The Measure Of Star

Many years ago amateur astronomers made observations of equal quality to professionals and hence could participate in the intellectual challenge of advancing our knowledge of the universe. Throughout most of this century, however, the cost and complexity of telescopes and instruments have generally precluded their contribution. With the advent of home computers and relatively cheap electronics, the pendulum has swung back and the time is now ripe for amateurs to join their professional colleagues in the excitement of discovery. Getting the Measure of the Stars bridges the gap between dedicated amateurs and fully fledged professionals, both who seek to understand the nature and evolution of the stars. In terms accessible to the layperson, the first part explains how and why some stars have varying brightness, and what this variation can tell us about their physics and structure. The authors go on to discuss how to make brightness measurements, either by the unaided eye or by using photoelectric photometers. The book also discusses the accuracies of various methods and the limitations on projects. The final section describes possible projects, the observations required, and what these would do to enhance our understanding of the stars and the solar system. Incorporating a great deal of theoretical and observational expertise, this book is a vital source of reference for those wishing to maximize their enjoyment from the use of small telescopes.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Dava Sobel, the "inspiring" (People), little-known true story of women's landmark contributions to astronomy A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017 Named one of the best books of the year by NPR, The Economist, Smithsonian, Nature, and NPR's Science Friday Nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A joy to read.” —The Wall Street Journal In the mid-nineteenth century, the Harvard College Observatory began employing women as calculators, or “human computers,” to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. At the outset this group included the wives, sisters, and daughters of the resident astronomers, but soon the female corps included graduates of the new women's colleges—Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. As photography transformed the practice of astronomy, the ladies turned from computation to studying the stars captured nightly on glass photographic plates. The “glass universe” of half a million plates that Harvard amassed over the ensuing decades—through the generous support of Mrs. Anna Palmer Draper, the widow of a pioneer in stellar photography—enabled the women to make extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim. They helped discern what stars were made of, divided the stars into meaningful categories for further research, and found a way to measure distances across space by starlight. Their ranks included Williamina Fleming, a Scottish woman originally hired as a maid who went on to identify ten novae and more than three hundred variable stars; Annie Jump Cannon, who designed a stellar classification system that was adopted by astronomers the world over and is still in use; and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne, who in 1956 became the first ever woman professor of astronomy at Harvard—and Harvard’s first female department chair. Elegantly written and enriched by excerpts from letters, diaries, and memoirs, The Glass Universe is the hidden history of the women whose contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

This lively and entertaining history of the long struggle to measure the distance to the stars will appeal to general readers as well as to amateur and professional astronomers. Readers will encounter fascinating historical characters, from ancient Greeks to 19th-century scientists. Well illustrated, with contemporary pictures plus extensive notes on further reading. 2002 edition.

With a lively yet rigorous and quantitative approach, this textbook introduces the fundamental topics in optical observational astronomy for undergraduates. It explains the theoretical foundations for observational practices and reviews essential physics to support students' mastery of the subject. Student understanding is strengthened through over 120 exercises and problems.