David Ratledge – författare

The Internet contains so much information and data for astronomers that just finding what you want is a daunting task, and downloading can take hours of computer and telephone time.

The objects listed in the Caldwell Catalogue supplement Messier's famous catalogue of 110 non-stellar objects, including some of the most fascinating objects for amateur astronomers. This comprehensive guide to the Caldwell objects has been produced specially for observers. Each object is on a double-page spread (which can be photocopied for field use). There is a photographic image of every object and full technical data including position (with the major Star Atlas chart numbers) and NGC number. The book also includes a finder map showing Telrad circles, a star-hopping guide, a visual description of what the object looks like through amateur telescopes and a physical description of the object itself.

The CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) has revolutionised optical astronomy during the past 20 years, and specialised astronomical CCD cameras are now even more affordable, colour is standard, and they provide spectacular results. Digital Astrophotography: The State of the Art, provides some examples of the best images, and gives readers hints and tips about how to get the best out of this extraordinary technology.Experts in CCD astronomy from North America and Europe have contributed to this book, illustrating their help and advice with many beautiful colour images - the book is in full colour throughout. Techniques range from using simple webcams to highly technical aspects such as supernovae patrolling. Computer processing, stacking and image-enhancement are detailed, along with many hints and tips from the experts.