Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations used in this book
- Introduction: Why observe the planets?
- 1 The Solar System
- 2 The celestial sphere
- 3 Telescopes and accessories
- 4 The atmosphere and seeing
- 5 Mercury
- 6 Venus
- 7 Mars
- 8 The minor planets (asteroids)
- 9 Jupiter
- 10 Saturn
- 11 Uranus
- 12 Neptune
- 13 Pluto
- 14 Constructing maps and planispheres
- 15 Planetary photography and videography
- 16 Photoelectric photometry of the minor planets, planets and their satellites
- Appendix: Milestones in Solar System exploration
- Name index
- Subject index
Foreword
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations used in this book
- Introduction: Why observe the planets?
- 1 The Solar System
- 2 The celestial sphere
- 3 Telescopes and accessories
- 4 The atmosphere and seeing
- 5 Mercury
- 6 Venus
- 7 Mars
- 8 The minor planets (asteroids)
- 9 Jupiter
- 10 Saturn
- 11 Uranus
- 12 Neptune
- 13 Pluto
- 14 Constructing maps and planispheres
- 15 Planetary photography and videography
- 16 Photoelectric photometry of the minor planets, planets and their satellites
- Appendix: Milestones in Solar System exploration
- Name index
- Subject index
Summary
Many amateur astronomers have a fascination for the objects of the Solar System. This is not surprising; some of these objects are bright enough to observe from urban skies and can look interesting even in small telescopes; also, unlike many vaster and further-distant objects, the bodies that we share our sun with move and change in appearance.
A person becomes an amateur ‘planetarian’ because the planets and their cousins the asteroids, meteors and comets interest that person. By definition, amateurs receive no pay, neither do they need formal certificates to pursue their interest. These self-motivated amateur students of the Solar System belong to at least three categories (often overlapping) and I think that The planet observer's handbook offers something for each:
The armchair amateur Many amateur astronomers have no telescopes. They educate themselves about the history of this field, perhaps through the most current developments. This book pays due attention to the work that has gone on before from Galileo's 30-power telescope to Voyager II, unlike many amateur and most professional works in this field.
The intelligent observer This amateur probably has a telescope, but he or she wishes to know what to look at and to understand what is seen. This observer may well be interested in challenges – finding the rare, the elusive or the transitory object or event in the heavens. Such targets may include eclipses, occultations, faint asteroids, comets or satellites, or perhaps simply something like Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Planet Observer's Handbook , pp. xi - xiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000