The Astronomical Companion, Second Edition
by Guy Ottewell
Mem. Ed. $21.99
Pub. Ed. $26.95
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The Astronomical Companion, Second Edition
Would you like to get better acquainted with the dizzying array of phenomena that lie above the horizon? The Astronomical Companion, New Edition, is the ideal tool for you. Guy Ottewell packs a universe’s worth of information into 70 oversized pages, beginning with an introduction to coordinate systems and our planet’s orientation in space.
One of the Companion’s most striking features is a series of 30 diagrams, each 10 inches in diameter, that showcase spheres of space at ever-larger scales. These take us from the Moon’s orbit and the realm of the planets out through the nearest stars, the neighboring regions of our Milky Way galaxy, and into the Local Group of galaxies and beyond to the limits of the observable universe.
Here as well are a map and catalogue of star names with their derivations; a look at the designation systems of stellar nomenclature, including Bayer letters and Flamsteed numbers; and an essay on the science of moonlight. The full Moon’s apparent magnitude is –12.7, on average, but it can vary to about 10 percent brighter if the distance to Earth and Sun are at minimum. Interested in the nearest stars? One list provides the parallax and distance, in both parsecs and light-years, of the closest ones to the Sun, from Proxima Centauri to 61 Cygni; a separate list tabulates 103 stars by apparent magnitude, from our own Sun (magnitude –26.74) to Zeta Sagitarii (2.60). In addition to a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram vividly illustrating the position of well-known stars, we get a detailed essay on the science of stellar evolution, including fascinating insights on the mechanics of quasars.
The Astronomical Companion, New Edition, is a stunning guide that allows readers to make their way across the heavens.
Softcover : 72 pages
Publisher: Guy Ottewell ( November 01, 2010 )
Item #: 13-330303
ISBN: 9780934546607
Product Dimensions: 11.0 x 15.0 inches
Product Weight: 14.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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