Astronomy For DummiesAn accessible guide to the wonders of the night sky, now updated From asteroids to black holes, from quasars to white dwarfs, this new edition of Astronomy For Dummies takes backyard stargazers on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring star maps, charts, gorgeous full-color photographs, and easy-to-follow explanations, this fact-filled guide gives readers a leg up on the basic principles of astronomy and shows how to get the most out of binoculars, telescopes, planetarium visits, and other fun astronomical activities. This updated edition includes an updated color signature and covers the many discoveries made in recent years, as well as new astronomy Web sites. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Seeing the Light The Art and Science of Astronomy | 9 |
Looking back on lightyears | 22 |
Join the Crowd Skywatching Activities and Resources | 29 |
Taking eclipse cruises and tours | 38 |
Just Passing Through Meteors Comets and Artificial Satellites | 57 |
Waiting for the comets of the century | 68 |
Going Once Around the Solar System | 75 |
Taking a Trip to the Stars | 169 |
Galaxies The Milky Way and Beyond | 197 |
What shape is the Milky Way? | 199 |
Discovering the Local Group of Galaxies | 216 |
Digging into Black Holes and Quasars | 219 |
Defying Definitions | 225 |
Is Anybody Out There? SETI and Planets of Other Suns | 233 |
The Big Bang and the Evolution of the Universe | 253 |
Earths Near Neighbors Mercury Venus and Mars | 97 |
Rock On The Asteroid Belt and NearEarth Objects | 115 |
Great Balls of Gas Jupiter and Saturn | 123 |
Far Out Uranus Neptune Pluto and Beyond | 135 |
Ten Common Errors about Astronomy and Space | 269 |
Appendixes | 273 |
Star Maps | 293 |
Glossary | 301 |
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Common terms and phrases
Alpha amateur astronomers Andromeda appears asteroids astronomy club astronomy magazines atmosphere Big Bang binary binoculars black hole bright brighter brightest called celestial Chapter 11 clouds color comet constellations cosmic craters crescent Moon dark matter disk Dummies Earth energy equator eyepiece Figure fireball galactic Going Once gravity H II regions horizon Hubble Space Telescope hydrogen images impact kilometers light light-years located look lunar magnetic field magnitude main sequence main sequence stars Mars mass Meeting Old Sol Mercury Messier meteoroids miles Milky million move naked eye Neptune neutrinos night sky North Northern Hemisphere Observatory observe Old Sol orbit Orion particles Planet Happenings planetarium Pluto quasars radio regions rock scientists SETI SKIES small telescope solar system spiral galaxy spot Stalking the Cosmos star clusters stellar sunspot supermassive black hole supernova surface tele theory total eclipse types universe Uranus variable stars Venus visible white dwarfs