Kategoria BISAC: Nature >> Star Observation

Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory is quite an interesting place for historians: several changes of nationality between France and Germany, high-profile scientists having been based there, big projects born or installed in its walls, and so on.

Most of the documents circulating on the history of the Observatory and on related matters have however been so far poorly referenced, if at all. This made necessary the compilation of a volume such as this one, offering fully-documented historical facts and references on the first decades of the Observatory history, authored by both French and...

Hunting Nature's Fury tells the story of Roger Hill and his love affair with storm chasing, taking you on a suspenseful and dramatic ride across the Great Plains, into the Deep...

Constituting the first holistic overview including practical remedies, this handbook provides the background needed by anyone grappling with the complex issue of outdoor lighting and its effects. It describes not only the problems that astronomers and other night sky observers face in reducing the problems of information loss due to light pollution, as well as the problems lighting technologists face in optimising outdoor lighting installations that cause little or no light pollution. The first part is directed to decision makers and managers of outdoor space and covers the areas of...

After three decades of intense research in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, the time was ripe to summarize basic knowledge on X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy for interested students and researchers ready to become involved in new high-energy missions. This volume exposes both the scientific basics and modern methods of high-energy spectroscopic astrophysics. The emphasis is on physical principles and observing methods rather than a discussion of particular classes of high-energy objects, but many examples and new results are included in the three chapters as well.

Ground- or space-based telescopes are becoming increasingly more complex and construction budgets are typically in the billion dollar range. Facing costs of this magnitude, availability of engineering tools for prediction of performance and design optimization is imperative. Establishment of simulation models combining different technical disciplines such as Structural Dynamics, Control Engineering, Optics and Thermal Engineering is indispensable. Such models are normally called Integrated Models because they involve many different disciplines. The models will play an increasingly larger...

This book provides a comprehensive overview of various data mining tools and techniques that are increasingly being used by researchers in the international astronomy community. It explores this new problem domain, discussing how it could lead to the development of entirely new algorithms. Leading contributors introduce data mining methods and then describe how the methods can be implemented into astronomy applications. The last section of the book discusses the Redshift Prediction Competition, which is an astronomy competition in the style of the Netflix Prize.

This thesis presents a study of the origin of an apparently extended X-ray emission associated with the Galactic ridge. The study was carried out with broadband spectra obtained from mapping observations in the Galactic bulge region conducted in 2005-2010 by the Suzaku space X-ray observatory. The spectra were analyzed with a newly constructed X-ray spectral model of an accreting white dwarf binary that is one of the proposed candidate stars for the origin of the Galactic ridge emission in the higher energy band. Fitting of the observed Galactic ridge spectra with the model showed...

Amateur astronomers have to start somewhere. Most begin by buying a modest astronomical telescope and getting to know the night sky. After a while, many want to move on to the next stage, but this can be problematic. The magazines advertise a mass of commercially-made equipment some of it very expensive which can represent a major financial outlay. The trick is to choose the right equipment, and then use it to its fullest extent.

Observing Skills: The Science and Art of using Astronomical Telescopes provides the required information. First, it explains how to get the best from...

In an eye-opening sequence of personal meditations through the cycle of seasons, one of our most celebrated storyteller-poet-naturalists awakens us to the world at dawn. Diane Ackerman draws from sources as diverse as meteorology, world religion, etymology, art history, and poetry in order to celebrate that moment in which the deepest arcades of life and matter become visible. From spring in Ithaca, New York, to winter in Palm Beach, Florida, Dawn Light is an impassioned call to revel in our numbered days on a turning earth.

A Los Angeles Times Favorite Book,...