Observing Comets

Description

Since comet Shoemaker-Levy collided with the planet Jupiter with stupendous force in 1994 there has been an upsurge of amateur interest in comets. Most comets are first discovered by amateur astronomers because there are so many amateurs looking for them, and techniques and instruments have improved dramatically in the past few years. After a short but detailed introduction to the comets themselves Nick James and Gerald North describe comet hunting, photographing and imaging comets, and digital image processing. The use of computers for orbital calculations and even helping to discover new comets is given a full chapter, as are advanced techniques including comet photometry and spectroscopy. This comprehensive book has an accompanying CD-ROM and is at once a "primer" for comet hunters and a reference text for more advanced amateur astronomers. Front Matter....Pages i-x Celestial Phantoms....Pages 1-16 Comets Unveiled....Pages 17-41 Comets in Vision....Pages 43-64 Visual Practices....Pages 65-87 Comets in Camera....Pages 89-118 Comets and Computers....Pages 119-143 Comets in Close-up....Pages 145-167 Improving Your Image....Pages 169-186 Advanced Research....Pages 187-203 Recent Great Comets....Pages 205-227 Back Matter....Pages 229-238