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Astronomy Books
Stephen P. Maran
Richard Tresch Fienberg
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Published:
September 5, 2017

Astronomy For Dummies

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Overview

Embark on your own personal journey into the night sky. Stardate: Today! Ever catch yourself staring up at the night sky and wondering just what the heck is out there? While no one book can answer all your questions, Astronomy For Dummies will take you on a tour through the Milky Way (and beyond!) that describes some of the most fascinating objects in the universe. This book comes complete with online access to chapter quizzes and downloadable full-color astronomical photos of our universe, as well as easy-to-follow explanations of the eye-popping wonders and gorgeous interstellar objects that populate our solar system, galaxy, and universe. You’ll find:

  • Brand-new star charts for the northern and southern hemispheres, as well as descriptions of the latest tech tools for amateur astronomers
  • Lists of the most recently discovered exoplanets, exomoons, and exocomets hurtling through the cosmos
  • The latest timelines for dazzling solar events and maps to the best places to see them live and in-person

    • Filled with discussions of the biggest and greatest new breakthroughs and an 8-page color insert packed with unbelievable, full-color photographs, Astronomy For Dummies is a can’t-miss book that will ignite a passion for understanding the mysteries of the universe in children and adults alike!

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    About The Author

    Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is the retired assistant director of space sciences for information and outreach at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. An investigator of stars, nebulae, and comets, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, Space Shuttle missions, Skylab, and other NASA projects.

