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Water on Mars and Life
Growing evidence, based on observations from orbiters, landers and telescopes, indicates that Mars may still have numerous hidden water reservoirs. Moreover, from the point of view of habitability, Mars is a prime target for astrobiologists in search of extant or extinct microbial life because we know that life exists in earth’s permafrost regions, such as parts of Siberia and the Antarctic, which are the closest terrestrial analogues to Mars. "Water on Mars and Life" surveys recent advances made in research into water on Mars together with its astrobiological implications. This volume addresses not only scientists working in the field but also nonspecialists and students in search of a high-level but accessible introduction to this exciting field of research.
Visual Astronomy Under Dark Skies: A New Approach to Observing Deep Space
Modern astronomical telescopes, along with other advances in technology, have brought the deep sky – star clusters, nebulae and the galaxies – within visual reach of amateur astronomers. It isn’t necessary to image deep-sky objects in order to see them; you look at them in real-time by using modern observing techniques and enhancement technology. The first requirement is a truly dark observing site. Given a location with clear, dark night skies everything else follows… this book contains all you need to know about what to observe, how to get superb views of faint and distant astronomical objects, and how to use the best of today’s commercial equipment for visual observing.
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and How to Observe Them
This book tells the story of two giants and a dwarf. The giants, Uranus and Neptune, are mostly huge balls of gas, and they make their home in the remotest reaches of the Solar System. The dwarf, Pluto, which can usually be found even farther out than the two giants, was always small, but up until a short while ago, it enjoyed the same status as the other planets, a full-fledged member of the Solar System. Today, Pluto has been re-classified as a "dwarf planet." In this clear and succinct overview of the current research on these remote Solar System objects, Richard Schmude, Jr., tells us what facts we do know about these faraway entities, what we are seeking to know, and also how to observe them for yourself, using commercially available telescopes. He also explains why Pluto was re-classified and what it means, exactly, to be a dwarf planet.
The Urban Astronomers Guide : A Walking Tour of the Cosmos for City Sky Watchers
Given the right techniques, urban astronomers can routinely observe deep-sky objects night after night – something most of us would never do if it involved driving miles into the country to find a dark site. Rod Mollise has observed the entire Messier list from his urban backyard, without high-tech equipment, using only commercially-made telescopes and simple accessories.This is a guide to good deep-sky astronomy under bad skies.There are literally hundreds of spectacular objects to be seen from the average urban site.
The Universe in X-Rays
In the last 45 years, X-ray astronomy has become an integral part of modern astrophysics and cosmology. There is a wide range of astrophysical objects and phenomena, where X-rays provide crucial diagnostics. In particular they are well suited to study hot plasmas and matter under extreme physical conditions in compact objects. This book summarizes the present status of X-ray astronomy in terms of observational results and their astrophysical interpretation. It is written for students, astrophysicists as well a growing community of physicists interested in the field. An introduction including historical material is followed by chapters on X-ray astronomical instrumentation. The next two parts summarize in 17 chapters the present knowledge on various classes of X-ray sources in the galactic and extragalactic realm. While the X-ray astronomical highlights discussed in this book are mainly based on results from ROSAT, ASCA, RXTE, BeppoSAX, Chandra and XMM-Newton, a final chapter provides an outlook on observational capabilities and projects discussed for the future.
The Square Kilometre Array : An Engineering Perspective
This volume is an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the engineering of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a revolutionary instrument which will be the world’s largest radio telescope. Expected to be completed by 2020, the SKA will be a pre-eminent tool in probing the Early Universe and in enhancing greatly the discovery potential of radio astronomy in many other fields. This book, containing 36 refereed papers written by leaders in SKA engineering, has been compiled by the International SKA Project Office and is the only contemporary compendium available. It features papers dealing with pivotal technologies such as antennas, RF systems and data transport. As well, overviews of important SKA demonstrator instruments and key system design issues are included. Practising professionals, and students interested in next-generation telescopes, will find this book an invaluable reference.
The Road to Galaxy Formation
The book discusses the beginnings of the process from cosmological observations and calculations, considers the broad features of galaxies that we need to explain and what we know of their later history. The author compares the competing theories for galaxy formation and considers the progress expected from new generations of powerful telescopes both on earth and in space.
The Observers Sky Atlas : With 50 Star Charts Covering the Entire Sky
The Observer's Sky Atlas contains star charts and information for all those who observe the night sky with unaided eyes, with binoculars, or with small telescopes, and also for those who just wish to look at constellations and interesting objects. Equally useful for the beginning observer and the old hand.
The Multinational History of Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory
Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory is quite an interesting place for historians: several changes of nationality between France and Germany, high-profile scientists having been based there, and so on. This volume offers historical facts and references on the first decades of the Observatory history.
The Hatfield SCT Lunar Atlas : Photographic Atlas for Meade, Celestron and other SCT Telescopes
This new SCT version of Hatfield's famous lunar atlas solves the problem. Photographs and key maps in the Hatfield SCT Lunar Atlas are exactly as the Moon appears through the eyepiece of an SCT or Maksutov telescope. Smaller IAU-standard reference photographs are included on each page, to make it simple to compare the mirrored SCT photographs and maps with those that appear in other atlases. This edition uses the superb original photographs taken by Commander Henry Hatfield using his purpose-built 12-inch reflector. The key maps, on which lunar features can be readily identified, retain the style and clarity that made the original justly famous.
