Astronomy For Dummies

Your updated guide to exploring the night sky

Do you know the difference between a red giant and a white dwarf? From asteroids to black holes, this easy-to-understand guide takes you on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring updated star maps, charts, and an insert with gorgeous full-color photographs, Astronomy For Dummies provides an easy-to-follow introduction to exploring the night sky. Plus, this new edition also comes with chapter quizzes online to help your understanding.

For as long as people have been walking the earth, those people have looked up into the night sky and wondered about the nature of the cosmos. Without the benefit of science to provide answers, they relied on myth and superstition to help them make sense of what they saw. Lucky for us, we live at a time when regular folks, equipped with nothing more than their naked eyes, can look up into the night sky and gain admittance to infinite wonders. If you know what to look for, you can make out planets, stars, galaxies, and even galactic clusters comprising hundreds of millions of stars and spanning millions of light-years.

Whether you're an amateur astronomer, space enthusiast, or enrolled in a first year astronomy course, Astronomy For Dummies gives you a reason to look into the heavens.

• Includes updated schedules of coming eclipses of the Sun and Moon and a revised planetary appendix

• Covers recent discoveries in space, such as water on the Moon and Pluto's demotion from "planet" status

• Collects new websites, lists of telescope motels, sky-watching guides, and suggestions for beginner's telescopes and suppliers

• Provides free online access to chapter quizzes to help you understand the content

Ever wonder what's out there in the big ol' universe? This is the book for you!

Auteur

Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is the retired assistant director of space sciences for information and outreach at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. An investigator of stars, nebulae, and comets, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, Space Shuttle missions, Skylab, and other NASA projects.

Résumé
Your updated guide to exploring the night sky Do you know the difference between a red giant and a white dwarf? From asteroids to black holes, this easy-to-understand guide takes you on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring updated star maps, charts, and an insert with gorgeous full-color photographs, Astronomy For Dummies provides an easy-to-follow introduction to exploring the night sky. Plus, this new edition also comes with chapter quizzes online to help your understanding.

For as long as people have been walking the earth, those people have looked up into the night sky and wondered about the nature of the cosmos. Without the benefit of science to provide answers, they relied on myth and superstition to help them make sense of what they saw. Lucky for us, we live at a time when regular folks, equipped with nothing more than their naked eyes, can look up into the night sky and gain admittance to infinite wonders. If you know what to look for, you can make out planets, stars, galaxies, and even galactic clusters comprising hundreds of millions of stars and spanning millions of light-years.

Whether you're an amateur astronomer, space enthusiast, or enrolled in a first year astronomy course, Astronomy For Dummies gives you a reason to look into the heavens.

• Includes updated schedules of coming eclipses of the Sun and Moon and a revised planetary appendix
• Covers recent discoveries in space, such as water on the Moon and Pluto's demotion from "planet" status
• Collects new websites, lists of telescope motels, sky-watching guides, and suggestions for beginner's telescopes and suppliers
• Provides free online access to chapter quizzes to help you understand the content
  Ever wonder what's out there in the big ol' universe? This is the book for you!

Contenu

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started With Astronomy 5

Chapter 1: Seeing the Light: The Art and Science of Astronomy 7

Astronomy: The Science of Observation 8

What You See: The Language of Light 9

They wondered as they wandered: Understanding planets versus stars 10

If you see a Great Bear, start worrying: Naming stars and constellations 10

What do I spy? Spotting the Messier Catalog and other sky objects 18

The smaller, the brighter: Getting to the root of magnitudes 19

Looking back on light-years 19

Keep on moving: Figuring the positions of the stars 22

Gravity: A Force to Be Reckoned With 25

Space: A Commotion of Motion 26

Chapter 2: Join the Crowd: Skywatching Activities and Resources 29

You're Not Alone: Astronomy Clubs, Websites, Smartphone Apps, and More 30

Joining an astronomy club for star-studded company 30

Checking websites, magazines, software, and apps 31

Visiting Observatories and Planetariums 34

Ogling the observatories 35

Popping in on planetariums 38

Vacationing with the Stars: Star Parties, Eclipse Trips, Dark Sky Parks, and More 38

Party on! Attending star parties 39

Getting festive at an AstroFest 40

Tapping into Astronomy on Tap 40

To the path of totality: Taking eclipse cruises and tours 40

Motoring to telescope motels 42

Setting up camp at dark sky parks 44

Chapter 3: Terrific Tools for Observing the Skies 47

Seeing Stars: A Sky Geography Primer 48

As Earth turns 48

keep an eye on the North Star 50

Beginning with Naked-Eye Observation 52

Using Binoculars or a Telescope for a Better View 55

Binoculars: Sweeping the night sky 56

Telescopes: When closeness counts 60

Planning Your First Steps into Astronomy 66

Chapter 4: Just Passing Through: Meteors, Comets, and Artificial Satellites 69

Meteors: Wishing on a Shooting Star 70

Spotting sporadic meteors, fireballs, and bolides 72

Watching a radiant sight: Meteor showers 74

Comets: The Lowdown on Dirty Ice Balls 79

Making heads and tails of a comet's structure 80

Waiting for the comets of the century 84

Hunting for the great comet 86

Artificial Satellites: Enduring a LoveHate Relationship 88

Skywatching for artificial satellites 89

Finding satellite viewing predictions 91

Part 2: Going Once Around The Solar System 93

Chapter 5: A Matched Pair: Earth and Its Moon 95

Putting Earth under the Astronomical Microscope 96

One of a kind: Earth's unique characteristics 96

Spheres of influence: Earth's distinct regions 99

Examining Earth's Time, Seasons, and Age 101

Orbiting for all time 102

Tilting toward the seasons 103

Estimating Earth's age 105

Making Sense of the Moon 106

Get ready to howl: Identifying phases of the Moon 107

In the shadows: Watching lunar eclipses 110

Cultivating an interest in the occult(ations) 111

Hard rock: Surveying lunar geology 112

Quite an impact: Considering a theory about the Moon's origin 117

Chapter 6: Earth's Near Neighbors: Mercury, Venus, and Mars 119

Mercury: Weird, Hot, and Mostly Metal 120

Dry, Acidic, and Hilly: Steering Clear of Venus 121

Red, Cold, and Barren: Uncovering the Mysteries of Mars 123

Where has all the water gone? 124

Does Mars support life? 126

Differentiating Earth through Comparative Planetology 128

Observing the Terrestrial Planets with Ease 129

Understanding elongation, opposition, and conjunction 130 View...