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    CHEAT SHEET

    Astronomy is fascinating, and people have been looking at the stars since the dawn of humanity. Start your study of astronomy by reviewing the accomplishments of the very first astronomers, and then continue looking at important historical markers of the Space Age.A celestial timelinePeople have been fascinated with the stars and planets since ancient times.
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    Articles from
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    In daily life — reading the newspaper, watching the evening news, surfing the web, catching up with social media, or talking to friends — you run across many misconceptions about astronomy. Here are explanations for the most common of these errors. "The Light from That Star Took 1,000 Light-Years to Reach Earth" Many people mistake the light-year for a unit of time on par with units like a day, a month, or an ordinary year.
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    Here are some favorite facts about astronomy and, in particular, Earth and its solar system. With the following information under your belt, you may be ready to handle the astronomy questions on television quiz shows and inquiries from friends and family. You have tiny meteorites in your hair Micrometeorites, tiny particles from space visible only through microscopes, are constantly raining down on Earth.
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    The study of astronomy is vast and encompasses a huge amount of information. This chart represents important events in astronomy, like discoveries and inventions that have impacted astronomy through the ages:2000 B.C. According to legend, two Chinese astronomers are executed for not predicting an eclipse and for being drunk as it happened.
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    Astronomy is fascinating, and people have been looking at the stars since the dawn of humanity. Start your study of astronomy by reviewing the accomplishments of the very first astronomers, and then continue looking at important historical markers of the Space Age.A celestial timelinePeople have been fascinated with the stars and planets since ancient times.
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    Finding out about astronomy is easy. You can choose from a wide range of resources, including websites, apps for smartphones and tablet computers, magazines, and desktop computer software. The following sections offer some tips for finding the best information. Astronomy in cyberspace The Net offers sites on every topic in astronomy, and the resources are increasing at, well, an astronomical rate!
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    Astronomy is the study of the sky, the science of cosmic objects and celestial happenings, and the investigation of the nature of the universe you live in. Professional astronomers carry out the business of astronomy by observing with telescopes that capture visible light from the stars or by tuning in to radio waves that come from space.
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    When you're studying astronomy, don't forget the women who made an impact in the field. Check out this list of amazing achievements by women astronomers and astrophysicists: Historical: Caroline Herschel (1750–1848) Discovered eight comets.Annie Jump Cannon (1863–1941) Devised the basic method for classifying the stars.
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    Ever since the work of Sir Isaac Newton, the English scientist (1642–1727), everything in astronomy has revolved around gravity. Newton explained gravity as a force between any two objects. The force depends on mass and separation. The more massive the object, the more powerful its pull. The greater the distance, the weaker the gravitational attraction.
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    Normally, only a few meteors per hour are visible — more after midnight than before and (for observers in the Northern Hemisphere) more in the fall than in the spring. But on certain occasions every year, you may see 10, 20, or even 50 or more meteors per hour in a dark, moonless sky far from city lights. Such an event is a meteor shower, when Earth passes through a great ring of billions of meteoroids that runs all the way around the orbit of the comet that shed them.
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    Astronomers used to call stars "fixed stars," to distinguish them from the wandering planets. But in fact, stars are in constant motion as well, both real and apparent. The whole sky rotates overhead because Earth is turning. The stars rise and set, like the Sun and the Moon, but they stay in formation.The stars that make up the Great Bear don't swing over to the Little Dog or Aquarius, the Water Bearer.
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    The Space Age, generally considered started by the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik, is defined by the events surrounding space exploration and development of space technology. This list maps out major events of the Space Age:1957 The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth.
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    Aside from ignoring the source of the expansion-causing explosion, the Big Bang theory has other shortcomings. In particular, it doesn't explain why regions of the universe that are separated by distances so vast that they can't communicate — even by a messenger traveling at the speed of light — look so similar to each other.
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    The best way to break into astronomy without undue effort is to join an astronomy club. Clubs hold meetings where old hands pass along tips on techniques and equipment to beginners and scientists present talks. Members likely know where to get a good deal on a used telescope or binoculars and which products on the market are worth buying.
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    Anyone can walk outside on a clear night and see some stars. But how do you know what you're seeing? How can you find it again? What do you watch for?One of the most time-honored ways of getting familiar with the night sky if you live in the Northern Hemisphere is to pay attention to the North Star, or Polaris, which barely moves.
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    A comet is a stuck-together mixture of ice, frozen gases (such as the ices of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide), and solid particles — the dust or "dirt" shown here. Historically, astronomers described comets as having a head and tail or tails, but with additional research, they've been able to clarify the nature of a comet's structure.
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    Digital cameras are now the preferred tools for photographing meteors. But digital meteor photography requires a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR), which is an expensive camera (point-and-shoot cameras and cellphone cameras don't work very well, except in the rare case when you can catch a brilliant fireball) and a lot of trial-and-error experimenting until you get it right.
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    Planetariums, also called planetaria, are just right for beginning astronomers. They provide instructive exhibits and project wonderful sky shows indoors on the planetarium dome or on a huge screen. And many offer nighttime skywatching sessions with small telescopes, usually held outside in the parking lot, in an adjacent small observatory dome, or at a nearby public park.
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    If you're just starting to become interested in astronomy, get into the astronomy hobby gradually, investing as little money as possible until you're sure about what you want to do. Here's a plan for acquiring both basic skills and the needed equipment: If you have a late-model computer, invest in a free or inexpensive planetarium program.
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    You can find dozens of professional observatories in the United States and many more abroad. Some serve as research institutions operated by colleges and universities or government agencies. The U.S. Naval Observatory is in the heart of Washington, D.C., and has high security, so you must arrange tours in advance; they're usually on Monday nights.
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    A cheap, mass-manufactured telescope, often called a drugstore or department store telescope, is usually a waste of money. And it still costs more than a hundred or maybe several hundred dollars. ©Astrosystem / Adobe StockA good telescope, bought new, may run you several hundred dollars to $1,000, and you certainly can pay more.
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    Hundreds of operating satellites are orbiting Earth, along with thousands of pieces of orbiting space junk — nonfunctional satellites, upper stages from satellite launch rockets, pieces of broken and even exploded satellites, and tiny paint flakes from satellites and rockets.You may be able to glimpse the reflected light from any of the larger satellites and space junk, and powerful defense radar can track even very small pieces.
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    When you're outdoors on a dark night and see a "shooting star" (the flash of light from a random, falling meteoroid), what you're probably seeing is a sporadic meteor. But if many meteors appear, all seeming to come from the same place among the stars, you're witnessing a meteor shower. Meteor showers are among the most enjoyable sights in the heavens.
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    Naming stars was easy enough for astronomers. But what about all those other objects in the sky — galaxies, nebulae, star clusters, and the like? Charles Messier (1730–1817), a French astronomer, created a numbered list of about 100 fuzzy sky objects. His list is known as the Messier Catalog, and now when you hear the Andromeda Galaxy called by its scientific name, M31, you know that it stands for number 31 in the Catalog.
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    If you want to look at the craters on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, or Jupiter's Great Red Spot, you need a telescope. The same advice goes for observing faint variable stars or viewing all but the brightest galaxies or the beautiful small glowing clouds called planetary nebulae, which have nothing to do with planets.
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    Owning a good pair of binoculars is a must. Buy or borrow a pair and observe with them before you get a telescope. Binoculars are excellent for many kinds of observation, and if you give up on astronomy (sigh), you can still use them for many other purposes. And if you borrowed the binoculars, be sure to return them before you are viewed with suspicion.
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    The International Dark-Sky Association confers the designation of International Dark Sky Park on public lands with good starry skies and limited or very low interference from artificial lighting. A dark sky park may or may not have telescopes of its own, but it's a place you can visit for a good view of the sky and to set up your own portable telescope.
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    Star parties are outdoor conventions for amateur astronomers. They set up their telescopes (some homemade and some not) in a field, and people take turns skywatching. (Be prepared to hear plenty of "Oohs" and "Ahs.")Judges choose the best homemade telescopes and equipment, earning their owners esteem and sometimes even a prize.
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    Telescope motels are establishments where the attractions are the dark skies and the opportunity to set up your own telescope in an excellent viewing location. They usually have telescopes of their own that you can use, perhaps at an additional fee. If you fancy enjoying a stargazing vacation without lugging your own equipment across the country or the world, telescope motels are a good option.
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