Nebulae and How to Observe Them

Description

Nebulae are the places where the stars are born. They can also be opaque clouds of dust that block our view of the stars beyond, starlight reflecting on cosmic dust clouds, or hot luminous expanding gases left over from a supernova explosion. Any description of this class of celestial object is… well… nebulous. And yet this broad category contains the most fascinating and beautiful objects in the night sky. Some are easy to see, while others challenge the most experienced observers. Nebulae and How to Observe Them presents an up-to-date detailed description and categorization of nebulae (part one); and then (part two) describes in practical terms how best to successfully observe and record them. This book is a mine of information for all levels of amateur astronomy, from relative beginners to experienced observers. In one book, here is all you need to understand and observe those diverse and beautiful objects that fall under the heading of ‘nebulae’. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Viewing the Sky....Pages 1-13 Becoming a Deep Sky Observer....Pages 14-19 Using a Computer....Pages 20-22 A Fun Night Under the Stars....Pages 23-26 Improving your Skills....Pages 27-31 Nebula Knowledge....Pages 32-40 Introduction to Observations....Pages 41-41 Northern Autumn (Southern Spring) Nebulae....Pages 42-57 Northern Winter (Southern Summer) Nebulae....Pages 58-85 Northern Spring (Southern Autumn) Nebulae....Pages 86-98 Northern Summer (Southern Winter) Nebulae....Pages 99-121 Nebulae are Just the Start....Pages 122-122 Back Matter....Pages 123-156