The total skywatcher's manual
Subtitle: 275+ skills and tricks for exploring stars, planets & beyond
By: Linda Shore, David Prosper & Vivian White of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Contributors: Prosper, David, author; White, Vivian, author; Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Published: 2015
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9781616288716
Subjects: Stars; Observers' manuals; Astronomy; Constellations
Other titles: Total sky watcher's manual
Description: "For stargazers, comet-spotters and planet-seekers looking to enhance your deep sky knowledge and observations - this is your quintessential guide. The Total Skywatcher's Manual will help you choose the best telescope, identify constellations and objects in the night sky, search for extraterrestrial phenomena, plan star parties, capture beautiful space imagery and much more."--provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Naked-eye astronomy tips. Meet the universe; title: Dissect a star; title: Learn stellar classification; title: Discover star groups; title: Spot the closest stars; title: Top five: Recognize ideal skywatching conditions; title: Go urban or rural; title: Pack a beginner skywatching kit; title: Optimize your vision; title: Improvise a red flashlight; title: Notice the brightness and color of stars; title: Navigate the northern celestial sphere; title: See the sights in the southern hemisphere; title: Witness zodiacal light at dawn; title: Spot morning and evening planets; title: Rediscover sunrise; title: Meet the sun; title: Understand solstices and equinoxes; title: Get the reasons for the seasons; title: Explore ancient astronomical markers; title: Track the sun with an analemma; title: Create your own solargraphs; title: Make your own planisphere; title: Look south with your planisphere; title: Measure the heavens; title: Top five: Zone the sky; title: Time the sunset with your fingers; title: Measure degrees of separation in the sky; title: Start at the Big Dipper; title: Pinpoint Arcturus; title: Locate Regulus; title: Suss out Spica; title: Test vision with the Big Dipper; title: Track time with the Little Dipper; title: Assemble a star clock; title: Find your way by the wind, stars, and waves; title: Use the Big Dipper to locate Polaris; title: Orient yourself with a gnomon; title: Find south in the southern hemisphere; title: Find the southern cross; title: Bag the coalsack; title: Locate Centaurus; title: Sail over to Vela; title: Check out Capricornus; title: Hunt down Hydrus; title: Look for Libra; title: Gaze upon Carina; title: Top five: Track things that move above; title: Locate the celestial equator; title: Find 0hr right ascension; title: Use Orion to measure spherical coordinates; title: Trace Draco the Dragon; title: Hunt down Ursa Major; title: Follow Ursa Minor; title: Get a glimpse of the giraffe; title: Begin at Orion; title: Get yourself to Gemini; title: Track down Taurus the bull; title: Find Canis Major and Canis Minor; title: Gaze at the majestic Milky Way; title: Glimpse spilled grain in the Cherokee Milky Way story; title: See more Milky Way myths; title: Spot a llama in the Incan Milky Way; title: Learn how the aboriginals see the Milky Way; title: Luck out with noctilucent clouds; title: Feast your eyes on afterglow; title: Glimpse the green flash; title: Meet the moon; title: Decode the phases of the moon; title: Understand the moon illusion; title: Watch the tides come and go; title: Spot some strange moons; title: Meet the man on the moon, all over the world; title: See the crescent moon around the globe; title: Watch the moon turn red in a lunar eclipse; title: Read a lunar eclipse map; title: Put together a lunar eclipse model; title: Meet Mercury; title: Begin with Pegasus the flying horse; title: Pinpoint 51 Pegasi; title: Find Andromeda the princess; title: Scout Perseus the hero; title: Acquaint yourself with faint Aries; title: Chase the Charioteer; title: Behold Corona Borealis; title: Hail King Cepheus; title: Explore the zodiacs of different cultures; title: Tell a meteor from a meteroid; title: Pick the best time to meteor-watch; title: Top five: Go on a meteorite hunt; title: Name that meteor shower; title: Save the date for meteor showers; title: Meet Venus; title: Demystify the auroras' colors; title: Pick a prime spot to aurora-gaze; title: Journey for the auroras; title: Time your aurora travel; title: Probe Earth's atmosphere; title: Catch a glimpse of glories; title: Check out sun and moon dogs; title: Demystify twinkling stars; title: Spot a solar or lunar halo; title: Meet Mars; title: Catch a conjunction; title: Witness planets in transit; title: Watch an occulation; title: Scope planets at maximum elongation; title: Observe planets in retrograde; title: Stay up all night for oppposition; title: Model the solar system with paper; title: Understand planets' relative sizes; title: Start at the summer triangle; title: Detect Delphinus; title: Fly with Aquia the eagle; title: Soar with Cygnus the swan; title: Find Lyra; title: Locate Hercules; title: Set your sights on Hydra; title: Track the serpent bearer; title: Catch the southern fish; title: See Sagittarius; title: Say hello to the first great skywatchers; title: Meet Jupiter --; title: Telescopes & other tools. Pick a pair of binoculars; title: Go with Porro or roof-prism binoculars; title: Learn all about eye relief; title: Adjust binoculars for vision; title: Clean your binoculars; title: Top five: Treat binoculars with respect; title: Peep Cassiopeia's Pacman Nebula; title: Nab the Double Cluster with binoclars; title: Align your sights with Algol; title: See star clusters with binoculars; title: Feast your eyes on distant galaxies with binoculars; title: Use binoculars to track Jupiter's moons; title: Tour the Milky Way with binoculars; title: