An Amateur's Guide to Observing and Imaging the Heavens

An Amateur's Guide to Observing and Imaging the Heavens is a highly comprehensive guidebook that bridges the gap between the beginners' and hobbyists' books and the many specialised and subject-specific texts for more advanced amateur astronomers. Written by an experienced astronomer and educator, the book is a one-stop reference providing extensive information and advice about observing and imaging equipment, with detailed examples showing how best to use them. In addition to providing in-depth knowledge about every type of astronomical telescope and highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, two chapters offer advice on making visual observations of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars and galaxies. All types of modern astronomical imaging are covered, with step-by-step details given on the use of DSLRs and web-cams for solar, lunar and planetary imaging and the use of DSLRs and cooled CCD cameras for deep sky imaging.

Foreword; Acknowledgments; Prologue: a tale of two scopes; 1. Telescope and observing fundamentals; 2. Refractors; 3. Binoculars and spotting scopes; 4. The Newtonian telescope and its derivatives; 5. The Cassegrain telescope and its derivatives – Schmidt-Cassegrains and Maksutovs; 6. Telescope maintenance, collimation and star testing; 7. Telescope accessories: finders, eyepieces and bino-viewers; 8. Telescope mounts: alt/az and equatorial with their computerised variants; 9. The art of visual observing; 10. Visual observations of the Moon and planets; 11. Imaging the Moon and planets with DSLRs and web-cams; 12. Observing and imaging the Sun in white light and H-alpha; 13. Observing with an astro-video camera to 'see' faint objects; 14. Deep sky imaging with standard and H-alpha modified DSLR cameras; 15. Deep sky imaging with cooled CCD cameras; 16. Auto-guiding techniques and equipment; 17. Spectral studies of the Sun, stars and galaxies; 18. Improving and enhancing images in Photoshop; Index.

Ian Morison spent his professional career as a radio-astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. The International Astronomical Union has recognised his work by naming an asteroid in his honour. He is an honorary member of the Macclesfield Astronomical Society, which he also helped found, and a council member and past president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, United Kingdom. In 2007 he was appointed Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, the oldest chair of astronomy in the world. He is author of numerous articles for the astronomical press and of a university astronomy textbook, and writes a monthly online sky guide and audio podcast for the Jodrell Bank Observatory.