Books in the The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series series

Modern astronomical telescopes, along with other advances in technology, have brought the deep sky - star clusters, nebulae and the galaxies - within reach of amateur astronomers. This book provides the reader with what he needs to know about what to observe, and how to get superb views of faint and distant astronomical objects.

This handbook guides the stargazer through all 88 officially recognized constellations, grouped according to their origin and location in the sky. The book includes origin myths, finder charts, tables, photographs and plots of binary star orbital motions.

Although astronomical CCD cameras can be very costly, digital cameras - the kind you use on holiday - on the other hand, are relatively inexpensive.

Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs is a complete guide for amateur astronomers who are looking for a new challenge. After a brief overview of the development of spectroscopes and an introduction to the theory of stellar spectra, the book goes on to examine the various types of spectroscopes available to amateurs.

Go-To Telescopes Under Suburban Skies is the first book specifically written for amateur astronomers who own, or who are about to purchase, a computer-controlled 'go-to' telescope.

Information collected by recent space probes sent to explore the Moon by the USA, the European Space Agency, Japan, China and India has changed our knowledge and understanding of the Moon, particularly its geology, since the Apollo missions.

This book contains everything the amateur astronomer needs to know about eclipses, including: what to look for, when and how to observe, what equipment is needed, and even how to mount an eclipse expedition.

Amateur astronomers of all expertise from beginner to experienced will find this a thorough star cluster atlas perfect for easy use at the telescope or through binoculars.

Building an astronomical telescope offers the amateur astronomer an exciting challenge, with the possibility of ending up with a far bigger and better telescope than could have been afforded otherwise.

This is a comprehensive guide to buying, testing, and using a refracting telescope. It is written mainly for amateur astronomers who already own or are intending to purchase a refracting telescope, but will prove useful for non-astronomical observers.

Computers and Astronomy Perhaps every generation of astronomers believes that their telescopes are the best that have ever been. Unless you are already familiar with astronomy and basic telescopes, it is not wise to start spending large amounts of money on a we- featured telescope.

Viewing the Constellations with Binoculars is a complete guide to practical astronomy, written for beginners, intermediate-level astronomers, and even people who have not yet turned their gaze to the night sky.

Instead of taking somebody's word for it about the basic size and distance statistics for the solar system, this book shows amateur astronomers how to measure these things for themselves.

For this ground-breaking book, Philip Pugh has assembled a team of contributors who show just how much solar observation work can be accomplished with Coronado telescopes, and explain how to get the best from these marvelous instruments.

What is unique about Richard Norton's book is that it is both a field guide to observing meteors, and also a field guide to locating, preparing and analysing meteorites.

This book demonstrates the use of an 80mm refractor and shows how it can be used as a real scientific instrument. The author is an experienced small telescope user and an astronomy educator, and he provides step-by-step instructions for numerous scientific activities.

Digital electronic imaging devices allow the wonders of the universe to be seen in detail never before possible from an amateur astronomer's backyard. This book clearly examines how to create the best astronomical images possible with a digital camera.

Allows quick (and structured) identification of known aerial phenomena, whether at night or during the day. This book gives a description, physical explanation, and where relevant notes on observing and photographing the various phenomena. It approaches UFOs from a scientific standpoint.

This book de-mystifies the jargon of webcams and computer processing, and provides detailed hints and tips for imaging the Sun, Moon and planets with a webcam.

This essential and highly-illustrated guide is for anyone taking their first steps in observational astronomy. It shows what you can expect to see, helping you get the most from your equipment. This unique book gives amateurs the guidance and assurance they need to become more proficient observers.

Commercially-made astronomical telescopes are better and less expensive than ever before, and their optical and mechanical performance can be superb.

Provides examples of the images, and gives readers hints and tips about how to get the best out of this technology. This book illustrates the help and advice with many beautiful colour images. It includes techniques that range from using simple webcams to highly technical aspects such as supernovae patrolling.

Observing variable stars is one of the major contributions amateur astronomers make to science. There are 36,000 variable stars listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, so it is clearly impossible for the limited number of professional observatories to target even the majority of them.

Astronomers and students interested in studying the Sun require a thorough understanding of the proper techniques and equipment. In this book, Kitchin provides all the information needed for safe observation as well as novel techniques that will make solar observation a rewarding experience.