Terence Dickinson - Böcker

Fourth revised and expanded edition of the illustrated manual that has been the standard field guide for amateur astronomers for nearly thirty years.

As NightWatch, Terence Dickinson’s classic stargazing guide, neared its 40th anniversary, Dickinson worked with a small group of trusted colleagues to give this groundbreaking reference an overhaul that will take it deep into the 21st century. Longtime astronomy writer and sky observer Ken Hewitt-White led the editorial team. A central aspect to this new edition is the subtle improvements to the unique seasonal star charts that present a 360-degree simulation of the night sky on one page and identify the stars and constellations on the facing page. Yet it is Dickinson’s clear, jargon-free language that will continue to inspire hundreds of thousands of people around the world to take up recreational astronomy.Much has happened in this popular hobby since the previous revisions in 2006. In response, the text has been substantially revised and updated throughout all 13 chapters. Moreover, the book has been completely redesigned and most of its many photographs have been replaced. A noted feature is the variety of superb astrophotos of star clusters, nebulas, galaxies and other celestial phenomena taken by accomplished amateur astronomers. Lavishly illustrated sections on the Moon and planets will inspire novice observers of the solar system. To accommodate the extensive revisions, NightWatch has grown from 192 pages to 208 pages. With the release of the Fifth Edition, we are also launching a new website, NightWatchBook.com, that will offer links to additional resources and will be regularly updated with information on new celestial events and equipment. Since the First Edition of NightWatch was released in 1983, the most significant transformations in amateur astronomy have been in optics and technology. For all the latest on gadgets and gear, renowned astrophotographer Alan Dyer, Dickinson’s coauthor of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide, has contributed an entirely new chapter on basic digital astrophotography. Dyer has also modernized a key portion of an enlarged chapter on stargazing equipment, creating a welcoming place in NightWatch for today’s computerized telescopes. Stargazing enthusiasts of all levels of experience will discover much of value in an enduring reference conceived by one of the most respected names in amateur astronomy. This must-have Fifth Edition includes: a comprehensive, all-season guide to the night sky; constellation charts covering both northern- and southernhemisphere skies, making NightWatch a truly global resource; 20 carefully upgraded deep-sky charts revealing the locations and essential details about hundreds of naked-eye, binocular and telescopic objects; tips on choosing binoculars and telescopes and taking astrophotos; highlights of major features on the Moon to guide the budding lunar explorer; lists of solar and lunar eclipses, planet locations and the best lunarand planetary conjunctions to 2035; a range of resources for further study.

In the almost 15 years since the release of the fifth edition of The Universe and Beyond, our understanding of the universe has advanced exponentially. Previous editions guided readers through the intriguing world of black holes, dark matter and dark energy, toured the planets of other stars and plumbed the mysteries of quasars, pulsars, supernovas and the accelerating universe. In this new edition, Terence Dickinson and his longtime editorial partner Susan Dickinson joined forces to return to these earlier tours armed with exciting new information on the origin and evolution of the universe, the birth of planets, life on our solar system’s outer moons, runaway black holes, the first gravitational waves, an enigmatic interstellar visitor and more. These recent discoveries have spawned a host of questions about the universe that couldn’t even be imagined a decade ago. Illustrating this voyage are breathtaking photos captured by the groundbreaking Hubble Space Telescope during the later phase of its mission and by the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope, which has already allowed us to observe first stars and the formation of first galaxies and has provided information about potentially habitable exoplanets. The fully updated content showcases late-breaking science that has emerged since the last edition. Key topics include; The search for and discovery of thousands of new exoplanets; New ideas on the origin and evolution of the universe; The evolving distant universe as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope; New theories about life on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa and the outer moons in our solar system; New results from the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter; The first direct image of a monstrous black hole; New telescopes and missions for the 2020s and 2030s. The sixth edition of The Universe and Beyond is completely redesigned, and the photos and illustrations have been updated with awe-inspiring new images of the cosmos.