Astronomy For Dummies

Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is the retired assistant director of space sciences for information and outreach at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. An investigator of stars, nebulae, and comets, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, Space Shuttle missions, Skylab, and other NASA projects.

Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started With Astronomy 5 Chapter 1: Seeing the Light: The Art and Science of Astronomy 7 Astronomy: The Science of Observation 8 What You See: The Language of Light 9 They wondered as they wandered: Understanding planets versus stars 10 If you see a Great Bear, start worrying: Naming stars and constellations 10 What do I spy? Spotting the Messier Catalog and other sky objects 18 The smaller, the brighter: Getting to the root of magnitudes 19 Looking back on light-years 19 Keep on moving: Figuring the positions of the stars 22 Gravity: A Force to Be Reckoned With 25 Space: A Commotion of Motion 26 Chapter 2: Join the Crowd: Skywatching Activities and Resources 29 You're Not Alone: Astronomy Clubs, Websites, Smartphone Apps, and More 30 Joining an astronomy club for star-studded company 30 Checking websites, magazines, software, and apps 31 Visiting Observatories and Planetariums 34 Ogling the observatories 35 Popping in on planetariums 38 Vacationing with the Stars: Star Parties, Eclipse Trips, Dark Sky Parks, and More 38 Party on! Attending star parties 39 Getting festive at an AstroFest 40 Tapping into Astronomy on Tap 40 To the path of totality: Taking eclipse cruises and tours 40 Motoring to telescope motels 42 Setting up camp at dark sky parks 44 Chapter 3: Terrific Tools for Observing the Skies 47 Seeing Stars: A Sky Geography Primer 48 As Earth turns 48 keep an eye on the North Star 50 Beginning with Naked-Eye Observation 52 Using Binoculars or a Telescope for a Better View 55 Binoculars: Sweeping the night sky 56 Telescopes: When closeness counts 60 Planning Your First Steps into Astronomy 66 Chapter 4: Just Passing Through: Meteors, Comets, and Artificial Satellites 69 Meteors: Wishing on a Shooting Star 70 Spotting sporadic meteors, fireballs, and bolides 72 Watching a radiant sight: Meteor showers 74 Comets: The Lowdown on Dirty Ice Balls 79 Making heads and tails of a comet's structure 80 Waiting for the "comets of the century" 84 Hunting for the great comet 86 Artificial Satellites: Enduring a Love-Hate Relationship 88 Skywatching for artificial satellites 89 Finding satellite viewing predictions 91 Part 2: Going Once Around The Solar System 93 Chapter 5: A Matched Pair: Earth and Its Moon 95 Putting Earth under the Astronomical Microscope 96 One of a kind: Earth's unique characteristics 96 Spheres of influence: Earth's distinct regions 99 Examining Earth's Time, Seasons, and Age 101 Orbiting for all time 102 Tilting toward the seasons 103 Estimating Earth's age 105 Making Sense of the Moon 106 Get ready to howl: Identifying phases of the Moon 107 In the shadows: Watching lunar eclipses 110 Cultivating an interest in the occult(ations) 111 Hard rock: Surveying lunar geology 112 Quite an impact: Considering a theory about the Moon's origin 117 Chapter 6: Earth's Near Neighbors: Mercury, Venus, and Mars 119 Mercury: Weird, Hot, and Mostly Metal 120 Dry, Acidic, and Hilly: Steering Clear of Venus 121 Red, Cold, and Barren: Uncovering the Mysteries of Mars 123 Where has all the water gone? 124 Does Mars support life? 126 Differentiating Earth through Comparative Planetology 128 Observing the Terrestrial Planets with Ease 129 Understanding elongation, opposition, and conjunction 130 Viewing Venus and its phases 132 Watching Mars as it loops around 134 Outdoing Copernicus by observing Mercury 138 Chapter 7: Rock On: The Asteroid Belt and Near-Earth Objects 141 Taking a Brief Tour of the Asteroid Belt 141 Understanding the Threat That Near-Earth Objects Pose 145 When push comes to shove: Nudging an asteroid 147 Forewarned is forearmed: Surveying NEOs to protect Earth 148 Searching for Small Points of Light 149