Sky watcher's handbook

In the past twenty years, amateur astronomy has undergone a revolution as dramatic as the technological changes in professional research. Perhaps the 'amateur revolution' is the more remarkable of the two, because it seemed that the amateur was being squeezed out of the traditional observational fields of work. Paradoxically, not only are the fields mostly still active, but new ones have opened up. Serious amateurs today can make more discoveries and original observations than could their predecessors, and professional astronomers are giving them significant status and support. Sky Watcher's Handbook is for the amateur astronomer who, having passed through the first stage of getting acquainted with the sky, has decided to concentrate on a particular object or class of objects and make serious observations. The scope is vast--from meteors in the upper atmosphere to exploding stars in distant galaxies--and the current observational techniques have now become so specialized that it is no longer possible for a single author to write effectively about them all. Recognizing this, James Muirden has brought together a distinguished group of amateur astronomers from around the world, all leaders in their particular fields. Each was asked to concentrate on the areas of work where the dedicated amateur can make a useful contribution; on the equipment and resources needed; and on the observational techniques to be employed. Here, then, is the most up-to-date and comprehensive distillation of collective wisdom available to the amateur astronomer.