This is the must-have guide for all amateur astronomers who double as makers, doers, tinkerers, problem-solvers, and inventors. In a world where an amateur astronomy habit can easily run into the many thousands of dollars, it is still possible for practitioners to get high-quality results and equipment on a budget by utilizing DIY techniques. Surprisingly, it's not that hard to modify existing …
The detection of radial and non-radial solar-like oscillations in thousands of G-K giants with CoRoT and Kepler is paving the road for detailed studies of stellar populations in the Galaxy. The available average seismic constraints allow largely model-independent determination of stellar radii and masses, and can be used to determine the position and age of thousands of stars in different regio…
Used to describe both binary systems and optical doubles, the term 'double star' has been familiar to astronomers since the seventeenth century. This book, first published in 1879, outlines the history of their study, and describes the methods and equipment needed in order to observe the fascinating phenomenon. Written for non-specialists by Fellows of the Royal Society Edward Crossley (1841–…
This handbook by George Frederick Chambers (1841–1915), a young and enthusiastic amateur astronomer, became a best-seller soon after its publication in 1861 and made Chambers' reputation as a popular astronomy writer. The work is divided into ten parts covering the following topics: the planets of our solar system; eclipses; gravity and tides; phenomena including aberration and refraction; co…
The result of an exhaustive study of Sir Patrick Moore’s observations of the Moon and planets for more than 60 years, this book is a fantastic companion to the extremely popular, “It Came From Outer Space Wearing an RAF Blazer!” written by the same author. Moore recorded his telescopic observations in his logbooks, which are reproduced and described here in detail, along with his sketches…
Dealing with all aspects of Monte Carlo simulation of complex physical systems encountered in condensed-matter physics and statistical mechanics, this book provides an introduction to computer simulations in physics. This edition now contains material describing powerful new algorithms that have appeared since the previous edition was published, and highlights recent technical advances and key …
First-passage properties underlie a wide range of stochastic processes, such as diffusion-limited growth, neuron firing and the triggering of stock options. This book provides a unified presentation of first-passage processes, which highlights its interrelations with electrostatics and the resulting powerful consequences. The author begins with a presentation of fundamental theory including the…
Dealing with all aspects of Monte Carlo simulation of complex physical systems encountered in condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics, this book provides an introduction to computer simulations in physics. The 5th edition contains extensive new material describing numerous powerful algorithms and methods that represent recent developments in the field. New topics such as active matte…
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 …
The word “landscape” can mean picture as well as natural scenery. Recent advances in space exploration imaging have allowed us to now have landscapes never before possible, and this book collects some of the greatest views and vistas of Mars, Venus’s Titan, Io and more in their full glory, with background information to put into context the foreign landforms of our Solar System. Here, lit…