Astronomy

Amateur astronomers from both hemispheres will find out all they need to know about our planets, the stars and the farthest galaxies of our universe in this richly visual book.Astronomy takes the reader from the theories and laws of the earliest astronomers to modern space technology — presenting up-to-date ideas of the Big Bang, how the planets and stellar debris formed in our Solar System, and the birth, evolution and death of stars in clear language that demystifies the jargon normally associated with this complicated subject. Guided by the advice given on different types of telescopes and other optical aids for viewing the heavens, you can learn to view the heavens using seasonal star charts provided for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, as well as a set of charts portraying the most recognizable celestial objects in our skies. Brief advice is also given on setting up an amateur home observatory. The clarity, conciseness and cutting-edge 3-D visuals make this title an indispensable item on every amateur astronomer's bookshelf.Dr Margaret J Penstonis a former secretary and vice president of the Royal Astronomical Society and chair of its Education Committee. For many years Margaret was on the staff of the Royal Greenwich Observatory (1963-98), and she was a member of the European Space Agency's Hipparcos project team for over 15 years. In 1998 she became schools officer in astronomy and space science for the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC). Margaret is the current president of the UK's Society for Popular Astronomy.Ian Morison became a radio astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, where he was a designer of the 217km MERLIN array, and he coordinated the Project Phoenix SETI Observations using the Lovell radio telescope. He contributes articles and reviews for New Scientist and Astronomy Now and produces a monthly sky guide on the observatory's website. Ian is a council member and past president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (UK). He teaches astronomy and cosmology at the University of Manchester, and in 2003, minor planet 15727 was named after him.Steven Felmore, an award-winning illustrator, used the latest in three-dimensional technology to create the illustrations in this book, using Cinema4-D on an Apple Macintosh dual processor G4.