The Guide to Amateur Astronomy

Getting started in amateur astronomy can be frustrating. Without a helpful friend to lend advice, choosing a telescope, learning the buzzwords, or viewing the deep sky season by season can seem daunting. Now amateur astronomers can turn to The Guide to Amateur Astronomy to get started or, if they are more advanced, to learn all the techniques of serious telescopic observing. The authors begin by showing readers how to find their way about the night sky with little or no equipment. For the stargazer who becomes addicted they include a complete catalog of the night sky's most intriguing star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. More advanced projects include astrophotography, telescope construction, planetary observing, comet hunting, variable star recording, and nova discovery. The new edition covers the exciting developments in the world of astro-software for the home computer and the techniques of electronic imaging or charged-coupled devices (CCDs).