Comets, and how to observe them
By: Richard Schmude
Series: Astronomers' observing guides; Astronomers' observing guides
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
ISBN-13: 9781441957894; 9781441957900
Subjects: Comets; Observers' manuals; Astronomy
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-249) and index.
Table of contents: title: This book offers a complete guide to comets. It provides detailed information about how to observe them with telescopes or even binoculars and includes data from the latest space probes sent to Comets Halley, Wild 2, and Tempel. It also explains how to image comets using digital cameras and how to discover comets with just a computer.  Comets have inspired wonder, excitement and even fear ever since they were first observed. They contain material from early in the life of the Solar 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 in our understanding of comets. This book gives a summary of our current knowledge and describes how amateur astronomers can contribute to the body of scientific knowledge of comets. It contains many practical examples of how to construct comet light curves, measure how fast a comet's coma expands, and determine the rotation period of the nucleus. All these examples are illustrated with drawings and photographs.; title: Comets: an overview; title: Comets 9P/Tempel 1, 1P/Halley, 19P/Borrelly, and 81P/Wild 2; title: Observing comets with the unaided eye and binoculars; title: Observing with small telescopes; title: Observing with large telescopes.