This book tells the story of two giants and a dwarf. The giants, Uranus and Neptune, are mostly huge balls of gas, and they make their home in the remotest reaches of the Solar System. The dwarf, Pluto, which can usually be found even farther out than the two giants, was always small, but up until a short while ago, it enjoyed the same status as the other planets, a full-fledged member of the Solar System. Today, Pluto has been re-classified as a "dwarf planet."

In this clear and succinct overview of the current research on these remote Solar System objects, Richard Schmude, Jr., tells us what facts we do know about these faraway entities, what we are seeking to know, and also how to observe them for yourself, using commercially available telescopes. He also explains why Pluto was re-classified and what it means, exactly, to be a dwarf planet.

Intrigued by these objects since boyhood, Schmude has compiled a loving tribute to them, if not making them warm and fuzzy, at least making them seem less remote and bringing them into our current frame of reference, giving them personality and revealing their worth in our understanding of the structure and nature of the Solar System in which we live.

Autorentext

Richard Schmude Jr. has a Ph D in Physical Chemistry, and has taught solar system astronomy for over 10 years. He has been Remote Planets Coordinator for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) since 1990, and has written 18 scientific papers about the remote planets in various journals. He has a total of 103 published papers. He has been a full-time college Professor at Gordon College since 1994.

Zusammenfassung

This book is for two groups of people: those who want to study the remote planets with amateur astronomical equipment, and those who are just interested in learning about our knowledge of the remote planets.

The Remote Planets, and How to Observe them is unique in that it gives a completely up-to-date summary of our current knowledge of the remote planets, and also explains how amateur astronomers can contribute to our knowledge of the remote planets. Readers are given some inspiring examples of people who, with modest commercially-made equipment, have made important contributions to our scientific knowledge.

The observational section goes into great detail, including optical and CCD photometry, occultation measurements, imaging (including stacking and enhancement techniques) and polarization measurements.

There are finder charts (from 2010 to 2026), complete with two sets of star-magnitudes in an appendix (one set of magnitudes are for photoelectric photometry and the other set is for visual photometry)

Inhalt
The Uranus System.- The Neptune System.- Pluto and Its Moons.- Observing Uranus and Neptune with Binoculars and Small Telescopes.- Observing with Medium-Sized Telescopes.- Observing with Large Telescopes.