An easy-to-read guide to navigating around the sky using a small telescope. Covering all the basic topics - telescopes, optics, positions and motion, observing, and instruments - Telescopes and Techniques has been designed as an introduction for anyone wanting a firm grounding in the essentials of astronomy.
What distinguishes this book from other "popular" works on astronomy is its impeccable scientific background: it has been developed from the author's many years of experience in teaching undergraduates.

Inhalt

Section 1: Telescopes.- 1 Types of Telescope.- Historical Introduction.- Modern Instruments.- Mounting.- Schmidt Camera.- 2 Telescope Optics.- Point Sources.- Extended Images.- Objectives.- Eyepieces.- Aberrations.- Mountings.- Observatories and Observing Sites.- Exercises.- 3 Modern Small Telescope Design.- Making Your Own.- Commercially Produced Telescopes.- Section 2: Positions and Motions.- 4 Positions in the Sky.- Spherical Polar Coordinates.- Celestial Sphere.- Altitude and Azimuth.- Rotation.- Solar and Sidereal Days.- Declination and Hour Angle.- Time.- Mean Solar Time.- Solar Time.- Sidereal Time.- Right Ascension and Declination.- Other Coordinate Systems.- Exercises.- 5 Movements of Objects in the Sky.- Diurnal Motion.- Circumpolar Objects.- Seasons and Annual Motions.- Movements of the Moon and Planets.- Moon.- Other Solar System Objects.- Proper Motion.- Precession.- Parallax.- Aberration.- Relative Planetary Positions.- Position with Respect to the Earth.- Eclipses.- Position in an Orbit.- Synodic Period.- Exercises.- 6 Telescope Mountings.- Equatorial Mountings.- Alt-Az Mountings.- Making Your Own Mounting.- Alignment.- Setting Circles.- Guiding.- Modern Commercial Mountings Ill.- Section 3: Observing.- 7 Electromagnetic Radiation.- Intensity.- Photons.- Polarisation.- Range.- Measurements.- Photometry.- Spectroscopy.- Polarimetry.- 8 Visual Observing.- General and Practical Considerations and Safety.- Finding.- Moon.- Planets.- Sun.- Finding.- Observing.- Stars.- Nebulae and Galaxies.- Day-time Observing.- False Observations.- Exercise.- 9 Detectors and Imaging.- The Eye.- Charge-Coupled Device Detectors (CCDs).- Image Processing.- Photography.- p-i-n Photodiode.- Exercise.- 10 Data Processing.- Data Reduction.- Data Analysis.- Exercises.- 11 Photometry.- Photographic Photometry.- Absolute Magnitude.- Wavelength Dependence.- UBV System.- Spatial Information.- Photometers.- Observing Techniques.- Exercises.- 12 Spectroscopy.- Spectroscopes.- Spectroscopy.- Spectral Type.- Luminosity Class.- Radial Velocity.- Spectrophotometry.- Exercise.- Appendix 1: Telescope Manufacturers and Suppliers.- Appendix 2: Bibliography.- Journals.- Star and Other Catalogues, Atlases and Reference Books.- Practical Astronomy Books.- Introductory Books.- Appendix 3: National and Major Astronomical Societies.