Catch Canes Venatici; title: View Vulpecula; title: Lool for Leo Minor; title: Pinpoint Pisces; title: Dissect a basic telescope; title: Discover the classic refractor scope; title: Consider a reflector telescope; title: Learn about other telescope types; title: Top five: Select a telescope; title: Go computerized or stick with manual; title: Buy a starter scope for a kid; title: Set up your telescope; title: View the skies with a computerized scope; title: Collimate your telescope to fine-tune your view; title: Aim your scope with a piggyback finder; title: Focus and point your telescope; title: View the moon with a scope; title: Aim for Antlia; title: Draw the southern triangle; title: Catch the Bird of Paradise; title: Notice Norma; title: Scan skies with an altazimuth mount; title: Set up a dobsonian; title: Track stars with an equatorial mount; title: Pick a proper eyepiece; title: Understand eyepiece magnification; title: Find the right field of view; title: Boost resolution with the right eyepiece; title: Pick the right finder scope; title: Find a red line sight; title: Light the way with lasers; title: Mount a webcam to your telescope; title: Top five: Pick a solid tripod; title: Set up your gear for safety; title: Take a (comfortable) seat for skygazing; title: Cool your telescope tube; title: Light up your tripod; title: Piggyback your camera; title: Top five: Treat your scope to a trip; title: Camp under the stars; title: Behave at star parties; title: Transport gear safely; title: Cover up, rain or shine; title: Shield your scope from dew; title: Cap your optics; title: Peep the sun safely through solar filters; title: Enjoy lunar and planetary filters; title: Probe deep space with nebula filters; title: Meet Saturn; title: Fire up the furnace; title: Get up close with Grus; title: Nab the Fly; title: Find the Phoenix; title: Zoom in and out of the Orion nebula; title: Gaze upon Albireo; title: Find the Great Cluster in Hercules; title: View Virgo with a telescope; title: Scope out the Sombrero Galaxy; title: Check out M87; title: See M84 and M86 in Markarian's Chain; title: Spot the shadows of Jupiter's moons; title: Split double stars into three; title: Spy Saturn's rings; title: Peek into Orion's stellar nursery; title: Witness the death of Betelgeuse in Orion; title: Watch the young Pleiades in Taurus; title: Spot Scorpius; title: Find globular cluster M4; title: Peep the Butterfly and Ptolemy clusters; title: Make out M80; title: Meet Uranus; title: Gaze back in time with a telescope; title: Run the famous Messier marathon; title: Begin at the Leo Triplet; title: Bag the Coma Galaxy Cluster; title: Catch the Coma open cluster through a telescope; title: Take a peek at the M96 group; title: Watch the Water Bearer; title: Nab the crab; title: Look for Lepus; title: Discover the unicorn; title: Look at the sun safely; title: Project the sun with a telescope; title: See sunspots in transit; title: Bounce the sun onto a wall with a mirror; title: Watch a solar eclipse with a pinhole viewer; title: Sport eclipse shades; title: See Eclipses through leaves, a colander, or your fingers; title: Travel for solar eclipses; title: Identify solar-eclipse types; title: Top five: Catch a total solar eclipse's highlights; title: Witness the eclipse's effects on Earth; title: Meet Neptune; title: Study up on asteroids; title: Top five: Get acquainted with the neatest asteroids; title: Sail through the solar system with comets; title: Name that comet; title: Top five: Get to know some major comets; title: Root out Reticulum; title: Set your eyes on Sagitta; title: Glimpse the Sculptor; title: Scope out Scutum; title: Pack a basic astrophotography kit; title: Snap a mobile shot through a telescope; title: Freeze stars with the 500 rule; title: Shoot star trails; title: Create rings in the sky; title: Capture three-way trails at the equator; title: Craft a time lapse of a lunar eclipse; title: Stack images in software; title: Correct your scope's coma; title: Merge your telescope with a DSLR; title: Focus your camera through a scope; title: Speed up filter swaps; title: Lock on with autoguiders; title: Capture the beauty of the auroras; title: Meet the inventors of skywatching gadgetry; title: Stock up on sky-drawing supplies; title: Draw space objects like a pro; title: Top five: Sketch our universe's highlights; title: Search for Serpens; title: Recover the sextant; title: Snag the Southern Crown; title: Trace the triangle --; title: Advanced techniques. Travel to the world's greatest observatories ; Peek at deep space via the Hubble Space Telescope ; See star birth in infrared with SOFIA ; Planet-hunt with Kepler ; Observe in infrared via the James Webb Space Telescope ; Look at X-rays of space with Chandra ; Touch the Hand of God nebula ; Stop and smell the nebula roses ; Peep Pillars of Creation ; Sightsee from space through satellites ; Track junk in orbit ; Dissect space trash ; Celebrate our missions among the stars ; Journey to the solar system's outer edges ; Check out exoplanets ; See the skies from other planets ; Search for intelligent life with Drake's Equation ; Delve into space's mysteries ; Help count the stars as a citizen scientist ; Explore the Zooniverse ; Monitor variable stars ; Identify light pollution ; Study up on light pollution's effects ; Combat over illumination in your community ; Top five: Seek out the darkest skies ; Throw a star party ; Listen to a meteor shower over the radio ; Witness the Big Bang on your TV ; Construct a DIY scope mount ; Get a bigger light bucket ; Splurge on a high-end refractor ; Go all out with fancy eyepieces ; Send a camera into space ; Mod your Dobsonian with a custom tracker ; Boost your light with a superbright diagonal ; Make it permanent with piers ; Swap out collimation knobs ; Build an awesome observing chair.