Solar System Observer's Guide » (Bargain)

Peter Grego is the editor of Popular Astronomy magazine and Director of the Lunar Section of the Society for Popular Astronomy. He also writes and illustrates a regular column in Astronomy Now and is the author of several books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

An introduction to observing the solar system with binoculars or small telescopes. Includes information on the moon, sun, meteors, comets, asteroids and nine planets.

1. Observing the Solar System
• Our cosmic background
• Planetary phenomena
• Observing the planets
• Lunar landscapes
• Solar splendors


2. The Solar System explorer's tools
• Vision
• Optical instruments
• Binoculars
• Telescopes
• Eyepieces
• Telescope mounts
• Computers and astronomical programs
• Recording the Solar System


3. Mercury
• A small rocky world
• Orbit
• Rotation
• Apparitions
• Transits
• Mercury's phases and its appearance through the telescope
• Recording Mercury


4. Venus
• An Earth-sized world
• Orbit and rotation
• Apparitions
• Locating Venus in daylight
• Telescopic observation
• Venusian anomalies
• Recording Venus


5. Mars
• Red planet
• Martian atmospherics
• Polar caps
• Orbit and rotation
• Apparitions and oppositions
• Telescopic observation
• A tour of Mars, westward from 0-360deg, in four sections
• Recording Mars
• The Martian moons


6. Minor planets
• Near-Earth asteroids
• Far-out space rocks
• Main-belt asteroids
• Observing main-belt asteroids
• Advanced studies


7. Jupiter
• Giant planet
• Dynamic atmosphere
• Jupiter's orbit
• The Jovian system
• Observing Jupiter
• Recording Jupiter
• A guide to Jovian activity
• Galilean phenomena
• Oppositions of Jupiter, 2006 to2015


8. Saturn
• The ringed planet
• Saturn's orbit
• Majestic rings
• Saturn's satellites
• Observing Saturn
• Observing the satellites
• Recording Saturn


9. Uranus
• Herschel's planet
• Rotation and orbit
• Rings
• Satellites
• Observing Uranus
• Recording Uranus


10. Neptune
• Orbit and rotation
• Rings
• Satellites
• Observing Neptune
• Recording Neptune


11. Pluto
• Distant planetary outpost
• Orbit and rotation
• Observing Pluto
• Worlds beyond: Trans-Neptunian Objects


12. Comets
• Dirty snowballs
• A vast, hidden cometary realm
• Periodic comets
• Cometary nomenclature
• Great comets
• Observing comets
• Recording comets


13. Meteors
• Zodiacal light and the gegenschein
• Annual meteor showers
• Observing meteors


14. Moon
• Earth's natural satellite
• The Moon's orbit
• Libration
• Lunar phases
• Earthshine
• A general tour of the Moon's surface
• Observing the Moon
• Recording the Moon
• Eclipses
• Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP)


15. Sun
• Solar hub
• Size, shape, axis and rotation
• The Sun's ecliptic path
• Seasons
• Sun-Earth distance
• Solar activity
• White-light features
• Limb darkening
• Hydrogen-alpha features
• Solar projection
• Herschel wedge
• Viewing the Sun through filters
• Conditions for solar observing
• Orientation of the solar disk
• Counting sunspots
• Recording the projected Sun
• Solar eclipses


16. Aurorae
• Observing aurorae
• Recording aurorae




Glossary

Resources

Index

Acknowledgements