Cambridge Astronomy Guide

Front Cover
CUP Archive, Aug 23, 1990 - Nature - 176 pages
The Cambridge Astronomy Guide is intended for lovers of astronomy who wish to do more than just look at the night sky or marvel at glossy pictures of it. It tells you how to get outside and actually practise astronomy, even if you own nothing more than a simple camera. Astronomy, more than any other science, offers amateurs the opportunity to make meaningful and lasting contributions to the field. This Guide explains in simple non-mathematical terms how you can take stunning star photographs and then put them to use making valuable contributions to the science of astronomy. Ben Mayer's odd-numbered chapters provide a fascinating account told with much humour of how one raw amateur got started and quickly progressed to become one of the world's best known and in many ways most successful amateur astronomers. Bill Liller's even-numbered chapters provide a more extensive commentary on much of what Ben writes, plus some additional material which gives the professional point of view.
 

Contents

Acknowledgements
4
fundamental thoughts and concepts
15
+ More about cameras
27
Catching starlight
35
About film
41
The patient
49
Where to look what to shoot
55
From the wastebasket to the Smithsonian
65
Buy half a telescope
83
Two down three across
91
The blinking astronomer
109
Go ahead get that scope
129
Choosing and using a telescope
135
Closedcircuit TV and other aids
149
Appendix
10
Copyright

Understanding your camera subjects
73

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