The Complete CD Guide to the Universe
Contains descriptions and charts for a total of almost 14,000 objects, and is probably the largest and most comprehensive Atlas of the Universe ever created for amateur astronomers. Spanning some 13,000 pages, this is a project that is possible only with Springer Extras. The atlas covers the whole range of objects viewable by amateur astronomers with 8 - to 11-inch telescopes, north of about latitude +40 degrees. Everything described here can be observed from suburban sites. Large-scale finder charts - in both normal and mirror-image "SCT" views - along with the extensive list of 14,000 objects provide a detailed observing guide for almost any practical amateur astronomer.
Supernovae : and How to Observe Them
Supernovae mark the deaths of massive stars or of white dwarfs in binary systems. Even when they occur in galaxies millions of light years away they can be within the reach of amateur astronomers’ telescopes, this book is a mine of information for all levels of amateur astronomer.
State of the Universe 2008 : New Images, Discoveries, and Events
Provides an annual astronomy review suitable for the popular science level reader to be published every September. The book will cover all major astronomical news on topics beyond the Solar System and place them in the context of the longer term goals of astronomers and astrophysicists around the world. The aim is to capture the excitement and vibrancy of modern astronomical research. This section also includes web links for all major news stories, providing a bridge between the public news stories and the actual research web sites.
Star Clusters and How to Observe Them
Part one of this detailed book provides a comprehensive review of star clusters – including open, globular, extragalactic, and even cluster remnants – along with their evolution and physics. Part two is about observing. The larger clusters can be observed through the most basic equipment – normal binoculars or budget telescopes – but Mark Allison talks about instrumentation and accessories, for observers from beginner to expert. Finally there is an observing guide and a comprehensive observing list for a wide range of telescope apertures.
Solar-Type Activity in Main-Sequence Stars
In this monograph observational results are summarized in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. The analysis of the various manifestations of such stellar activity leads to the identification of these phenomena with macroscopic non-linear processes in a magnetized plasma. Comparative study of flare stars and the Sun has become increasingly fruitful and is presently an active field of research involving stellar and solar physicists, experts in plasma physics and high-energy astrophysicists. This book will provide them with both an introduction and overview of observational results from the first optical photometry and spectroscopy, from the satellite telescopes International Ultraviolet Explorer to Hubble Space Telescope, XMM-Newton and Chandra, as well as with the present physical interpretation of solar-type activity in main sequence stars. Gershberg's 40-year career studying UV Cet type stars and related objects enables him to provide readers with expert insight into the characteristics of such stars in both the quiescent state and during flares and the reliability of the data over the electromagnetic spectrum and wide temporal scales.
Science with Adaptive Optics ; Proceedings of the ESO Workshop Held at Garching, Germany, 16-19 September 2003
Presents the proceedings of the ESO Workshop on Science with Adaptive Optics held in the fall of 2003. The book provides an overview on AO instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction strategies, and covers observations of the sun, solar system objects, circumstellar disks, substellar companions, HII regions, starburst environments, late-type stars, the galactic center, active galaxies, and quasars. The contributions present a vivid picture of the multitude of science topics being addressed by AO in observational astronomy.
Recollections of "Tucson Operations" : The Millimeter-Wave Observatory of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
This book is a personal account of the evolution of millimeter-wave astronomy at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. It begins with the construction of the hugely successful, but flawed, 36 ft radio telescope on Kitt Peak, Arizona, and continues through the funding of its ultimate successor, the Atacama Large Millimeter-wave Array (ALMA), being constructed on a 5.000 m (16.500 ft) site in northern Chile. The book describes the behind-the-scene activities of the NRAO Tucson staff. These include the identification and solution of technical problems, the scheduling and support of visiting astronomers, and the preparations and the politics of the proposal to replace the 36 ft telescope with a 25 m telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The book also describes the installation of a new 12 m surface and the involvement of the Tucson staff in the ALMA project. Finally, it describes events leading to the closing of the 36 ft telescope and, eventually, of the NRAO offices in Tucson.
Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes : Step-by-Step Activities for Discovery
Real Astronomy with Small Telescopes tells you everything you’ll need to know about how to get started on "real" astronomy using a small telescope (and ideally a digital camera), and make a real contribution to our scientific knowledge. This book is the necessary introduction to real astronomy – derived from the author’s many years of experience in teaching the subject – that can be your starting point for serious work. Here, the emphasis is on what you can do with a small telescope, rather than just on what you can see through it.
Precision Spectroscopy in Astrophysics ; Proceedings of the ESO/Lisbon/Aveiro Conference held in Aveiro, Portugal, 11–15 September 2006
High-accuracy Doppler shift measurements and high-precision spectroscopy are primary techniques in the search for exo-planets. Further extremely interesting applications include the analysis of QSO absorption lines to determine the variability of physical constants and the analysis of the isotopic ratios of absorption lines both in stars and in QSOs, and the determination of stellar oscillations through radial velocity measurements. Since the use of high-precision/resolution spectroscopy is closely connected to the ability to collect a large number of photons, the scientific domains using this technique benefit tremendously from the use of 8-meter class telescopes and will fully exploit the tremendous gain provided by future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). IR high-resolution spectroscopy should soon approach the same accuracy regime achieved in the optical range.
Parting the Cosmic Veil
Astronomers have used telescopes, operating at the visible wavelengths that we see with our eye, to reveal the true extent of the Milky Way and discover billions of remote galaxies that are rushing away from us in an expanding Universe. Each of these galaxies contains billions of stars wheeling around their massive central hub.Radio waves and X-rays, which lie beyond the range of visual perception, are used to detect a violent Universe, from exploding stars to gamma ray bursts and the Big Bang itself, with the associated discoveries of pulsars, black holes and quasars. Radio astronomers have also shown that the dark spaces between the stars contain vast tracts of cold hydrogen atoms and a host of molecules.
