Comets have inspired wonder, excitement and even fear ever since they were first observed. But they are important members of the solar system, that containmaterial from early in the life of the system, held in deep-freeze. This makes them key in our understanding of the formation and evolution of many Solar System bodies. Recent ground- and space-based observations have changed much inour understanding of comets. Comets, and How to Observe Them gives a summary of our current knowledge and describes how amateur astronomers can contribute to the body of scientific knowledge of comets. This book contains many practical examples of how to construct comet light-curves, measure how fast a comet’scoma expands, and determine the rotation period of the nucleus. All these examples are illustrated with drawings and photographs. Because of their unpredictable nature comets are always interesting and sometime spectacular objects toobserve and image. The second part of the book therefore takes the reader through the key observing techniques that can be used with commercially availablemodern observing equipment, from basic observations to more scientific measurements. A complete guide to comets, along with detailed information about how to observe them with telescopes or even binoculars Includes data from the latest space probes sent to Comets Halley, Wild 2, and Tempel Covers all the current knowledge of Comets Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp, and Shoemaker-Levy 9 Describes how amateur and practical astronomers can make contributions to comet science Explains how to image comets using digital cameras and how you can discover comets with just a computer INDICE: Part I.- Short-Period Comets.- Long-Period Comets.- Comet-Meteor Shower Connection.- Part II.- Observing Comets with the Unaided Eye and Binoculars.- Observing with Telescopes having Diameters Less than 0.25 m (10-inch).- Observing with Large Telescopes: Diameters Greater than 0.25 m (10-inch).- Appendix: Naming Comets.- Bibliography.- Index
- ISBN: 978-1-4419-5789-4
- Editorial: Springer
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 232
- Fecha Publicación: 01/06/2010
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés