Deals with unpredictable events (like, comets and supernovae). Deals also with partly-predictable events (like meteors). Provides the amateur astronomer with a perfect introduction that will give him the best chance of seeing such transient phenomena for himself. Competitively priced in the Practical Astronomy series.

Autorentext

Neil Bone is the author of Deep Sky Observer's Guide, Philip's/Firefly (2004); Mars Observer's Guide, Philip's/Firefly (2003); Guide to the Constellations, Astronomy Now/Polestar (2002); Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and other Transient Phenomena, Springer (1998); Observer's Handbook: Meteors Philip's/Sky (1993); The Aurora: Sun-Earth Interactions, Ellis Horwood (1991), Second Edition Wiley/Praxis (1996), as well as numerous articles and papers.

Inhalt
1 Introduction.- 2 Meteors.- 2.1 The Leonids: A Storm Coming?.- 2.2 The Perseids: The Unexpected Rise of Old Faithful.- 2.3 Other Showers in Outburst.- 2.4 Fireballs.- 3 Aurorae and other Atmospheric Phenomena.- 3.1 Auroral Storms.- 3.2 Noctilucent Clouds.- 3.3 Synthetic Atmospheric Phenomena.- 4 The Sun.- 4.1 Observing the Sun in White Light.- 4.2 Monochromatic-light Observations: The Sun in Hydrogen-alpha.- 4.3 Solar Eclipses.- 5 The Moon.- 5.1 Transient Lunar Phenomena.- 5.2 Lunar Occultations.- 5.3 Lunar Eclipses.- 6 The Planets.- 6.1 Venus.- 6.2 Mars.- 6.3 Jupiter.- 6.4 Saturn.- 6.5 Planetary Occultations.- 7 Small Bodies of the Solar System.- 7.1 Asteroids.- 7.2 The Galilean Satellites of Jupiter.- 7.3 Saturn's Satellites.- 8 Comets.- 8.1 The Nature and Origin of Comets.- 8.2 Comet Discoveries.- 8.3 Observing Comets.- 8.4 Comets in Outburst.- 8.5 Ion-tail Disconnections.- 8.6 The Great Comets of 1996 and 1997.- 9 Variable Stars.- 9.1 Eclipsing Binaries.- 9.2 Cataclysmic Variables.- 9.3 Recurrent Novae.- 9.4 R Coronae Borealis Stars.- 10 Novae and Supernovae.- 10.1 Novae.- 10.2 Supernovae.- 11 Information Sources.- 11.1 Atlases.- 11.2 Catalogues.- 11.3 Ephemerides, Annual Handbooks and News Sources.- 11.4 Software.- 11.5 The Internet.