatories called the Jantar Mantars, massive, stunning structures built to observe and understand the heavens Between 1724 and 1730, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories, called Jantar Mantars, in northern India. The four remaining observatories are an extraordinary fusion of architecture and science, combining elements of astronomy, astrology, and geometry into forms of remarkable beauty. The observatories’ large scale and striking geometric forms have captivated the attention of architects, artists, scientists, and historians worldwide, yet their purpose and use remain largely unknown to the public. In this book, Barry Perlus’s visually driven exploration brings readers to the Jantar Mantars and creates an immersive experience. Panoramas plunge the viewer into a breathtaking 360-degree space, while pages of explanatory illustrations describe the observatories and the workings of their many instruments. The book provides the experience of visiting the sites, the historical context of the Jantar Mantars, and an understanding of their scientific and architectural innovations.
Download or read book More Small Astronomical Observatories written by Patrick Moore and published by . This book was released on 2002-08-15 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Building and Using an Astronomical Observatory written by Paul Doherty and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Electronic Imaging in Astronomy written by Ian S. McLean and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-08-17 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of Electronic Imaging in Astronomy: Detectors and Instrumentation describes the remarkable developments that have taken place in astronomical detectors and instrumentation in recent years – from the invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD) in 1970 to the current era of very large telescopes, such as the Keck 10-meter telescopes in Hawaii with their laser guide-star adaptive optics which rival the image quality of the Hubble Space Telescope. Authored by one of the world’s foremost experts on the design and development of electronic imaging systems for astronomy, this book has been written on several levels to appeal to a broad readership. Mathematical expositions are designed to encourage a wider audience, especially among the growing community of amateur astronomers with small telescopes with CCD cameras. The book can be used at the college level for an introductory course on modern astronomical detectors and instruments, and as a supplement for a practical or laboratory class.
Download or read book National Optical Astronomy Observatories Newsletter written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Future of Small Telescopes in the New Millennium written by Terry D. Oswalt and published by Springer. This book was released on 2003-02-15 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title details the essential roles that small telescopes should play in 21st century science and how their future productivity can be maximized. Over 70 experts from all corners of the international astronomical community have created a reference on the future of big science with small telescopes. at national facilities and their omission from national science priority studies, the oft-lamented demise of the small telescope has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the future of these workhorses of astronomy will be brighter than ever if creative steps are taken now. This three-volume set defines essential roles that small telescopes should play in 21st century science and the ways in which a productive future for them can be realized. A wide cross-section of the astronomical community has contributed to a definitive assessment of the present and a vision for the future. volume one of this three-volume set examines the public's and the astronomical communities' own perceptions and misconceptions of small telescope productivity. These shape the future scientific research that will be done with telescopes smaller than 4-m in aperture and the number of astronomers that will have access to them.
Download or read book Building a Roll Off Roof Observatory written by John Stephen Hicks and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-03-02 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost every amateur astronomer who has taken the pursuit to its second level aspires to a fixed, permanent housing for his telescope, permitting its rapid and comfortable use avoiding hours of setting-up time for each observing session. A roll-off roof observatory is the simplest and by far the most popular observatory design for today’s practical astronomers. Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory is unique, covering all aspects of designing a roll-off roof observatory: planning the site, viewing requirements, conforming to by-laws, and orientation of the structure. The chapters outline step-by-step construction of a typical building. The author, both an amateur astronomer and professional landscape architect, is uniquely qualified to write this fully-detailed book. A professionally designed roll-off observatory could cost as much as $3000 just for the plans – which are provided free with Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory.
Download or read book A Short History of Observatories written by Marian Card Donnelly and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The developing relationship between astronomical instruments and the structures that house them is discussed by an art historian who begins her narrative in Galileo's time and moves through the intervening centuries into our own day. "Early observatories were hardly more than observation platforms, built of wood and equipped with shutters or revolving roofs ..." writes Mrs. Donnelly. As telescopes increased in complexity and size, provision for a specially tailored physical setting became necessary. Mrs. Donnelly discusses the structural and artistic logic dictated by the maturing science and shows in textual descriptions and accompanying plates the results of this blending of science and architecture.
Download or read book Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes written by Ernst Johannes Hartung and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1984-10-18 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since it was first published in 1968, this reference book has enjoyed enormous popularity as a handbook for amateur observers of the southern sky. Five introductory chapters discuss briefly the various types of objects available for study. They are followed by a table and descriptions of over 1000 objects between the South Pole and 50N declination, each of which was observed by the author. An addendum lists a further 80 objects visible to more northerly observers. There is also a valuable chapter on equipment and observing for amateurs.
