| Description |
1 online resource (411 p.) |
| Contents |
Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part 1 Getting Started with Astronomy -- Chapter 1 Seeing the Light: The Art and Science of Astronomy -- Astronomy: The Science of Observation -- What You See: The Language of Light -- They wondered as they wandered: Understanding planets versus stars -- If you see a Great Bear, start worrying: Naming stars and constellations -- The smaller, the brighter: Getting to the root of magnitudes |
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What do I spy? Spotting the Messier Catalog and other sky objects -- Looking back on light-years -- Keep on moving: Figuring the positions of the stars -- Gravity: A Force to Be Reckoned With -- Space: A Commotion of Motion -- Chapter 2 Join the Crowd: Skywatching Activities and Resources -- You're Not Alone: Astronomy Clubs, Websites, Smartphone Apps, and More -- Joining an astronomy club for star-studded company -- Checking websites, magazines, software, and apps -- Traveling through cyberspace -- Perusing publications -- Surveying software and apps -- Visiting Observatories and Planetariums |
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Ogling the observatories -- Popping in on planetariums -- Vacationing with the Stars: Star Parties, Eclipse Trips, Dark Sky Parks, and More -- Party on! Attending star parties -- Getting festive at an astro fest -- Tapping into Astronomy on Tap -- To the path of totality: Taking eclipse cruises and tours -- Recognizing reasons to book a tour -- Examining the advantages of cruising -- Intercepting eclipses in the air -- Making the right decision -- Motoring to telescope motels -- Chapter 3 Terrific Tools for Observing the Skies -- Seeing Stars: A Sky Geography Primer -- As Earth turns . . |
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. . . keep an eye on the North Star -- Beginning with Naked-Eye Observations -- Using Binoculars or a Telescope for a Better View -- Binoculars: Sweeping the night sky -- Prisms, glass, and shapes -- Deciphering the numbers on binoculars -- Making sure your binoculars are right for you -- Telescopes: When closeness counts -- Focusing on telescope classifications -- Examining telescope mounts -- Shopping for telescopes the smart (and economical) way -- Planning Your First Steps into Astronomy -- Chapter 4 Just Passing Through: Meteors, Comets, and Artificial Satellites |
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Meteors: Wishing on a Shooting Star -- Spotting sporadic meteors, fireballs, and bolides -- Watching meteor showers: No umbrella needed -- Comets: Dirty Ice Balls or Icy Dirt Balls? -- Making heads and tails of a comet's structure -- The nucleus -- The coma -- A tale of two tails -- Waiting for the "comets of the century" -- Hunting for the next great comet -- Locating comets the easy way -- Locating comets the systematic way -- Reporting a comet -- Artificial Satellites: Enduring a Love-Hate Relationship -- Skywatching for artificial satellites -- Finding satellite viewing predictions |
| Notes |
Description based upon print version of record |
|
UFOs: Could some be aliens? |
| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Fienberg, Richard Tresch
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| ISBN |
9781394163106 |
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139416310X |
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